A power of attorney is an instrument wherein one person (referred to as “the donor”) authorizes another (referred to as “the attorney”) to act as the donor’s agent or attorney. The power may be general (authorizing the attorney to deal with all financial matters which the donor could lawfully deal with) or specific (authorizing the attorney to perform certain specific and limited acts).

An executor is the person responsible for gathering the assets, paying debts and distributing the estate to the beneficiaries. When a person is managing a trust, we refer to this person as the trustee of the trust. A trust is a relationship which arises where the legal and beneficial ownership of property is divided.