The attorney-in-fact generally can only carry out an action if the individual and principal can exercise the same power. This stops the attorney-in-fact from acting when the principal is incapacitated. If an individual is unable to sign a contract the attorney-in-fact is also unable to sign a contract for the principal. But if you have a Durable Power of Attorney the attorney-in-fact is allowed to execute the powers granted by the principal even after the principal becomes ill.

At the Time of Death A Power of Attorney Ends

Whether you have a Durable Power of Attorney or you do not, at the time of death all power of attorney ends. If the individual and principal has granted attorney-in-fact rights to perform certain tasks, upon death all those rights are terminated.

How A Power of Attorney is Revoked

As long as you are alive you have the power to revoke the power of attorney. To revoke the power of attorney you must contact your attorney-in-fact that the power of attorney has been revoked. You can also detail at what date the power of attorney will expire.

A Springing Power of Attorney

A power of attorney can be designed to spring into effect if you become disabled or at some predetermined time or event. This is a springing power of attorney. The springing power of attorney prevents your attorney-in-fact from using the powers while you are able to take care of them yourself.

The attorney-in-fact must prove that the individual where your powers are concerned is in fact disabled and can not perform the tasks needed. You will need a written document from the physician or hospital that you are incapacitated.

It should be a current document and not several days old or it could be questioned as to whether you are still ill or disabled. So to save yourself, added turmoil, and be required to furnish a more current document take care of it the same day.

Instant Power of Attorney

Your powers of attorney can become effective immediately, as soon as it is signed, This is the type of power of attorney people use when they will be in another country for a long period of time and will not be available to handle such matters. It is generally a durable power of attorney that will expire in one year. You can also have provisions built into the powers of attorney will you can extent it. If you become incompetent or ill when the power of attorney expires, and you’re attorney-in-fact or agent, will need to go before the court to get approval to continue.

Medical Decisions

When you have a durable power of attorney it can be used to allow your attorney-in-fact the power to make medical decisions in case you become incapacitated. Most individuals have separate power of attorneys for medical and financial affairs. Sometimes the same person handles both powers of attorneys.

How to Choose your Attorney- In-Fact

Since this is one of the most important documents of your life it goes without saying it should be the most trusted of people with impeccably credentials who understand your wishes And how to handle your business. One other thing to bear in mind is when you give someone this power they have the ability to do as they wish, and may not follow your instructions. That’s why you must be very careful. When it comes to money sometimes people do things for their own interest. Your attorney-in-fact is a fiduciary. Which means that they are there to manage your assets to help you, and not themselves. The person you choose will be called under difficult circumstances. So generally it will be a family member or a close friend and sometimes an attorney you trust and respect. If you do not have a power of attorney in place it will fall to the laws of the state.

A beautiful, old granite building was a boarding school. A hundred boys lived there, ranging in age from seventh grade through twelfth, although the building could have accommodated maybe twice as many. The school had been in existence for about a century. The hallway leading to the gymnasium was lined with photographs of all the graduating classes

The entrance to the school featured two wrought iron gates and a long driveway that wound through the extensive grounds. Trees, flowers and shrubs added to the park like atmosphere.

Northwestern was both a military and a naval academy, and some of its graduates had served in World War I and World War II. A couple of those who had been killed in action were buried on the grounds. Considering the age of the building and its history, I suppose I should have expected ghosts or rather, I should have expected ghost stories.

But I didn’t.

Not until one fall morning when my students came to class so upset that they couldn’t concentrate on their school work.

“Do you believe in ghosts?” one of them asked finally.

“Yeah, Ms. Ralph. Do you believe in ghosts?” several others chimed in.

While I was attending the university to earn my teacher certification, none of the professors had mentioned how you were supposed to handle a question like this.

“Well,” I said, “I think there are probably many things in this world that we don’t understand.”

By now, all of my students were giving me their utmost attention. If only they were this interested in English.

“Have you ever seen a ghost?” one of them asked.

I shook my head. “No. I’ve never seen a ghost.”

“We have,” said one young man.

