From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: Bucks County Power of Attorney Safeguard and Storage

Most Recently Updated July 21, 2018.

“I have signed a General Power of Attorney giving my girlfriend the power to act for me, but I don’t want her to have it yet. I only want her to have it when (and if) I become unable to care for myself. Should I keep it in my safe at home? We both live in Bucks County, so she is close by.”

Bucks County Power of Attorney Safeguard and Storage

Bucks County Power of Attorney Safeguard and Storage

The problem with putting your General Power of Attorney in your safe is that if you become incapacitated, your girlfriend will likely be unable to get into the safe. You could give her the combination to the safe, but that runs contrary to your wish. If she has the combination, she can get to the General Power of Attorney at any time. This is a common problem.

What We Do

Our answer is to allow our clients to keep their Durable Powers of Attorney in our Will safes, free of charge. We would have you sign a document stating that you only want us to release your Power of Attorney to your Agent if you have become incapacitated.

If your girlfriend comes to our office to obtain your Power of Attorney, we would then ask your location and how to contact you. Normally, the Agent directs us to a hospital where we can confirm that the client has become incapacitated. We then release the Power of Attorney and the Agent is then free to use it to care for the client. BUT, every so often we find out that our client is, in fact, not incapacitated. In those cases, the Power of Attorney was kept out of the hands of an Agent who might have otherwise used the Power of Attorney to embezzle or steal from our client.

If you would like to store your Power of Attorney with us, please feel free to contact me.

More Planning Questions?

Storing a power of attorney in a safe location is only a piece of the Estate Planning process. By all means, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Estate Planning Everything You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Bucks County Power of Attorney Safeguard and Storage

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining how to safeguard a power of attorney. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website so you can learn more. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Estate Planning lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced estate planning lawyers.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to make the process as painless as possible!

Wills, Trusts, Probate, and Estate Litigation, It’s All We Do!