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DarmSi Asked October 2020

What options are there for POA-Health and POA-Finance if you prefer not to have family or friends do it?

AlvaDeer Nov 2020
A paid fiduciary. In CA they are licensed. I am NOT talking about a financial adviser here who will invest things in whatever makes him money. Fiduciaries work, primarily through the court when there is no one, or unsafe family members. They handle EVERYTHING. My bro's ex partner, who was taken care of by my bro, has a Fiduciary due to his alcoholic encepholopathy. The man has become a friend. He is wonderful. His pay is average about 90.00 an hour, but once things are set up it requires very little time per month to manage things. Call an attorney you know. They are familiar with fiduciaries because they get them appointed under court orders, and can recommend a good one in your area. Good luck.

gladimhere Nov 2020
Check into geriatric care managers. They often will do financial and medical.

https://www.aginglifecare.org/ALCA/About_Aging_Life_Care/Find_an_Aging_Life_Care_Expert/ALCA/About_Aging_Life_Care/Search/Find_an_Expert.aspx?hkey=78a6cb03-e912-4993-9b68-df1573e9d8af&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9sK8pc3j7AIVmIvICh0TggCVEAAYASAAEgJLbvD_BwE

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disgustedtoo Oct 2020
Absolutely ensure that the financial POA is a fiduciary (Fiduciary duties in a financial sense exist to ensure that those who manage other people's money act in their beneficiaries' interests, rather than serving their own interests.) As AlvaDeer suggested, a qualified attorney (Elder Care or perhaps Estate planning) should be used to set this up and s/he may be able to give you a list of qualified fiduciaries. In addition, every state will have their own "rules" regarding POAs, so it isn't a DIY project!

Medical POA should also be set up by a qualified attorney, however the person(s) assigned to this role should probably not be the fiduciary. You should be filling out forms regarding directives, aka what you would want do under the specified conditions (living will, my parents filled these forms out, but oddly they were not included with the other documents - at least I was aware they didn't want extraordinary measures.)

Please check this page and reference it as needed when you discuss your plans with an attorney:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/choosing-health-care-agent-29939.html

Additional info:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/living-will-power-of-attorney-29595.html

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/durable-financial-power-of-attorney-29936.html

Interesting that this link suggests naming the same person for financial and medical - best to run this by the attorney you use:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/durable-power-of-attorney-health-finances-29579.html
DarmSi Nov 2020
Again, I am at the beginning stages of planning so it's valuable to know that I should consider separate POAs for Health and Finance. Are there Fiduciaries who handle POA for Health, too?

Thank you for the information and the related sites for additional guidelines. It is good to know that there are others who are in similar situations and have planned accordingly. Much appreciated disgustedtoo.
AlvaDeer Oct 2020
I recommend a professional Fiduciary. We are not talking financial adviser here; that's something different. If you have contact with an attorney who did papers for you they will be able, likely to provide you with a list of Fiduciaries in your area as Elder Law Attorneys have a whole list used when there is state guardianship. I know a Fiduciary well as he manages the assets of my bro's ex partner who lives in ALF and cannot handle own assets, etc. Average cost in State of Ca. around 90.00 an hour. Once all bills and accounts are arranged it seldom takes more than an hour, possibly two a month.

Frebrowser Oct 2020
What state are you in?
POA-Finance may be a professional fiduciary.
https://pfac-pro.org/find-a-fiduciary/role-of-a-fiduciary/
DarmSi Nov 2020
I prefer not to divulge my location, Frebrowser. Thank you for the website.

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