“Really?” I said. “And when was this?”

“Last night.”

“In our room.”

“We did, too,” said a couple of others.

“What happened?” I asked.

“It was just after lights out. Our curtain started moving.”

Instead of doors, each of the dorm rooms had curtains covering the doorway.

“At first I thought it was the sergeant coming to check on us,” my student said.

Military personnel were on duty around the clock to supervise the boys.

“Then what happened?” I asked.

“S-sss-some,” he stammered.

“Something pulled the blanket off his bed,” his roommate finished.

By now, all of the boys looked frightened.

“I don’t want to stay here anymore,” said one young man.

“Me, either.”

“I’m calling my mom to tell her to come and get me.”

“Me, too.”

“All right everybody,” I said. “Take a deep breath.”

I waited for them to take a deep breath.

“Now let it out slowly.”

They all did.

“What else happened?”

Other boys described pranks of a similar nature — waking up in the middle of the night freezing cold, only to discover that their window was wide open when it had been shut and locked hours earlier; math books that had been sitting on their desks when they went to sleep were in the bottom of the garbage can when they woke up; uniforms were switched so that when they started to get dressed in the morning, they discovered they didn’t have their own clothes.

“Hmmm,” I said. “Who do you think would play tricks like that?”

My students considered the question for a few moments.

“Well, it kind of sounds like something we would do,” said one young man.

“Hey…it DOES sound like something we would do!”

“You mean you think it’s a real person…?”

“Or is it a ghost, one of those guys that’s buried here…?”

“I think it’s one of us.”

“But even if it’s a ghost, it’s still one of us — a cadet.”

“Yeah, it WOULD be a cadet, wouldn’t it…”

I smiled to myself as they continued their discussion. At least they didn’t seem so frightened anymore.

For the rest of the fall the incidents continued. Then they stopped as abruptly as they had started. Either the culprit was afraid he was going to get caught, or else. . .

Wait a minute. You don’t suppose there really WAS a ghost?

But, as the old saying goes, all work and no play can stress out even the most organized business professional, whether they own and operate a small business, or they are in charge of a team of employees. The thought of getting involved or taking on another assignment can leave most people shaking their heads and saying ‘no way’.

There is one thing that everyone, no matter how busy, should consider to help relieve the stress and make him or her feel good inside.

Volunteering! Doing something out of the goodness of your heart has an overwhelming way of making you feel all ‘warm and fuzzy inside’. Now, I don’t mean that you should volunteer to give away your products or services to those that can pay for it, but consider helping out one of the many causes in your local neighbourhood or a charity that is near and dear to your heart. These organizations survive on the kindness of others and would not be able to help those in need if it wasn’t for businesses and individuals that donate their time and effort.

As an example, I recently volunteered to help out a local organization with their website design. The Caledon Community Accessible Playground was started by a local mom who was concerned about the lack of safe playgrounds in the area that children with disabilities can play in. Her goal was to put together a team of volunteers from various areas of the community that would work together to develop this playground. About six months ago, I read an article in my local paper about her efforts and immediately knew that this was something that I wanted to get involved in.

Now, I don’t have or know of any disabled children personally, but I can just imagine the frustration of those that do when it comes to finding a place for their children to play that, not only can they access easily, but also that they are safe playing on.

When I called the coordinator, she seemed shocked that someone who is not directly connected to or knows someone with disabilities would want to help out. That made me feel wonderful… the first of many times during this ongoing project.

A few days later I received a call from another volunteer who simply wanted to thank me for getting involved and offering my services. I told her that I could help out in many ways, both with administrative tasks and website tasks. Well, it just so happens that the current Webmaster was overloaded with the site (along with other aspects of his life) and they were having problems finding someone to help him. I guess I was in the right place at the right time.

The project is ongoing until all the funding can be established and the playground built. We meet once a month (more, if there is an upcoming event that we want to display the project at) for a couple of hours. Then we go back to our respective lives and work on our portion of the project, when we get some time.

All tolled, I put in about 5 hours a month on this project … time definitely well spent … and not so much time that it takes away from my business and my family life. Not only am I helping out a worthy cause, but it also gives me time to practice and enhance my skills.

