When a health emergency puts someone’s finances in your hands

A durable power of attorney is a legal document that gives another person the authority to make decisions for you or "act as your agent." The durable POA allows the person you chose to do important tasks, like paying bills, filing taxes, or signing contracts, on your behalf, which is especially helpful if you're incapacitated. You'll need to work with a lawyer to get a POA in place.

Discuss this with your lawyer before making your final decision. In general, your POA should be someone that you really trust. You should also consider their own health and memory - will they be capable of stepping in when you need them down the road?

It depends. A joint owner (like a spouse) on the checking account can pay most bills without issue. And many credit cards accept phone payments with just the account numbers. You will, however, need POA or other authority (like guardianship) before writing any checks, initiating transfers, or signing contracts.

Many people resort to this method as the easiest plan in an emergency, but it can cause problems later. There's a right way to gain access to the accounts, and it's not as complicated as you might think. FinTend walks you through all of it. 

This is typical. They can't share info with you until they've verified the POA or a court order for guardianship. Ask for details on exactly what they need to process POA. In the meantime, most critical bills can be paid over the phone using just the account and routing numbers.

Not yet. First, verify that any insurance has already processed. This can take a long time. Next, ask for an itemized bill so you can review it for accuracy. If the patient is struggling financially, be sure to ask about financial assistance programs. Use the Hardship Program call guide to help.

Yes! Our emergency resources are free to all families. We make money from paid subscriptions to our other products. Learn more about our mission.

Your safety and privacy are our top priority. We'll never sell your data, and you can delete it any time. Please see our Privacy Policy for details.

Yes! Thanks for asking. We want to offer this info to as many people as possible. This one-page flyer covers all the basics of emergency financial caregiving. Want printed copies for your facility? Reach us at [email protected].

FinTend is designed to help caregivers navigate the challenge of figuring out a loved one's finances when they can't communicate. If that's not true of your situation, it's not right for you. If your loved one is currently managing their finances on their own, but wants to prepare to transition those tasks to you in the future, we have other products (coming soon!) that are a better fit.