Powers of Attorney. These reflect your choices with respect to health care, mental health care, prolonging medical treatment, and finances. They communicate your preferences to your family, friends, agents, and medical providers.
Health Care Power of Attorney. This allows you to name an agent to act instead of you, to make health care decisions if you cannot do so. Besides allowing the agent to make decisions on your behalf, it can also indicate your choices as to memorial services, organ donation, or autopsy.
Mental Health Care Power of Attorney. This names an agent to share behavioral health information such as treatment, drugs, or therapies in a mental health care setting. It can also indicate whether you wish to give your agent the power to commit you to a locked facility.
Living Will. A Living Will makes your wishes known as to your choice in prolonging medical treatment because of terminal illness or permanent vegetative state. It informs your health care providers and family about your desires for medical treatment if you become incapacitated or are not able to speak for yourself.
General Durable Power of Attorney. This allows your agent to make financial decisions on your behalf either upon signing of the document or if you become disabled or incapacitated. The agent can deal with your personal finances, bank and savings accounts, real and personal property, and perform any needed business transactions.
A Note About DNRs (Do Not Resuscitate Orders.)
Our office does not do DNRs. Under Arizona law, they must be on orange paper and be signed by a doctor. So, please discuss this with your health care provider.
Deeds. Recording a deed putting your real property into your revocable trust assures that your successor trustee can handle the property according to your trust provisions. If your primary estate planning document is your will, then a beneficiary deed may be appropriate. A beneficiary deed allows you to name a beneficiary on the deed to your real property so that upon your death, the property passes directly to the beneficiary without having to go through probate.