There isn’t an attorney alive who wouldn’t recommend that adults have a power of attorney so if they can’t sign important documents, a person they trust can sign for them. A power of attorney can cover almost all financial matters, including bank accounts, stocks, bonds, real estate and applications to government agencies for programs such as Medicaid, housing assistance or veterans benefits. It’s common for people to think that’s for older people, but that is simply not the case. When my older daughter was heading off to Africa to do research on a Fulbright scholarship, accompanied by my daughter Halley Allaire, now in our law firm, I made them do a power of attorney and a living will in case something went wrong. Fortunately, nothing went wrong. And when Halley became a Navy JAG lawyer, some of her first clients were members of the SEAL Team Six, because the Navy command knew they might be incommunicado on missions for periods of time, and if any legal matters came up, they needed a family member or other trusted person to handle things for them. As I wrote in an article many years ago, if it’s good enough to be done by SEAL Team Six, it's good enough for everyone.
![The Power of a Power of Attorney](/images/2023/02/23/power-of-attorney-connecticut_small.jpg)