My husband and I have been given POA (full and immediate) for my MIL, forms are signed, witnessed and notarized. We now need to pay bills from her account for her personal items, while she may not drive again we want to keep her auto insurance current just in case as well as cell phone bill, etc. We can't find a check book so I will need to go to bank and take POA I am guessing. If she gives me her PIN to her debit, am I allowed to remove the cash, get a money order and pay that way? I am a very cautious person, I have seen my brother and sister in law for years step back in a crisis, then come at the person that steps in to help when crisis is over so my husband and I always, always have documentation, permission, etc for everything we do for his parents. Until now, we just paid everything out of our money when needed, but my health care costs and loss of my job prevent that this time.
Please offer us advise on best way to deal with the horrible money/family issue, and if we have the same right as the account holder or if we need to do things differently.
Thanks to all of you for any help you offer, MOSTLY thanks for loving and caring for others.
Angel
Your are wise to document everything you do, especially with the family history. However, as to how to use the POA, simply take a copy to the bank. They will keep that on file. They may have other instructions for you depending on their procedure.
You'll need copies for may other transactions, as well. You may have to send a copy to her insurance company, etc. depending on how you pay for the services. I used to keep a copy in the glove compartment of my vehicle so I'd have it just in case. You'll do a good job with this. Just keep good records. That may mean not using the ATM more than necessary because it's easier to prove how money was used if you use checks or a charge account. Keep receipts, as well.
Best,
Carol