NEW YORK (Reuters) – If you live in the United States and really want to be prepared for coronavirus, experts need a full power of attorney designating a trusted person to handle your finances in the event you become incapacitated.
FILE PHOTO: During a partial lockdown in Frankfurt on March 23, 2020, people are holding hands while walking along the Main as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues. REUTERS / Kai Pfaffenbach
This is not something most people want to think about right now – or at all.
“It always felt expensive and it’s no fun thinking about your mortality,” said Heidi Schoeneck, a 47-year-old Connecticut divorced mother who recently completed a will online and plans to heed the warning to the rest getting paperwork done by her.
A financial power of attorney is the most useful document because if you get sick and cannot take care of your financial affairs, you may be taken out of service for weeks. Following are health care guidelines that can express your health care needs and make the decisions for you, as well as a will that will distribute your wealth after your death.
Real estate attorneys have experienced many worst-case scenarios in normal times in which a person suddenly becomes ill and their loved ones have to face the puzzle.
“You’d have to declare the person incompetent, and that requires a judge. There is nothing you can do in the short term, ”said Michael Walsh, CEO of Cariloop, a service that helps families coordinate care.
However, it is not enough to just use online forms to prepare documents if you don’t do them properly. While many Americans stay at home, there are ways to remotely execute all of these legal documents, at least in states that currently approve electronic notaries.
Howard Krooks, former president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, said new clients had called his Florida office in the past two weeks asking for help. Some lawyers sign documents in parking lots and driveways to keep the correct distance. The biggest challenge is reaching customers in senior facilities that don’t allow visitors, he said.
“Extreme times require extreme measures,” said Krooks.
To find an attorney, search online for a certified senior law attorney or someone who is accredited by the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Krooks said.
A full set of wills, power of attorney, and extended guidelines documents could range from $ 1,500 to $ 3,000. A single power of attorney should cost less.
You can also find free online help from services like FreeWill. Note that these are very general forms and may not suit your specific needs, especially with complicated inheritance and guardianship issues.
FreeWill’s system will notify you when your circumstances are beyond the documents’ capabilities, the company said.
For a simple power of attorney, Jenny Xia Spradling, co-founder of FreeWill, said it should take about 20 minutes. Depending on the rules of your state, you can execute the document with electronic authentication. If you need two witnesses, reasonable precautions can be taken to ask the neighbors.
More than 8,000 wills were made online through FreeWill last month, with an increase of about 5% to 10% per week, the company said. The average age of the users is 57 years.
Just scared
Krooks would like to see more younger people take estate planning seriously. In his family, as soon as someone is 18 years old, he drags them to a notary and sets them up with power of attorney documents and health guidelines.
Most married people hold assets together, but individuals must be able to legally identify someone to help them. “I’ve preached this my entire career,” said Krooks. “With the virus, it’s a lot easier to stand up for something.”
Schöneck, a management consultant, heard this message but said she was motivated less by fear than by love.
“It has been generous for me to do for my child,” she said. written down.
Follow us @ReutersMoney orhere. Editing by Lauren Young and Dan Grebler
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