You may have heard about the new power of attorney legislation that became the law in Pennsylvania in July.  If you have executed a power of attorney or are thinking about executing a power of attorney, you may be wondering how that legislation affects you.

Some of the changes made by the law, such as protecting banks from liability, were effective immediately.  Other changes, such as changes to the Notice and Acknowledgement parts of the power of attorney will become effective January 1, 2015.  Almost every day, new articles appear and professional meetings are held as the various communities such as banks, lawyers and others concerned with estate planning and elder affairs consider the interpretation and implementation of the changes.

If you have a properly executed power of attorney, your power of attorney is valid and will remain valid even after all of the new changes take effect.

Under any circumstances, you should always look at your estate planning documents every few years, or when you have major changes within your family, to ensure that they still reflect your wishes. Continue Reading Understanding the Changes for Powers of Attorney in Pennsylvania

The Hospice of Lancaster County, along with other national, state and community organizations, is leading a new effort to publicize the importance of advance healthcare directives resulting in the formal designation of April 16, 2010 as National Healthcare Decisions Day.

How can you celebrate that day? As a participating organization, Hospice of Lancaster County will be working to educate the Lancaster County community about the importance of advance directives. They will use their Five Wishes, a document that helps people making a living will to express their preferences about end-of-life decision making in a variety of areas. The Five Wishes document will be available in various public libraries throughout the county, as well as at health fairs and expositions.Continue Reading Tis The Season to Think About Advanced Healthcare Directives

A Power of Attorney is a document in which a principal appoints an agent to transact a variety of duties. The "principal" makes the appointment. The "agent" is the person appointed (also called an "attorney-in-fact" or "power of attorney").

The agent has a fiduciary duty to the principal which means that he or she owes the principal