Principal

The principal is the maker of a Power of Attorney — the person whose affairs are being managed. To make a valid appointment, the principal must have legal capacity to understand what they are signing. The principal can place conditions or limits on what the attorney may do, and can revoke the document at any time while they still have capacity. In some states the principal is instead called the "donor" or "grantor".

As principal you decide who to appoint, when their power begins, and any limits — for example, that property cannot be sold without a doctor's certificate of incapacity. Example: As principal, Robert specified that his attorney could only access his investment account once a geriatrician confirmed he had lost capacity. Once capacity is lost the principal can no longer change or cancel the appointment, which is why getting the document right early matters.