Powers of Attorney

Powers of Attorney - Protect yourself and your property

Powers of attorney are useful estate planning tools that protects a person(s) and their property in the event they become unable to make decisions.   A power of attorney grants a designated individual the ability to help the grantor with decisions.  When a durable power of attorney is given, the designated individual may not only help the grantor with current decisions, they may also make decisions for the grantor on their own, should he or she become incompetent or otherwise incapacitated.

Under Texas law, there are specific types of powers of attorney which may be granted:

• General Power of Attorney:  Grants general power to a person to make decisions about all aspects of the person's life.
• Financial Power of Attorney:  Provides the individual with the authority to make decisions about financial affairs.
• Healthcare/Medical Power of Attorney:  Grants someone the ability to make decisions about medical treatment and end of life care.
• Limited Power of Attorney:  Limits a person's power to make decisions to specific areas.

Control Guardianship with Powers of Attorney

If you fail to grant someone a power of attorney, the State of Texas will appoint a guardian or conservator to make these decisions.   However, the person appointed by the state may not be the person you would have selected.  Thus, it is important to remain in control of these important decisions regarding guardianship.

Contact us today at 361-288-1880 to learn more about powers of attorney.  We can help with these difficult decisions.