Your Attorney for Property is the person you authorize to make financial and legal decisions on your behalf if you become mentally incapable of doing so. You can appoint one attorney, plus backups in case your first choice is unable or unwilling to act. Co-attorneys aren't supported; each tier holds one person.
Note: Depending on your province, this document may have a different name, like an
Enduring Power of Attorney. The steps are the same.
Step 1: Go to your Power of Attorney for Property
Open your Attorney for Property page, or follow these steps:
Log in to your Willful account.
Click Your documents in the left-hand menu (top right corner on mobile).
Find Power of Attorney for Property and click Review and edit.
Under Roles & responsibilities, click Edit next to Attorney.
Note: If you've completed your documents, you can also click Review and edit on your Power of Attorney for Property tile on your home page.
Step 2: Choose your attorney
Primary: Your first choice for the role. Your Attorney for Property can be any trusted person who's willing and able to manage financial matters. Many married people choose their spouse, but another family member, a close friend, or a professional advisor are all common choices.
Secondary (recommended): Your backup, in case your first choice can't serve.
Want more backups? Click Add another attorney to add another tier.
To choose someone, pick from your existing contacts in the dropdown, or click Add a contact to add someone new without leaving the page.
Not sure who to choose? Click Help with this question for guidance.
Step 3: Decide when your attorney can act
Under When should this document come into effect?, choose one:
Immediately after it is executed (most common): Your attorney can manage your finances as soon as the document is signed and witnessed, and can keep doing so if you later become incapacitated. This is the most flexible option and doesn't require a doctor's sign-off.
Only if I'm incapable: Your attorney can act only once you're found incapable. This usually requires a formal capacity assessment, which varies by province and can be harder to arrange quickly.
Step 4: Save your changes
Click Save. Your attorney's name and when they can act will now show under Roles & responsibilities on your Power of Attorney for Property summary.
Reminder: Any change means you'll need to download, print, sign, and witness your updated document for the changes to be legally valid.