Power of Attorney
So here’s the story, right? This Air Force buddy of mine was deployed to Iraq for nearly half a year. Before he left, he gave his wife all his legal powers, a so-called “general power of attorney”. But the thing is, while he’s off serving the country, she starts fooling around with another dude from our shop. She didn’t stop there though – she used her legal power to divorce him, keep him from seeing his kids, and she even cleaned out his bank account.
Next thing you know, she’s shacked up with her new dude and his buddy off base. Funny thing is, both these guys got nabbed for trying to cash a dodgy check that belonged to her new guy’s roommate. In the end, my buddy gets full custody of his kids and the lovebird from our shop got booted from the Air Force.
Now, my buddy did nothing wrong except love his kids and fulfill his duty to his country. Yet this woman did everything she could to ruin his life.
Here’s the takeaway – never give anyone general power of attorney. Doesn’t matter how much you trust them or how much they claim to love you. It’s a no-go. If need be, go for a limited power of attorney, where they only have control over the specific things you are okay with.