Insurance is part of almost everyone’s financial life, so it lands on the agent’s plate too — health, home, auto, and life. Here’s what you can generally do, and where to be careful.
The everyday insurance tasks
Within what the document authorizes, an agent typically can:
- Pay premiums from the principal’s funds so coverage doesn’t lapse
- File and manage claims — home, auto, health, long-term care
- Talk to insurers on the principal’s behalf and handle paperwork
- Review and renew policies to keep the principal properly covered
Letting a policy lapse can be costly, so staying on top of premiums is one of the quieter but important parts of the job.
The careful part: life insurance beneficiaries
Changing the beneficiary on a life insurance policy is different. Because it redirects who receives money after death, it’s treated like a piece of the estate plan — and an agent generally cannot change beneficiaries unless the Power of Attorney specifically grants that power. Doing it without clear authority can look like an attempt to rewrite the estate plan and invites a challenge. See Power of Attorney, gifting, and beneficiaries.
Keep records here too
Premiums paid, claims filed, calls made — document it all, from the principal’s accounts, never your own. Clean records are your protection on every part of the role, insurance included.
For the whole financial picture of serving as an agent, the POA Caregiver Program walks through it in plain language.
This article is plain-English education, not legal advice. Power of Attorney law varies by state, and reading it does not create an attorney–client relationship. For guidance on your specific situation, talk with a licensed attorney in your state.