Keep an eye on your local paper for articles and news stories about people in your neighbourhood who are in need and then lend a hand. If I (a busy small business owner, mother and wife) can do it, so can you.

What is the program updating? It’s fixing broken parts of the software program; it’s adding new features. It does this quickly and easily. Right before your eyes you see the update taking place. You click a button and you have the newest software update.

Computer software and hardware companies have learned that “updating” is a necessary tool in today’s computer world. Without updates, users would drift towards other vendors who have the latest features and best programs.

What about your own business? When was the last time you updated your business operations? In our fast paced, every changing business climate, your either update or customers will drift to your competitors.

Your business needs are no different than computer software companies. You need to make fixes to your business operations. You need to add new features and benefits of your business and market these new features to your customers.

Here is a short and exercise you can use to “update” your business operations. Look at these four areas in your business.

1. Your Market

Over the course of doing business, has your market message remained the same? Does it still reflect the heart of your business? How would you change it to reflect more precisely what is really happening in your business? Are there parts of your marketing efforts that need to be dropped because they are no longer useful? If your message has changed, should you be looking at different advertising mediums for your business?

I watched a floor covering business change its marketing message over a number of years. At first it offered itself as the company with the cheapest prices. As the business evolved, they realized that creating a great customer shopping experiences was more important than being the lowest price.

Once they realized their market had shifted, they made changes in their advertising. They made changes in their vendors. They made changes in their staffing. By asking a series of simple questions, they were able to update their business operations.

2. Your Customers

This business aspect is closely related to your marketing issues. Over a period of time, you can begin working with different customers. At first, the change happens gradually. Then one day, you realize your customers are different from your original business.

How do the new customers compare to your original customers? What customers need to be dropped so you can concentrate on new customers? Where is the best place to reach and contact these new customers? What other effects does this new customer population have on your business?

3. Your Buyer’s Shopping Experience

If your customers and market have changed, how do these changes affect your customer’s buying experience? Customers today have many buying options. Does the presence of chain stores affect your operations? Do internet buying options affect your business operations?

Customers today are looking for specific types of shopping experiences. Some want to buy simple and fast. Others want to make purchases slow and leisurely. What changes could you make in your customer’s shopping experience that would set you apart form your competitors?

Think of the difference in getting your oil changed at a Jiffy Lube business with plastic chairs and left over coffee. Compare this to getting the same oil changed at a Lexus dealer with a plush waiting room and high speed internet access.

4. Your Customer Follow Up Activities

Having customers buy more from you and buying more often is triggered by the relationships you establish with them and your follow up efforts. Once upon a time, sending postcards was enough. Today, the option of email notices, electronic newsletters and other fast, quick and inexpensive communication options change customer follow up’s.

Have you looked at your follow up activities to see if you can update these functions to make them faster, easier and more efficient for both you and the customer? Today’s customers expect you to use contemporary forms of communications. Are you taking advantage of these forms?

Conclusion

These are several key areas you can use to update your business operations. Just as your software is updated on a regular basis, you need to make the fixes and enhancements to your business on a regular basis. The next time you see the question on your computer, “Do you want to update now?” remind yourself to update your business operations.

How? By staying in touch with their most important external audiences and by carefully monitoring their perceptions about the company, audience member feelings about hot topics at issue, and the behaviors that inevitably follow.

Could there be an angle here for your business?

What I mean is, once you interact with, then learn what that key target audience of yours believes about you and your organization, a corrective public relations goal a specific behavior change can be established.

Which then requires that you identify a strategy. There are just three choices here, create opinion where none exists, change existing opinion, or reinforce it.

It’s a logical sequence. With your goal and strategy now set, you need persuasive messages with a good chance of moving perceptions (and thus behaviors) in your organization’s direction. But you must make sure the messages talk not only to the current topic at issue, but to any misconceptions or inaccuracies encountered during your information gathering, and to any problems that might be brewing.

