Life has a way of moving quickly. We are focused on so many things to get through each day, that we often can overlook some necessary things that should always stay current.

One of the documents that you should have drawn up by your legal counsel is your Power of Attorney document. Your situation needs to be reviewed by an attorney affiliated with the state that you are a resident of. When it comes to Florida, you may be a resident of New York, but reside in Florida six months out of the year. Some people change their state of residency to Florida, due to the tax advantages, and go up north for six months out of the year. Either way, if your original documents were written in New York, and you have changed your residency to Florida, you need to have your Will, Power of Attorney and Health Care Surrogate documents reviewed by a Florida attorney to make sure that your paperwork would not be challenged in the State of Florida.

People need to review their Power of Attorney document every time there is a change in their life. An illness or death of a family member that you may have added as a primary or secondary Power of Attorney, requires you to revise your documents. Many times people forget who they named as their Power of Attorney.

I would suggest that every two years, especially as you age, you review your paperwork and discuss it between you and your existing Power of Attorney. Remind them that you named them as your Power of Attorney. Make sure that they have a copy of the document. You would be surprised how many people forget you named them to have that responsibility. They may have moved, divorced, remarried, passed away, started having memory problems, or any number of things.

If you named one or more of your children to act as your Power of Attorney in the event you were unable to act on your own behalf, make sure everyone is still talking to each other when you review the documents. Any divorces, substance abuse problems or issues that may create uneasiness to keep that named child as your Power of Attorney needs to be identified and adjusted.

So find your Power of Attorney document and let us know if you are on top of it, or were surprised to realize how outdated it was! We always are interested to hear about your experiences!

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