Your parent signed a POA. Now every bank wants something different.
Managing a parent's bank, brokerage and crypto accounts under a power of attorney. California-first. One page per institution: which form they want, where to send it, and what they publish about timing. Every fact links to the official source.
How to use this guide
- Check the document. Use the California checklist to confirm the POA is dated, signed, notarized or witnessed, and durable.
- Find each institution. Open its page below. Green Verified facts come from the institution's own site. Grey Not published means they don't say publicly. Call and ask.
- Submit and log it. Keep copies, note dates and names. If someone refuses, see the refusal section on the checklist.
Institutions
Chase
Bank
Chase adds a POA agent to an existing account, or lets an agent open a new account, after a banker reviews the POA to confirm the agent's authority. O…
Bank of America
Bank
Under certain circumstances Bank of America adds agents to the principal's accounts, and may limit the types and sizes of transactions an agent may pe…
Wells Fargo
Bank
Wells Fargo accepts either its own Wells Fargo Power of Attorney form (applies only to the Wells Fargo accounts listed on it) or a POA prepared and si…
Charles Schwab
Brokerage
Schwab's Forms & Applications page lists both its own durable POA form and an 'Agreement and Affidavit for Non-Schwab Durable Power of Attorney', so S…
Fidelity
Brokerage
Fidelity accepts its own Durable POA form, or the agent can ask to be added by certifying and uploading the outside POA document that grants authority…
Vanguard
Brokerage
Important: if the account owner still has capacity, Vanguard won't accept a durable POA (DPOA) to set up ongoing access. The owner must use Vanguard's…
Robinhood
Brokerage / crypto app
Robinhood does not offer Power of Attorney as an account feature, because it doesn't allow third-party login access to customer accounts. If the accou…
Coinbase
Crypto exchange
Coinbase's U.S. User Agreement says you will use your Coinbase account only for yourself and not on behalf of any third party unless you have prior wr…
Kraken
Crypto exchange
Kraken does not publish a POA process for personal accounts.
Social Security (SSA)
Government benefits
No. SSA says having power of attorney (or being an authorized representative, or a joint bank account holder) is not the same as being a representativ…
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