The authority to manage another person s affairs may begin immediately or only when the principal can no longer make decisions on his or her own. The latter scenario happens when the principal is out of the country for a while or when he or she becomes mentally incapacitated. Granting someone a legal authority to decide on your behalf does not necessarily mean you cannot make decisions for your own anymore. Four Main Types of Power of Attorney If you want to authorize anyone or any organization to properly handle your affairs while you are unable to do so or while you are unavailable, you should get a power of attorney. It is a document that summarizes and proves your agreement to give your appointed person (the agent or attorney-in-fact) the authority to act on your behalf. One usual issue about power of attorney and appointment of agents is the way the person manages or handles finances. In the power of attorney, especially for the durable one, that same agent is given the full authority to manage and handle all your money and assets in case you get mentally incapacitated. General powers of attorney provide more authority to an attorney-in-fact than the limited type. Because the control granted to an agent is limitless, the general type has a wider scope than the other one. This means that the agent enjoys the same amount of privileges and access to the assets of the principal. 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. The best thing you should establish is trust on the person you are appointing as an agent. Unfortunately, trust is something earned over time. You have to make sure the person you choose is trustworthy. Does the person truly understand your feelings? He/She should know you well so as to understand your own points of view and opinions.