What will you do with your new message? You will carry it to the attention of your priority audience. You’ll use communications tactics that are credible in the eyes of the receiver, and effective in reaching him or her. You’ll also want tactics that stand a good chance of moving opinion in that target audience, on the topic at issue, in your direction.

Fortunately, there are many communications tactics to choose from: newsworthy announcements, letters-to-the-editor, news releases, radio and newspaper interviews, brochures, speeches and on and on.

Now, you’re back to the monitoring mode as you interact once again with members of the key target audience. With your communications tactics hammering away, you keep one eye peeled for signs of target audience opinion shifts in your direction. The other eye, (and ears) stay alert for any references by print and broadcast media, or other local thoughtleaders to your carefully prepared message.

The bottom line is, are perceptions and behaviors within the target audience being modified? If not, adjustments to your communications tactics often a big increase in, and wider selection must be made. Your message may also need to be sharpened and its factual basis strengthened.

Gradually, you’ll begin to notice changes in opinion starting to appear along with a growing receptiveness to those messages of yours. This is real progress.

Should you still need encouragement to hang in there with your brand new public relations program, consider this. A single issue for example, a potentially dangerous, unattended perception among a key audience can spread like wildfire nudging any business closer to failure than success.

That statistic alone should make you feel pretty good about public relations.

A. In a big city, you’ll make decisions by numbers and neighborhoods. In a small town, you schmooze!

On the surface, everyone will be friendly, optimistic and positive.

Your challenge: Get below the surface and learn the true story. You might consider asking a lot of questions before you disclose your own intentions. Listen for, “I wish we had”

1. Talk to others who have opened businesses recently.

What challenges have they faced? What works and what doesn’t? Were others newcomers successful? If so, were they truly new or did they have deep roots in the town, such as a brother who lived here forty years?

If nobody’s opened a business for awhile, dig deeper. Maybe there’s no market. Or maybe they’re just waiting for you to arrive! Sometimes a new business can generate latent demand. It’s a judgment call.

2. Make a great first impression.

Promotion isn’t hard in a small town. Ten minutes after you’ve opened, everyone will know! Some towns resist doing business with uppity newcomers. Others welcome new blood. Regardless, your first impression will linger a long, long time. And you’ll have trouble recovering from a local opinion leader with a bad experience.

3. Uncover the town’s market and memory.

Considering buying a business? Take time to discover the owner’s reputation. When the local residents seem eager for a change of management, you’ll need a new name and image. But if someone’s just moved away and everyone misses them, you’ve got a wonderful opportunity. Right now in Silver City we could use a few first-rate pet-sitters and dog groomers.

But be sensitive to change. Before I moved here, I’m told, at least three coffee shops failed. Now we have several, along with a wine bar and a microbrewery. All seem to be thriving.

4. Search the fine print of local regulations.

Here in Silver City, our newest businesses had to fight all kinds of red tape to get opened. One called City Hall to get help with a business that was new to the area. “It’s not listed here,” said the clerk, “so it’s probably illegal.” (The business has opened and thrives.) Another discovered his license hadn’t come through because the Council forgot to add it to the agendaand they weren’t interested in making last-minute changes.

Any time you serve food or drink, you know you’re facing permits. Find out what’s involved locally.

5. Prepare to do most of the work yourself.

In a small town, you can have trouble finding good help. The local work ethic may surprise you - in either direction.

6. Know your community.

Will your market come from second and third generation local residents? Or are you serving those who relocated recently from urban areas? Here I’ve met folks who think three dollars is way too much to pay for espresso drinks. But those who bonded with Starbucks will buy at least one cup a day, every day.

7. Build relationships.

If you can attract a town leader, you’ll draw a following. Conversely, if you inadvertently alienate a key player, or if a local person’s got an idea on the drawing board, you’ll be miserable.

And in a small town, you’ll be expected to be a super-citizen. Choose alliances and sponsorships carefully. Prepare for all sorts of friendly requests to donate time, materials and money.

One of the most useful processes I’ve used to help my clients come up with a good name is to turn it around. Rather than looking at the name from your perspective, approach it from your prospect’s perspective.

