A Power of Attorney can be incredibly powerful while you’re alive. It lets someone you trust handle finances, sign documents, deal with banks, and take care of other important matters if you can’t.

But here’s something that surprises a lot of people:

A Power of Attorney dies when you do.

The moment the person who gave the Power of Attorney dies, the agent’s authority ends. Your agent can’t keep using it to access accounts, sell property, pay bills, or “wrap things up” after your death.

At that point, a different set of rules takes over — your estate plan, beneficiary designations, trusts, and, when necessary, the probate process.

So remember: Power of Attorney = lifetime authority. Itis NOT an after-death authority.

Another little estate-planning misconception cleared up on Mondays with Marie. ⚖️