A client’s mother had a stroke.
It happened suddenly. One day she was fine. The next, she couldn’t speak — and everything was on her children’s shoulders.

They did what any family would do in that moment: they stepped up.
They scrambled to access her bank account, pay her bills, and make sure her care wouldn’t be interrupted.

She had a power of attorney.
It was signed. Notarized. Looked completely official.

But when her kids walked into the bank with that document in hand, they were met with a sentence no one expected:

“Sorry, we don’t accept that form.”

Just like that, everything stopped.

Why the Form Failed

The document she had used was a generic POA from her home state.
Legally valid.
But the bank had internal policies — and it didn’t meet their requirements.

No exceptions. No workarounds. No access.

To get things moving again, the family had to go back to court.
They needed additional documents, signed by a judge, just to do the things they thought were already taken care of.

The Cost of Assumptions

The delay meant bills didn’t get paid on time.
Insurance was held up.
Stress escalated — all during a time when emotions were already running high.

The family eventually fixed the issue, but they never forgot how helpless they felt in that moment.

The Bigger Lesson

We talk a lot about “having your documents in place.”
But that’s not the same thing as having a plan that actually works.

A power of attorney is only helpful if it’s:

• Up to date

• State-compliant

• Accepted by the institutions you rely on

• And paired with the right person who can act when it counts

Incapacity planning isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a process.

It’s about asking:
✔️ Does this document do what I actually need it to do?
✔️ Will it hold up under pressure — in real-world situations?
✔️ Have I prepared the person I’m putting in charge?

Because the worst time to discover your plan doesn’t work…
is when it’s already too late to fix it.

Need help choosing the right person — and setting them up to succeed?
Our free guide, Selecting Your Trustee, walks you through how to choose wisely, what powers matter, and how to avoid the stress this family went through.