Legacy Design Strategies
Omaha, NE, Minot, ND and Iowa Fall, IA Estate Planning and Elder Law Firm

Estate Planning and Elder Law Blog

Do You Need Power of Attorney If You Have a Joint Account?

September 14, 2021
Andrew Sigerson
As you know, a power of attorney (POA) allows another person, the Attorney-in-Fact (AIF), to conduct business on behalf of the principal. The POA authorizes the AIF to sign for and on behalf of the principal.

A person with Power of Attorney for their parents can’t actually “add” the POA to their bank accounts. However, they may change bank accounts to be jointly owned. There are some pros and cons of doing this, as discussed in the article “POAs vs. joint ownership” from NWI.com.

The POA permits the agent to access their parent’s bank accounts, make deposits and write checks.  However, it doesn’t create any ownership interest in the bank accounts. It allows access and signing authority.

If the person’s parent wants to add them to the account, they become a joint owner of the account. When this happens, the person has the same authority as the parent, accessing the account and making deposits and withdrawals.

However, there are downsides. Once the person is added to the account as a joint owner, their relationship changes. As a POA, they are a fiduciary, which means they have a legally enforceable responsibility to put their parent’s benefits above their own.

As an owner, they can treat the accounts as if they were their own and there’s no requirement to be held to a higher standard of financial care.

Because the POA does not create an ownership interest in the account, when the owner dies, the account passes to the surviving joint owners, Payable on Death (POD) beneficiaries or beneficiaries under the parent’s estate plan.

If the account is owned jointly, when one of the joint owners dies, the other person becomes the sole owner.

Another issue to consider is that becoming a joint owner means the account could be vulnerable to creditors for all owners. If the adult child has any debt issues, the parent’s account could be attached by creditors, before or after their passing.

Most estate planning attorneys recommend the use of a POA rather than adding an owner to a joint account. If the intent of the owners is to give the child the proceeds of the bank account, they can name the child a POD on the account for when they pass and use a POA, so the child can access the account while they are living.

One last point: while the parent is still living, the child should contact the bank and provide them with a copy of the POA. This, allows the bank to enter the POA into the system and add the child as a signatory on the account. If there are any issues, they are best resolved before while the parent is still living.

Reference: NWI.com (Aug. 15, 2021) “POAs vs. joint ownership”

Share This Post
Meeting with a client

Get Started Today

Book your Free Estate Planning Consultation Now

  • You have people you care about.
  • You want to maintain control of your life and your assets.
  • You'd like to leave a legacy.
  • You'd enjoy some peace of mind.
  • We can help.
Book a Discovery Call

Stay Up-To Date

Subscribe to Our eNewsletter

Office Locations

Omaha, NE Office

9859 South 168th Avenue,
Omaha, NE 68136

Directions

Minot, ND Office

7 Third Street SE, Suite 202,
Minot, ND 58701

Directions

Iowa Falls, IA Office

320 North Oak Street, PO Box 295,
Iowa Falls, IA 50126

Directions

Some Of The Areas We Serve

LD Strategies Logo PNG
Omaha, NE Office

9859 South 168th Avenue,
Omaha, NE 68136

Minot, ND Office

7 Third Street SE, Suite 202,
Minot, ND 58701

Iowa Falls, IA Office

320 North Oak Street, PO Box 295,
Iowa Falls, IA 50126

IMS - Estate Planning and Elder Law Practice Growth Advisors
Powered by
cross