Des Moines Power of Attorney Lawyer

Power of Attorney In Des Moines, IA

Many people overlook power of attorney documents when building their estate plan. This is a critical error, as a power of attorney provides instructions to entrust your financial and medical decisions to someone you trust, so they can execute them according to your wishes. A Des Moines power of attorney lawyer can help you prepare these documents and give you peace of mind that your finances and healthcare are in good hands, even if you become incapacitated.

Law Offices of Amanda T. Adams PLLC: Des Moines Estate Planning Lawyer

Amanda T. Adams has 15 years of legal experience. She has helped countless individuals protect their estates, building estate planning documents designed to protect their interests even after incapacitation or death. With a deep knowledge of power of attorney laws, she can draft documents that are legally enforceable and properly filed.

Understanding What it Means to Give Power of Attorney

Power of attorney allows you to give decision-making power to a trusted individual in the case that you are unable to communicate or have passed away. This is an efficient, simpler way to handle your estate plan, and can be used in conjunction with other documents, like a living will or a trust.

Planning how important decisions are made is essential, yet only 24% of Americans have a will, and only 4% report having other estate planning documents.

It can be difficult to decide who to grant this authority. Many people select their spouse, adult children, or another trusted relative. A Des Moines power of attorney lawyer can help you make a selection based on the ability to handle responsibility, communicate clearly, and understand your values. We can speak with this person to inform them of what the role entails.

Why Financial Power of Attorney Is Important

Designating someone as an agent gives them authority over your financial matters and protects your assets. It can also help you avoid issues that arise from financial neglect, such as missed payments. Some tasks this trusted individual may handle include:

• Paying bills
• Managing bank accounts
• Handling investments
• Filing taxes
• Handling government benefits, like Social Security and Medicaid

By having someone manage your finances, you can avoid issues like missed payments, losing essential services or assets, and court intervention. Ultimately, this allows you to protect your financial stability through the end of your life and keep your affairs in order before they are passed down to loved ones.

How Power of Attorney Can Support Your Healthcare and End-of-Life Wishes

Power of attorney documents help inform physicians at MercyOne, UnityPoint Health, or other medical centers on what care you would and would not like to receive if you are unable to communicate. Seventy-eight percent of emergency medicine physicians find advance care planning, like healthcare power of attorney documentation, extremely useful when caring for their patients.

The person granted power of attorney can communicate on your behalf with medical professionals, review treatment options, and advocate for care that aligns with your wishes. They often make decisions about things like:

• Life-sustaining treatments
• Surgical procedures
• Pain management
• Hospice care

Why You Should Hire a Power of Attorney Lawyer

Some people find that the power of attorney costs include stress and difficult decision-making. When estate planning, you want to limit the burden on your loved ones, which can make it difficult to give someone the responsibility of these documents. However, if you hire a power of attorney lawyer, they can ease this burden by outlining clear expectations and actions they should take. This can reduce the potential anxiety over making the right choice.

Estate planning documents, like a power of attorney, must be carefully drafted to meet the requirements outlined in Des Moines, IA’s power of attorney laws. When you work with a Des Moines power of attorney lawyer, you can feel confident that your power of attorney documents are legally enforceable and will be applied if you ever become incapacitated.

FAQs

Work With a Lawyer Ready to Protect Your Future Decisions

It can be overwhelming to think about issues like incapacitation and death. However, proper planning can bring you peace, knowing that your financial assets and personal health are protected by someone you trust. Contact the Law Offices of Amanda T. Adams PLLC to speak with a Des Moines power of attorney lawyer about how you can protect your interests even after incapacitation.