5 Factors to Consider Before Appointing an Agent

Using a power of attorney to appoint an agent to legally act on your behalf can be very convenient. Though sometimes this document can be abused or used in fraudulent transactions, there are ways to protect yourself from being defrauded.

You should choose your agent with care. Only appoint some one you trust. Be wary of so called professionals that carry fancy titles such as “asset manager” or “investment advisor”. Good candidates for your agent would be people like a trusted friend, family member, lawyer, or even an accountant. You should have no conflicts of interest with your agent and there should be a sense of loyalty.

A lot of people make the mistake of appointing an agent with a general power of attorney. This document will allow your agent to act on your behalf in any matter he or she wishes. Personally, I wouldn’t appoint an agent with a general power of attorney unless maybe it was my mother. Issuing a limited or specific power of attorney will restrict your agent to only activities or specific events when you say they can act on your behalf. For example if you wanted to appoint your brother as your agent only to sell your car for you, then you could do that with a limited power of attorney form. You could also include things such as he couldn’t sell the car for under two-thousand dollars. You can stipulate anything you want.

Stipulating an expiry date is also a good technique to protect you from having problems with a disgruntled agent later. If you specify an expiry date on the form then later on you won’t need a revocation to take away the powers you gave to your agent. In rare cases when agents have gone bad they have usually done so many years down the road when their appointee becomes elderly and nearing their deathbed. Having a specific date when the power of attorney form expires will prevent this from happening to you.

Another good practice to follow is to monitor the actions of your agent. Many people often give their agent powers to dip into their finances. Bankers may develop a personal relationship with your agent and no longer scrutinize them like before. You may revoke the powers given to your agent but that personal relationship is still there. That’s why you should always give any one your agent had a relationship with on your behalf a copy of the revocation. Also, orally discussing the revocation is also a good idea.

Filing a power of attorney form is a rather simple process. It is not required that a lawyer draft this document. Most people just file this form themselves.

This article has been brought to you by Legal Forms Bank .Biz, a reputable U.S. legal forms databank. They have your state’s specific power of attorney form. Also, they have other legal forms such as living will forms.

Information About Name Changes

Changing your last name is a very common thing for a bride to do after marriage. It can also be a great way to lose an unwanted or unappealing family name. It really doesn’t matter when or why you want to change your name, it is your right to do so. Legally changing your name yourself is also very inexpensive since a lawyer is not required.

Most women simply follow tradition and take their husband’s last name and give up their last name they were born with. Many times you’ll see women keeping their family name but as their middle name. Some will even use the two names as one with a hyphen or space in between them. These options are all available to you for your post wedding name change. In very rare cases the husband will even take the bride’s last name.

There are also couples that just create an entirely new last name. As long as your not trying to change your name for fraudulent purposes then you can pretty much change your name to anything you want.

It’s a good idea to change your name on your documents and so forth after your honeymoon. This is because it can take awhile to change your name on your passport and other documents. If you were to travel somewhere with one name and try to come back on the same passport but this time they check your license and it has your new name then you could have trouble coming back to the U.S. or worse detained at the airport and charged.

Just changing your name on your documents though is not a legal name change. You will need to file a legal name change for your state. Since every state is different, I cannot provide you with the exact instructions for your state. To make everything easy I suggest you find a legal name change form with instructions. These are often called do-it-yourself name change forms. Most states will require you to follow a certain procedure to make your name change legal. Your state’s procedure will most likely include things like having two witnesses sign the document and having it notarized before it is legally valid.

The most important documents to change your name on first are documents you use for identification like your drivers license and social security card. Having identification with your new name will make changing your name on other important documents much easier. Make a checklist of documents you will need to change your name on and people you should notify. Do not forget to include things like credit cards, vehicle registration, your employer, retirement plans, the U.S. post office, utility companies, legal contracts, your last will, and your insurance policies. Most of these records can be changed simply by mail or with a quick phone call. Just to make everything easy, have copies of your marriage license ready to mail out. Another good idea is to request a receipt to be returned to you, that way you’ll have an idea of when your name change has taken effect.

“Information About Name Changes” has been brought to you by Legal Forms Bank .Biz, a respected provider of do-it-yourself legal forms. They have your state’s specific name change form with instructions included.