What should I know about making advance planning documents?

If they are right for you, they can help get your needs met quickly by those you trust most. They can help to avoid the expense and loss of legal rights that come with guardianship.

But while there are benefits, there are also risks to some of these.

You should talk to the attorney of your choice about these documents before signing them. The attorney can explain exactly what they mean and can make the documents right for you. The attorney can help you do everything needed to make them valid. We see many documents people made on their own that were not done properly. Those people were not protected like they had thought they were.

You will want to select a trusted person to handle your financial and medical decisions. Your attorney will also help you understand the powers that you are granting and the risks in granting the powers.