Currents February 2017 | Page 13

Currents January 2017 13
By : Martin Zevin , P . A .
New Durable Power of Attorney Is Important to Protect You
A Durable Power of Attorney is an extremely important document that every adult in Florida should have . You appoint one or more Agents to act on your behalf for virtually all legal and financial matters . The Durable Power of Attorney is most often utilized if you become incapacitated ; however , I have many clients who choose to allow someone trustworthy to act on their behalf just to make life less complicated . The Durable Power of Attorney can be used for such diverse jobs as paying bills , signing contracts , buying and selling real estate , making investments , collecting monies owed and most other matters of a legal or financial nature . It does not cover any medical decisions , for which Florida Law requires a Designation of Health Care Surrogate . It also does not cover “ pulling the plug ,” for which a Written Declaration , otherwise known as a Living Will , is required .
If you have never done a Durable Power of Attorney , it is extremely important to contact a lawyer to prepare the document as soon as possible . However , if
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