A power of attorney is a legal document that authorises another person to act on your behalf and handle your affairs.

This person is known as your ‘attorney’.

They are usually a trusted friend or relative – someone who can sign documents, pay bills, access bank accounts, talk with utility companies, etc,, on your behalf.

As a result of the high level of power that you’re vesting in them, you won’t want to allow just anyone to act on your behalf.

The power of attorney is a convenient method of allowing someone to handle your affairs and this can be for a number of reasons, like:

• you go on an overseas trip
• you take an extended vacation away from the normal running of your affairs
• you reach an age where you need assistance

Knowing that you have an attorney that is capable of dealing with your affairs will give you peace of mind – for those times that you are unable to attend to them yourself.