A Power of Attorney is your written permission for someone to take care of your property and/or financial matters for you.
The person you name to take care of things for you is called an Attorney-in-Fact. If your Attorney-in-Fact does something in your name, it is the same as if you did it yourself. Common duties of an Attorney-in-Fact are things like helping write checks or sell property if you move to an apartment or nursing home. It is also important to let your Attorney-in-Fact get information from businesses and places that normally might not share it with anyone but you.
Important: Even if you have a Power of Attorney form, you still get to make your own decisions about your money and property.
In the Power of Attorney form, you can also give your Attorney-in-Fact the power to act for you if you later become incapacitated. Your Attorney-in-Fact does not have to be a lawyer, but should be someone you trust.
For more information and a form you can use, see our fact sheet Power of Attorney.