Why would the court get involved at incapacity?
If you can’t conduct business due to mental or physical incapacity (Alzheimer’s, stroke, heart attack, etc.), only a court appointee can sign for you – even if you have a will. (Remember, a will only goes into effect after you die.) Once the court gets involved, it usually stays involved until you recover or die. The court, not your family, controls how your assets are used to care for you. This public process can be expensive, embarrassing, time consuming and difficult to end if you recover. And it does not replace probate at death – your family could have to go through the court system twice!
If you can’t conduct business due to mental or physical incapacity (Alzheimer’s, stroke, heart attack, etc.), only a court appointee can sign for you – even if you have a will. (Remember, a will only goes into effect after you die.)Once the court gets involved, it usually stays involved until you recover or die. The court, not your family, controls how your assets are used to care for you. This public process can be expensive, embarrassing, time consuming and difficult to end if you recover. And it does not replace probate at death – your family could have to go through the court system twice!
If you can’t conduct your affairs due to mental or physical incapacity, only a court appointed legal guardian can manage your affairs-even if you have a will. Unfortunately, any “interested person” showing cause may petition the court to become your legal guardian. Such individual may not be the trusted individual you would have chosen. Once the court grants such authority to a legal guardian, there is no oversight as to how financial assets are managed. In most cases where there’s an unscrupulous guardian, the financial assets are so badly misused, the chances of recovery are none.
If you can’t conduct business due to mental or physical incapacity (Alzheimer’s, stroke, heart attack, etc.), only a court appointee can sign for you – even if you have a will. (Remember, a will only goes into effect after you die.) Once the court gets involved, it usually stays involved until you recover or die. The court, not your family, controls how your assets are used to care for you. This public process can be expensive, embarrassing, time consuming and difficult to end if you recover. And it does not replace probate at death – your family could have to go through the court system twice!
