I assigned my son POA. He lives in Ohio and I live in NYS. Can he use my check to pay bills?

cathy, if you're wanting your son to totally take care of your bills and you never have to see them again, then I would suggest all the bills being sent to him and he pay them online. I have all my mother-in-law's bills sent to me, then I pay them via computer. One day I had her here and I called each and every bill she had. They wanted to hear from her that she wanted the bills sent to my address so that I could pay them. Once they heard that from her, then it was fine with them. I share POA with one of her sons, but I control the checkbook and only I pay the bills. I also set it up online so that all her boys have access with passwords etc so they can see what I'm up to. No big deal to me.

Yes, if your son has POA he'll be able to pay your bills. Make sure that the bank has the paperwork they need to recognize him as your POA.

Easier than check, especially at a distance, is online access to your account. Most banks have a feature where you can send payments without writing checks. Many POAs find this very convenient. My sister uses it to manage my mother's account.

You are wise to plan ahead! Do you also have a health proxy appointed, sometimes called Health POA, and a living will?