It makes your desires known to your family and physician before the need arises. A copy should be placed in your medical record. A durable power of attorney is something you should consider to permit a family member to manage your affairs if you become physically or mentally incapacitated. It may allow the person you choose to pay your bills and make decisions that may become necessary at a time when you are unable to do so. A lawyer can prepare the durable power of attorney and care should be taken in the extension of that power.
Open Enrollment Coming Open enrollment is just around the corner.
Now would be a good time to review medical expenditures or child-care expenditures for the past year with a view toward adjusting the amount you want to have put into the Flexible Benefits Spending Accounts. It might also be a good time to review the way you have set up bank accounts and brokerage or other investment accounts. If you have set them up as an individual account, your spouse may not be able to access them in the event of death or incapacity. You may want to consider making them joint accounts or joint accounts with right of survivorship.