how many people can act as power of attorney

Two people or more can have Power of Attorney, though it is generally advised against. Nominating more than one POA

can create confusion when it comes time to make important decisions -- especially with time-sensitive medical decisions.

Full Answer

How much power does your power of attorney actually have?

Can More Than One Person Have the Power of Attorney? The short answer is yes. You can have two, three, or ten people as your agents if that’s what you want. The real question is—should you? The more agents you have, the more reasons for feuds and disputes.

How to prove that someone is power of attorney?

How many people can be on a power of attorney?

Why should I have a power of attorney?

Yes, you can name more than one person on your durable power of attorney, but our law firm generally advise against it under most circumstances. First, there is no legal reason why you cannot name more than one person as your power of attorney - …

Can you name more than one person on a power of attorney?

Answer: When you make or change a durable power of attorney for finances, you are allowed to name more than one agent (or "attorney-in-fact," as this person is known in some states). If your aunt wants to name both niece and nephew, she may do so, but she will have to decide how they should carry out their duties.

Can a power of attorney give each person independent authority?

She can give them each independent authority, which means that either can take care of any financial task authorized by the power of attorney document without consulting the other. Or she can require them to reach agreement before taking any action under the document.

What is a co-surrogate power of attorney?

Remember, your power of attorney is for financial and legal decision making while your health care decisions are subject to your advance directives.

Can you name more than one person on a power of attorney?

Yes, you can name more than one person on your durable power of attorney, but our law firm generally advise against it under most circumstances. First, there is no legal reason why you cannot name more than one person as your power of attorney - you can name 10 people if you want.

Can a power of attorney prevent guardianship?

If you do not do things the right way, the power of attorney may not be able to prevent a guardianship, so think about things thoroughly!

Can you name one person at a time?

Answer: no one (or everyone)! We prefer to name one person at a time in descending order - i.e., start at your spouse and move to children in order of priority or what have you. There is, however, a great exception to this rule: when you have an aging couple, it may be best to name your spouse and a responsible child as attorneys-in-fact. ...

Can you have more than one attorney?

The answer is generally no, unless you have a specific reason and considered the potential problems. The reason why we do advise more than one is in the event of a conflict. With multiple named attorneys-in-fact, there is always the ability for people to conflict on decisions.

Can you name your daughter as a power of attorney?

For instance, you name your financially savvy daughter as your power of attorney but your son who is in the medical field as your designation of health care surrogate. This way, one can pay the bills while the other can do all the doctor/care management work. A lot of factors go into the decisionmaking of who to choose as your health care surrogate.

What is a power of attorney?

A Power of Attorney, often referred to as the Agent, has the right to make important life decisions on behalf of the person who nominated them, referred to as the Principal. Here are just some of the power of attorney duties:

How does a power of attorney work?

Power of Attorney works by allowing someone to make important decisions on your behalf, should you become incapacitated or medically unable to do so. The purpose of officially nominating a POA is to ensure that someone can act on your behalf in a timely manner should they ever need to. Without a POA, your family will typically have to go to court to appoint a guardian to handle these duties.

Can a POA act outside of the principal's best interest?

The POA cannot act outside of the Principal’s best interest.

Can a POA transfer assets after the death of the principal?

The POA cannot distribute inheritances or transfer assets after the death of the Principal.

Can a POA transfer responsibility to another agent?

The POA cannot transfer the responsibility to another Agent at any time.

Can you nominate more than one POA?

Two people or more can have Power of Attorney, though it is generally advised against. Nominating more than one POA can create confusion when it comes time to make important decisions -- especially with time-sensitive medical decisions. However, if you want different individuals to handle different responsibilities you can nominate a different type of POA.

Can a power of attorney transfer money to themselves?

A Power of Attorney can transfer money to themselves if it is outlined in the original agreement or when the POA is acting in the Principal’s best interest. Unfortunately, situations do happen where a POA takes advantage of their legal rights by transferring funds beyond what is specified to themselves. In these cases, POA can be revoked and legal action can be taken by the Principal or a family member.

What is a power of attorney?

A power of attorney gives one or more persons the power to act on your behalf as your agent. The power may be limited to a particular activity, such as closing the sale of your home, or be general in its application. The power may give temporary or permanent authority to act on your behalf. The power may take effect immediately, or only upon ...

How long does a power of attorney last?

Today, most states permit a "durable" power of attorney that remains valid once signed until you die or revoke the document.

Do you have to check with a power of attorney if you own a vacation home?

If you own real estate, such as a vacation home, or valuable personal property, such as collectibles, in a second state, you should check with an attorney to make sure that your power of attorney properly covers such property.

Can an attorney in fact make gifts?

Gifts are an important tool for many estate plans, and your attorney-in-fact can make gifts on your behalf, subject to guidelines that you set forth in your power of attorney. For example, you may wish to permit your attorney-in-fact to make "annual exclusion" gifts (up to $14,000 in value per recipient per year in 2013) on your behalf ...

Can an attorney in fact change a will?

Although an agent cannot revise your will on your behalf, some jurisdictions permit an attorney-in- fact to create or amend trusts for you during your lifetime, or to transfer your assets to trusts you created. Even without amending your will or creating trusts, an agent can affect the outcome of how your assets are distributed by changing the ownership (title) to assets. It is prudent to include in the power of attorney a clear statement of whether you wish your agent to have these powers.

What to do if you are called upon to take action as someone's agent?

If you are ever called upon to take action as someone’s agent, you should consult with an attorney about actions you can and cannot take and whether there are any precautionary steps you should take to minimize the likelihood of someone challenging your actions.

What are the qualifications to be an attorney in fact?

There are no special qualifications necessary for someone to act as an attorney-in-fact except that the person must not be a minor or otherwise incapacitated. The best choice is someone you trust. Integrity, not financial acumen, is often the most important trait of a potential agent.

How many people can you name in a power of attorney?

There is no limit to the number of people you can name as an attorney when making a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). You can also name replacement attorneys who can step in if one of the original attorneys becomes unable or unwilling to act.

What is a power of attorney?

An attorney is someone who you have decided should have legal authority to deal with your affairs, if there comes a time when you're unable to deal with them yourself. This can be a friend, a relative or a professional, but it's important that your attorney is someone you trust. You appoint an attorney in a legal document called a 'Lasting Power of Attorney'.

Can an original attorney act?

There are other circumstances under which an original attorney may not be able to act. Examples include where the original attorney was your husband or wife and you've now divorced, or (in respect of a Financial Decisions LPA) the original attorney has been made bankrupt.

Can you name replacement attorneys in a power of attorney?

When making a Lasting Power of Attorney, you can also name replacement attorneys. These can step in if one of your original attorneys can no longer act, perhaps because he/she has already passed away, is ill or simply no longer wants to be your attorney.

Can you have multiple attorneys if you only appoint one?

For example, if you only appoint one attorney and that person dies before you, you won't have an attorney in place. This would render your Lasting Power of Attorney ineffective. You can avoid this by appointing multiple attorneys or by putting replacement attorneys in place.

Can couples make mirror power of attorney?

For instance, you might like one person to manage your finances, but another to manage your day-to-day welfare. Couples can make Mirror Lasting Power of Attorneys, nomina ting each other or the same people to act as their attorneys.

Can you appoint more than one attorney?

If you only appoint one attorney and that person becomes unable to act, no one else will have the authority to take their place. For this reason, it can be a good idea to appoint more than one attorney, but there are factors you'll need to consider when appointing multiple attorneys.