Several things influenced me to prepare a Power of Attorney (POA).
I prepared this document and gave copies to my children. It did not occur to me that perhaps I should have the same documents for my adult children.
Attorneys recommend that Singles over 18 prepare powers of attorney and designate healthcare surrogates. They further recommend that parents obtain authority as their adult children’s attorneys-in-fact to make financial and healthcare decisions in emergencies. I have two grown children that are unmarried and in this age group. However, if anything happened to either of them, I would not be able to access their medical or financial information.
Medical providers are unable to release any information because of strict privacy guidelines under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Financial information is also unavailable to outside parties due to privacy regulations.
At that time I hand the document, my journal, and fingerprint pad to the police officer. He hands these items to the inmate. The inmate signs and I’m on my way back home or to another appointment.
I received my monthly issue of The National Notary magazine today and there was an article on performing notarizations for inmates. This particular notary targets the jail population.
She owns Detention Center Signings, and is available 24 hours day, seven days a week to perform notarizations. She charges $150.00 an hour and states that she completes the assignment within that time frame.
I admire this creative lady, who is also a real estate agent. She is obviously someone that thinks outside of the box. Her attitude is what it takes to survive in this business, especially since the downturn in the real estate market. She does advise leaving the makeup and business suit at home to avoid unwanted attention from the inmates.
Your typical business often has varying business cycles. Sometimes business is up and you are really performing well and other times, you are praying for the phone to ring.
The month of April has really been slow on the Notary side of my business. So far, I have not received one call from any title or signing companies. I checked my records and confirmed that the month of April has consistently been slow for me during the past four years.
This is a good time to reflect on what has worked to increase business and what has not. I can also re-evaluate my client base and concentrate on methods of differentiation. And, when all else is said and done – it’s back to marketing myself to keep the phonecalls coming in.
