Wills come into effect upon your death, and powers of attorney come into effect when you are incapacitated. In either case, you will not be in a position to express your wishes yourself so these documents must be an accurate reflection of what you would like others to do on your behalf.

Both wills and powers of attorney are very much living documents which should usually be refreshed whenever there is a major life event as well as on any occasion when you simply wish to update your wishes. It is, however, important to do this in a way that maintains the legal validity of these documents, so it is strongly recommended to get professional help from a lawyer.