1. Identify your target market. Be specific. What are their wants and needs? Specific gender? How big are they? Do they make a certain amount of revenue? What do they look like? Draw a picture of your prospect.

2. Why should they do business with you? What are the benefits? What makes you different from all the other businesses in your industry?

Based on your answers to 1 and 2 above, brainstorm a list of words that could potentially turn into a company name. Put those combinations together and see what works best for you.

First impressions count. I recently looked over a few emailed applications, and let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience! Here are a few examples of how not to do things.
• One person simply forwarded the job description to the hiring company. There was no explanatory letter, no name (just some garbled email address), no nothing. Why should a company want to hire someone who can’t be bothered to make an effort?
• Several people got the name of the hiring party wrong. Some misspelled it, others substituted someone else’s name.
• Spelling mistakes, typos, grammatical errors, and formatting problems like you wouldn’t believe. One person said that her greatest strength was her attention to ‘detal’ (should have been ‘detail’); another said it was his responsibility to ‘a tent to customers’ (’attend to customers’).

It almost goes without saying that you should always follow the application instructions provided. If you’re inquiring or applying for a job - regardless of whether it’s online or in the ‘real world’ - there are certain rules of etiquette that apply:

1. Greet the person. Don’t just barge in and start writing. A simple “dear…” is great.
2. Correctly spell the company name and that of the hiring manager. If you don’t know how to spell them, take a few seconds and find out.
3. Indicate what position you’re applying for. Be specific; the company may be hiring for more than one job.
4. Provide a brief summary of your relevant skills. Keep it short and to the point.
5. Check your spelling and grammar. It takes just a few minutes. If you are not confident about doing this yourself, ask a friend or family member to check it over for you.
6. Be courteous! Don’t make demands. Remember that the *only* thing the hiring manager sees is your email - he or she can’t see your facial expressions or body language, so take extra care in the words you select and how you put them together.
7. Format your email to 60 characters per line. Many email programs automatically ‘word-wrap’ somewhere between 60 and 70 characters. Add a hard return when you reach 60 characters on a line; this will ensure the company gets a nicely formatted application, just like you intended.
8. Tell them how to contact you. As the bare minimum, leave your phone number and email address.
9. And for goodness sakes, tell them your *name*. This is so obvious it’s painful, yet i’ve seen dozens of applications there are not signed. End your letter with ’sincerely’, ‘regards’ or ‘yours truly’, and then sign your name.

Competition for home based jobs is fierce, and companies can afford to be choosy. Don’t give them a reason to pass you by! Professionalism still counts even on the web.

Properly executed, this comprehensive blueprint will help you persuade your key external stakeholders to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that lead to your unit’s success.

And, as you move the emphasis of the public relations crew assigned to your operation from communications tactics to the model outlined above, YOU move ever closer to personal success as a unit manager.

Here’s why. The blueprint demands of you a sharper focus on the very groups of outside people who play a major role in just how successful a manager you will be – your key external audiences.

Like most managerial initiatives you implement, your new public relations blueprint also will require aggressive execution.

So, sit down with your PR people and explore why it’s so important to know how your operation is perceived by those target audience members. Make certain everyone around the table understands (and accepts) the reality that those perceptions just about always result in predictable behaviors that help or hinder your operation.

Which is precisely why your team will need to interact with your key target audience and ask a number of questions as part of this initial perception monitoring session. “What do you know, if anything, about our services, products or people? Have you ever made contact with us? Was it a positive experience? Do You have any problems with our organization?

You can always retain a professional survey firm to gather these data for you but that can be expensive. Remember that your public relations people are already in the perception and behavior business and can certainly handle this vital assignment.

Regardless of who handles perception monitoring among target audience members, it’s crucial to be on alert for misconceptions, inaccuracies, false assumptions, untruths and, especially, unfounded rumors.

The reason is, the perception data you gather will form the basis of your public relations goal, which can be quite direct such as fix that inaccuracy, correct that untruth, or clarify that misconception.

