Mark Mateya, Author at Mateya Law Firm

Power of Attorney Abuse – Attorney Induced Abuse

Mark Mateya2014-11-03T14:19:53-05:00November 3rd, 2014|Abuse, General, Power of Attorney Abuse|

For this vignette, imagine that dear Aunt Gertrude is slipping mentally, but she is okay, day to day. Gertrude’s husband Joe and Aunt Gertrude have been married for over 40 years. Joe is fit as a fiddle. Aunt Gertrude appointed her niece Milly on her Power of Attorney document because she thought it would be best to have someone younger as her agent.

Today, Uncle Joe and Aunt Gertrude see the attorney about some estate planning matters – they are looking to the future when Gertrude may need to be cared for in a nursing home. Uncle Joe and the attorney […]

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Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Thinking About The Future And Looking Back

Mark Mateya2014-10-28T14:10:17-04:00October 27th, 2014|Taking Care of Your Parents: My Own Story|

As we look to the future for our mother, the considerations have changed considerably. We talk about who has or hasn’t seen mom lately. We talk about the friends she has made, the way she has become social once again, and how we never seem to be able to reach her by phone, only to learn – each and every time – that it is because she is out ‘visiting’ with her friends at one or the other of the social rooms. These are all reasonably pleasant considerations.

A year ago, we were discussing the most recent time mom fell outside, […]

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Power of Attorney Abuse – How Does It Start?

Mark Mateya2017-01-17T22:18:36-05:00August 20th, 2014|Attorney in Fact, Power of Attorney Abuse|

When Aunt Gertrude appointed her niece Milly, she believed Milly would do the right thing and take care of her. She didn’t know the meaning of the word “fiduciary.” She simply needed Milly to help her as she was aging.

Milly never set out to steal from her Aunt Gertrude. She loves her Aunt. She remembers her from when they were both younger. Aunt Gertrude was her favorite.

So what happened?

Need and greed are the two most common elements. Aunt Gertrude trusted Milly with her check book or her bank card, and Milly bought the groceries and paid the bills for her […]

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Estate Planning – Do I Really Need To Choose An Alternate?

Mark Mateya2014-08-15T14:40:50-04:00August 15th, 2014|General|

When I am sitting in my office with clients, working through their estate plan, I often come to a “fork in the road.” Unlike Yogi Bera’s, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it,” I press my clients for a clear answer.

“We’ve already chosen an executor. Why do we need an alternate?”

“We’ve appointed each other as attorney in fact. Why do we need an alternate? We can get to that later.” These typical answers require a response.

Drafting your estate plan requires thoughtful choices. Choosing an alternate fiduciary (a fiduciary is a person who is entrusted with property […]

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Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Things to Look For

Mark Mateya2014-08-14T14:09:37-04:00August 14th, 2014|Taking Care of Your Parents: My Own Story|

There are many thoughts that crossed our minds when my brothers and I began this journey of taking care of our mother. If you have followed our story, you know that what Mom wanted more than anything was to remain in her own home. And, like good children, we did everything we could to make that happen. That was uppermost in our mind.

Then, with time, it began to be clear that home was no longer the safest place for Mom to be alone. In-home care-givers helped, a little, but they could only break her fall (both figuratively and […]

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Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Things to Look For

Mark Mateya2014-08-12T19:17:03-04:00August 12th, 2014|General|

There are many thoughts that crossed our minds when my brothers and I began this journey of taking care of our mother. If you have followed our story, you know that what Mom wanted more than anything was to remain in her own home. And, like good children, we did everything we could to make that happen. That was uppermost in our mind.

Then, with time, it began to be clear that home was no longer the safest place for Mom to be alone. In-home care-givers helped, a little, but they could only break her fall (both figuratively and literally), not […]

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About Mark Mateya

Power of Attorney Abuse – Attorney Induced Abuse

Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Thinking About The Future And Looking Back

Power of Attorney Abuse – How Does It Start?

Estate Planning – Do I Really Need To Choose An Alternate?

Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Things to Look For

Taking Care of Our Loved Ones: My Own Story, Things to Look For

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