We are all busy. Perhaps, the person you are appointing as your attorney-in-fact could be busier than you are. It is important that the person be able to spend much time to handle your affairs and work on your behalf. If not, you would be in trouble. Is the person easily available? Appoint an agent or attorney-in-fact who is easily accessible or available. The agent will decide, for example, where your money and investments will go as well as the kind of nursing home where you will stay. Simply put, your attorney-in-fact will be in charge of everything that concerns your life as soon as you become mentally incapacitated. That being said, you must make sure that you appoint someone who is worthy of your trust. The person who will act as your attorney-in-fact or agent Take time in choosing the right agent who you will trust to carry out your financial tasks with your best interest in mind. Here are some of the characteristics that you should consider when selecting your financial agent: Financial savvy Trustworthy and comfortable to work with Can devote enough time to perform the required financial responsibilities Accessible and lives near your residence so that you can easily discuss with him or her any pertinent concern about your POA Can commit to carry out his or her duties as an agent if you are unable to handle your finances for a long time Once you have chosen an agent, don t forget to discuss the tasks, including the financial duties involved. Because it can have legal consequences, the transfer of power or the authorizing is written as a legal contract, which is shown to people before the attorney-in-fact can proceed with his dealings on behalf of the client or the principal. Often, when the attorney-in-fact is being paid, a separate contract is drafted for the payment and is not shown to other people. If you designate someone whom you trust as your agent, you can have peace of mind that the person can make decisions for you according to your best interest. The agent is also called the attorney-in-fact. Do not be misled by the term, though, because an attorney-in-fact does not have to be a lawyer. Your document also has to be tailored to your particular needs and wishes so that you have nothing to worry about in the future. Anybody can be given the power of attorney, even people who are not lawyers, although most of those who are given such responsibilities are family lawyers of rich people or corporate lawyers of big corporations, whose job entails them to represent the CEOs or the big bosses, which are often required to be in three places at the same time, which is of course, not humanly possible.