My Dad had me placed on all his bank accounts to read "Bob Smith or Mary Smith" which gave me access to his accounts to pay his bills, sign his checks. Yes, I was his financial Power of Attorney. And Dad went to the bank with me.
Just make sure not to co-mingle any of your funds into Dad's account. I use to write a check and made a copy of that check upon the bill to have as a record.
Also bill paying can be easier if you open up on-line accounts in your Dad's name, just in case there are changes to address, etc. My Dad had a couple of utilities automatic pay, and he had his Social Security, and his pension, automatically deposited. Thus, I was able to set-up on-line viewing of his accounts, and was able to transfer funds between the accounts.
Dad was more than happy to hand over all the financial "stuff" for me to deal with... oh fun. That also included getting ready his IRS Income tax paperwork.
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Just make sure not to co-mingle any of your funds into Dad's account. I use to write a check and made a copy of that check upon the bill to have as a record.
Also bill paying can be easier if you open up on-line accounts in your Dad's name, just in case there are changes to address, etc. My Dad had a couple of utilities automatic pay, and he had his Social Security, and his pension, automatically deposited. Thus, I was able to set-up on-line viewing of his accounts, and was able to transfer funds between the accounts.
Dad was more than happy to hand over all the financial "stuff" for me to deal with... oh fun. That also included getting ready his IRS Income tax paperwork.
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