Section 5-1502I. Construction--personal and family maintenance

In  a
  statutory short form power of attorney, the language conferring  general
  authority  with  respect  to  "personal  and family maintenance" must be
  construed to mean that the principal authorizes the agent:
    1. To do all acts necessary for maintaining the customary standard  of
  living  of  the  spouse  and  children,  and  other  dependents  of  the
  principal,  including  by  way  of  illustration  and  not  by  way   of
  restriction,  power  to provide living quarters by purchase, lease or by
  other  contract,  or  by  payment  of  the  operating  costs,  including
  interest, amortization payments, repairs and taxes, of premises owned by
  the  principal  and  occupied  by  his  family or dependents, to provide
  normal domestic help for the operation  of  the  household,  to  provide
  usual  vacations and usual travel expenses, to provide usual educational
  facilities, and to provide funds for all the  current  living  costs  of
  such  spouse,  children  and  other  dependents,  including, among other
  things, shelter, clothing, food and incidentals;
    2. To provide, whenever necessary, medical, dental and surgical  care,
  hospitalization  and  custodial  care for the spouse, children and other
  dependents of the principal;
    3. To continue whatever provision has  been  made  by  the  principal,
  prior  to  the  creation  of  the  agency or thereafter, for his spouse,
  children and other dependents, with respect  to  automobiles,  or  other
  means of transportation, including by way of illustration but not by way
  of  restriction,  power  to  license,  to  insure  and  to  replace  any
  automobiles owned by the principal and customarily used by  the  spouse,
  children or other dependents of the principal;
    4.  To  continue  whatever  charge  accounts have been operated by the
  principal prior to the creation of the agency  or  thereafter,  for  the
  convenience  of  his  spouse, children or other dependents, to open such
  new  accounts  as  the  agent  shall  think  to  be  desirable  for  the
  accomplishment of any of the purposes enumerated in this section, and to
  pay  the  items  charged  on  such  accounts by any person authorized or
  permitted by the principal to make such charges prior to the creation of
  the agency;
    5. To continue the discharge of any services or duties assumed by  the
  principal,  prior  to  the  creation of the agency or thereafter, to any
  parent, relative or friend of the principal;
    6. To supervise and to enforce, to defend or to settle any claim by or
  against the principal  arising  out  of  property  damages  or  personal
  injuries  suffered  by  or  caused  by  the  principal,  or  under  such
  circumstances that the loss resulting therefrom will, or may fall on the
  principal;
    7. To continue payments incidental to the membership or affiliation of
  the principal in any church, club, society, order or other  organization
  or to continue contributions thereto;
    8. To demand, to receive, to obtain by action, proceeding or otherwise
  any  money  or  other  thing  of  value to which the principal is or may
  become or may claim to be entitled as salary, wages, commission or other
  remuneration for services performed, or as a  dividend  or  distribution
  upon  any  stock,  or as interest or principal upon any indebtedness, or
  any periodic distribution of profits from any partnership or business in
  which the principal has or claims an interest, and to  endorse,  collect
  or otherwise realize upon any instrument for the payment so received;
    9.  To  prepare,  to  execute  and  to  file all tax, social security,
  unemployment insurance and information returns required by the  laws  of
  the  United  States,  or  of any state or subdivision thereof, or of any
  foreign government, to prepare, to execute and to file all other  papers
  and instruments which the agent shall think to be desirable or necessary

  for the safeguarding of the principal against excess or illegal taxation
  or  against  penalties imposed for claimed violation of any law or other
  governmental regulation, and to pay, to compromise, or to contest or  to
  apply  for refunds in connection with any taxes or assessments for which
  the principal is or may be liable;
    10. To utilize any asset of the principal for the performance  of  the
  powers  enumerated in this section, including by way of illustration and
  not by way of restriction, power to draw money  by  check  or  otherwise
  from any bank deposit of the principal, to sell any land, chattel, bond,
  share,  commodity  interest,  chose  in  action  or  other  asset of the
  principal, to borrow money and to pledge as security for such loan,  any
  asset, including insurance, which belongs to the principal;
    11.  To  execute,  to  acknowledge, to verify, to seal, to file and to
  deliver any application, consent,  petition,  notice,  release,  waiver,
  agreement  or  other instrument which the agent may think useful for the
  accomplishment of any of the purposes enumerated in this section;
    12. To prosecute, to defend, to submit to arbitration, to settle,  and
  to propose or to accept a compromise with respect to, any claim existing
  in  favor  of,  or  against,  the  principal  based  on or involving any
  transaction enumerated in this section or to intervene in any action  or
  proceeding relating thereto;
    13. To hire, to discharge, and to compensate any attorney, accountant,
  expert  witness  or  other  assistant or assistants when the agent shall
  think such action to be desirable for the proper execution by him of any
  of the powers described in this section, and for the keeping  of  needed
  records thereof;
    14.   To  continue  gifts  that  the  principal  customarily  made  to
  individuals and charitable organizations prior to the  creation  of  the
  agency,  provided  that  no person or charitable organization may be the
  recipient of gifts in any one calendar year  which,  in  the  aggregate,
  exceed five hundred dollars; and
    15.  In  general,  and  in  addition  to all the specific acts in this
  section enumerated, to do any other act or acts, which the principal can
  do through an  agent,  for  the  welfare  of  the  spouse,  children  or
  dependents  of  the principal or for the preservation and maintenance of
  the other personal relationships of the principal to parents, relatives,
  friends and organizations.
    All  powers  described  in  this  section  5-1502I  of   the   general
  obligations  law  shall be exercisable equally whether the acts required
  for their execution shall relate to real or personal property  owned  by
  the  principal  at  the  giving  of  the power of attorney or thereafter
  acquired and whether such acts shall be performable in the state of  New
  York or elsewhere.