At this point, you need a strategy to tell you how you’re going to achieve that goal. Where matters of perception and opinion are concerned, there are really just three strategy choices: create perception where there isn’t any, change existing opinion/perception, or reinforce it. But try to size your strategy choice to fit your new public relations goal.

Now, if you’re to actually alter hurtful perceptions among members of your target audience, you need to prepare a message that is not only compelling in its presentation, but completely believable. And it must be crystal clear, factual and persuasive if it is to move opinion in your direction and lead to those behaviors you desire.

Now, when it comes to communication tactics to carry your message to the eyes and ears of your target audience, you’re in luck. There are dozens of tactics available to do the job for you. Everything from speeches, newsletters and brochures to emails, open houses and customer briefings. But keep in mind that you must insure that the tactics you choose have a good record for reaching people just like the members of your target audience.

To show management that progress towards your goal is actually happening, you will have to duplicate the earlier perception monitoring interaction among target audience members. This time, however, you and your PR people will be watching carefully for signs that the offending perception is being altered, AND in your direction.

Happily, there’s one more option open to you – you can speed up the process by adding more communications tactics to the mix, AND increasing their frequencies.

Best part about this particular blueprint is that it will help you ramp up your public relations effort in a way that let’s you pursue the behavior changes you really need if you are to achieve your unit’s operating objectives.

Here are some sure-fire solutions to ‘ repair bad credit ‘. Keep in mind, like most ‘diseases,’ credit repair can take some time, but complete healing is possible.

The First Step

The first thing you need to do is find out what is being reported about you. This is easy and inexpensive. For under $10, you can get your credit report from one of the three main credit reporting companies: Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion. Keep in mind however, that if you have recently been denied credit, you can get a free report from the same credit bureau the lender used to reject you as long as you do so within 30 days.

What You Don’t Need

You don’t need a repair clinic. Why? There is no legal way to ‘repair’ your credit. Those that claim to know loopholes and shortcuts are merely out for your money. They may even get you into legal trouble by having you fudge the facts or creating a whole new file for you. Anything legal that a clinic can do, you can do just as easily and without the cost of ‘professional’ help.

Further Steps to Take

1. Stop using your credit cards immediately. Put them somewhere where they will not tempt you. You may consider keeping at least one card for emergency purposes. Additionally, with poor credit, you may find it more difficult to get a credit card in the future. If you keep at least one account open, then you won’t have to worry about applying.

2. Be Honest With Yourself. Taking a good hard look at your financial situation, particularly if it isn’t good, can be very difficult. Yet, to get out debt you have to fully understand what the situation is.

3. Find the Errors. Believe it or not, up to 40% of all credit reports have errors in them. If you find that your credit report shows something that is not true, you need to write to them with all the details. Be sure to use certified mail so that you can keep track of who you wrote to, when you wrote, and who received the mail on the credit bureau’s end. Then ask the credit bureau to send a corrected report to anyone who has requested a report on you in the last 6 months.

4. Find the Omissions. By law, you are allowed to add information to your report that you believe will help your rating. This might be additional information about a repayment of a loan, good credit you have with companies that do not report to the credit bureau, or salary increases.

5. You Must Have a Plan. Whether you determine to pay your bills down little at a time, take a second job, go to credit counseling, or file bankruptcy, you need to make a plan and stick to it. In order for your credit to be improved, you have to have a plan and then take action!

6. Talk to those that you owe. Creditors want their money. They do not want you to default (quit paying). In fact, most creditors will work with you to get a reduced payment schedule. If you can keep them from reporting you to the credit bureau, then it won’t hurt your credit. The catch here is this: be sure to stick to the new negotiated plan – they won’t renegotiate if you fail to comply.

7. The Best Cure is Time. Have you ever heard the saying ‘time heals all wounds’? It also heals your credit. After 7 years, most items will be dropped. This is good news if you are working to correct your credit. As each year passes, more and more bad items will drop off and more and more good items will be included. Eventually, the disease will be cured.

Follow these steps and you will find that your credit looks healthier and healthier each day. Eventually this path will lead you to full recovery. Good Luck!