Britney is no longer free.
The sagas of our many celebrities take many dramatic turns. As an estate planning attorney, I see an example in Britney Spears that should give us all pause.
The media has made a huge issue of Britney's spiral out of control. Her situation has unfortunately deteriorated so far that the court took away practically all of Britney's legal authority to make decisions for herself.
Britney's father went to a California court to petition for control over her money, her home, and even her health. He agreed and gave him control over Britney. The judge also gave him power to seek an order of protection against Britney's boyfriend whom the family apparently does not like.
The lesson from this is to understand that for whatever reason, a car accident, a stroke, an illness, age, etc. we might be unable or incapable of making decisions. In that situation, someone else must act for us to protect our best interest.
You can choose who that will be with properly executed powers of attorney. The person you appoint as your "attorney in fact" can step in when you need them. If you do not, then an interested person may step in just like Britney's father did.
However, if you do not make your wishes known now, the court will have to decide who makes your decisions for you. The court appoints guardians over the "person" and a conservator over the "money." And, it is expensive.
Be prepared. Create legally binding financial powers of attorney and healthcare powers of attorney so your chosen person or people can act for you.
