Legal
Powers of attorney, and the difference that matters
One document name covers several very different arrangements, and the distinctions decide whether it works when it is needed.
A power of attorney authorises somebody to act for you. A general one covers broad financial affairs; a limited one covers a named transaction and nothing else. Which you want depends entirely on the situation, and broader is not better.
The distinction that catches people is durability. An ordinary power of attorney ends if the person who granted it loses capacity — which is precisely the moment most people imagine it being used. A durable power says in its own text that it survives incapacity, and without that wording it does not.
Healthcare decisions generally need a separate document, variously called a healthcare proxy, a medical power of attorney or an advance directive. A financial power of attorney does not usually authorise medical decisions.
Formalities are set by state and are strict: notarisation, witnesses, sometimes both. A document that does not meet them can be refused by a bank at the moment it is needed, and the fix at that point is a court process. Many states publish a statutory form that institutions are obliged to accept.
What to do next. Check whether your state publishes a statutory form, and confirm the document says it is durable if that is what you intend.
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between academic years. This is written to help you read the official sources, not to
stand in front of them. Start there.
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