March 2022. “We need to update our wills,” he said. “Yes,” she added, “and we need powers of attorney, and medical directives.” The attorney nodded toward her. “Actually, those documents are at least as important as your wills. Your POAs and directives are used for...
February 2022. When I draft documents, I’m always trying to anticipate who might object and what they might object to. Then we draft around the anticipated objection. When we’re drafting a will, the rules are fairly clear and part of the public record – laws and...
By Tim Barkley. September 2021. “I don’t need a power of attorney. My spouse and I own everything jointly.” “My daughter is on all my accounts, so I don’t need a power of attorney.” “I’m not letting anybody take control over me! I’m not signing that paper!” “I don’t...
By Tim Barkley. February 2021. “My dad is in assisted living. We need to pay his bills, but his power of attorney says it only works if he’s incompetent. I can’t get anybody to say he’s incompetent. They say the doctor will check up on him and make an evaluation, but...
By Tim Barkley. January 2021. 2020 hindsight. That’s when we look back and try to see more clearly than we could in the moment. Stress test. That’s when we test ourselves to see if we’re fit and healthy, so we can fix what’s wrong before it’s too late. 2020 was our...
