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burdens on the loved ones you leave                      or information how to contact the person
         behind.                                                  who you would designate. By preparing
                                                                  a healthcare proxy, you will assist your
         In consulting with your attorneys for your               physicians and nurses in providing the
         initial estate planning consultation, bring              care that you would want to receive if
         with you a list of your assets (including                you were able to speak for yourself.
         real estate, bank accounts, investment
         accounts, annuities, retirement accounts),               Power of Attorney
         liabilities, insurance policies and if                   Equally  important  is  the  power  of
         applicable,      prenuptial       agreements             attorney or “POA”. The POA allows
         and  judgments  of  divorce.  With  this                 your choice of individual to act on your
         information in hand, your attorneys will                 behalf in making financial decisions and
         be able to  give you informed advice                     managing your financial affairs in the
         regarding the best course of action.                     event that you  are unable  to do  so. A
                                                                  POA may be effective immediately upon
         The Basic Estate                                         its  execution,  or  else  “springing”,  such
                                                                  that it will not be effective until you are
         Documents                                                certified to be incapacitated. The POA
                                                                  may be limited in its scope (i.e. giving
                                                                  authority to  a certain  family  member
         Healthcare Proxy                                         to run your small business), or may
         A Healthcare Proxy is an important legal                 give complete authority to the agent.
         instrument which sets  forth  the  person                Without a POA, your loved ones would
         or persons who you would like to make                    have  to  bring  a  formal  guardianship
         healthcare decisions on your behalf                      proceeding to exercise power over your
         in the event of your incapacity. In the                  financial affairs in the event of incapacity.
         absence of such an instrument, your                      Guardianship proceedings are expensive
         healthcare provider may not have the                     and uncertain, and there is no guarantee
         proper guidance as to who you would                      that the outcome will be that which you
         trust to make these important decisions,



                                                                                Forrester Maher Funeral Home - Page 29
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