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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,                 would have desired if you were able to
           or information how to contact the person                 speak for yourself. As with all aspects
           who you would designate. By preparing                    of estate planning, it is best to think of
           a healthcare proxy, you will assist your                 these issues and make the decisions for
           physicians and nurses in providing the                   yourself, or you may find the state making
           care that you would want to receive if                   them for you.
           you were able to speak for yourself.




                                                                                          Commack Abbey, Inc. - Page 27
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