It is a refrain that is repeated regularly in the military - go to JAG, write a will, get your powers of attorney. I tend to think that we are pretty organized, right until I realized that we're not.
Today is a good example. I'm leaving my kids for a few days, and I pulled out the power of attorney that gives my mother permission to obtain medical care for them. I found it without difficulty, right where it belonged, but then I noticed that it was expired. Quite a few months ago. Two trips ago. Hmmm.I was able to get a new one done quite quickly, but not without a lot of stress. I thought it was going to cost me some money, as well, but I couldn't find a notary in my town that would do it for a fee. (All the banks required that I be an account holder.) I had to drive to the nearest Navy Federal to use their free services.
On a more serious note, a friend of a friend recently lost her husband unexpectedly. He did not have a will and the estate laws in their state are quite restrictive. She is suffering a lot of stress because they did not have things organized to give her temporary access to money while the estate is being sorted out.
Two small reminders that there is a good reason that we're always being reminded to take care of our legal business.
