Something that is highly recommended that you set up before you leave is Power of Attorney (POA). Depending on what type of POA you have, your attorney-in-fact can manage your accounts, file your taxes, or make important decisions should you become incapacitated. I have decided to have a POA especially for my taxes, since my summer job took taxes out of my check and I would like that back. Thus began a seemingly simple journey.
I Googled how to draw up a POA, and found it to be exceedingly simple...for everyone except the perfectionist I am. You just have to have a document stating that the person who you want to have POA is going to be your attorney-in-fact and then have it notarized. Realistically speaking, it truly is that simple. There are even free templates online. I was just very, very afraid I was going to somehow manage to screw it up so that my dad wouldn't be able to file my tax return for me. I also just basically felt like a minion trying to understand all the legalese.
My dad is a professor at our local college, and also he has been a Phi Theta Kappa (the international honor society for two year colleges) advisor for many years. Through this, he has gotten to know many students that have gone on to fulfill many, many different roles in society. Thankfully, he knows an accountant and a lawyer well enough to ask them the favor of figuring this out for me. The accountant informed me that I should file some forms with the IRS and MODOR (MO Dept. of Revenue), and the lawyer drew the forms up for me for free. Without these women, I would probably still be worrying about screwing up majorly. Now I have the POA ready to be notarized and the forms ready to go out in the mail!!
To any fellow PCVs looking for how to appoint POA, here is the form I'm using, obviously minus all my personal info. Please make sure you look into your state's laws about POA and only use this as a template!! :)
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