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Countersign power of attorney

understanding a power of attorney for finances today's topic hi I'm Carolyn Rosenblatt at aging parents calm welcome this is part of our video series the power of attorney for finances is a question for a lot of people so let's find out first of all what does this document mean it is a legal document you can get a very basic version free from the internet it has some limitations but it's free you do so by putting the words a durable power of attorney into your search engine and then you add your state and you get a form but you can print out and use all right so what is this document essentially it reflects an agreement between the person giving authority to someone and the person getting that authority to handle money and financial decisions the person giving authority is called the principal that's usually the aging parent and the person getting the authority had to act is called the agent that might be you so let's say your aging parent is the principal and she wants you to be able to help her do her banking and other financial business you're the agent you're also called the attorney in fact she appoints you with your signed permission to act on her behalf and the document must be notarized a durable power of attorney is called durable because it permits you to act on her behalf if she's no longer competent or if she has dementia or is ill or in a coma it's good for life your authority ends though when she dies it could also end if she is still competent to sign this document and she changes her mind and appoints a different person as her agent being a parents agent is an excellent way to help an elderly parent who can't manage his affairs any longer you can't release sign checks for someone without this document the power of attorney everyone should have this in case you become ill or get hit on the head or just confused and have memory problems if your aging parent does not have a durable power of attorney it would be smart to get her to sign one no one can be sure of being able to manage money well until the end of one's life most of us will need some help as we age especially if we live to be very old by hundreds so many people do the great thing about this document is that it can legally enable you to help your loved one and prevent him from making mistakes or being abused financially now there's a drawback and that is that sometimes these documents are misused in the wrong hands it can become a license to steal the agent is supposed to act only for the benefit of the principal some ruthless people misuse the power of attorney to transfer money to themselves and rip off a vulnerable elder we call that financial elder abuse and it should be reported you report that to Adult Protective Services in your area if you see someone stealing from an elder this way that's what you do the other drawback to this document is that it can be revoked while a person is still competent to sign a new one sometimes family members who are out for themselves manipulate a confused elder into signing a new durable power of attorney form appointing them as the agent and they then take the opportunity and transfer the elders assets to themselves that possibility is very dangerous and very sad so in summary remember this every aging person needs to have this document the durable power of attorney signed and notarized only an honest and stable person should be the agent and if you see anyone misusing the durable power of attorney report this as financial elder abuse watch out for your vulnerable aging loved ones if you need advice about potential elder abuse or misuse of the durable power of attorney in your family you can contact us at aging parents calm find us at aging parents calm where you can fill out your request for a strategy meeting with me about your legal issues thanks for watching that's it for now