The Presumed Power of Attorney – How Your Name Became the Administrator’s Key

Why does the system seem to treat you as both the owner and the debtor of your own estate?

In this Deep Dive, we explore how a quiet legal mechanism — the presumed power of attorney — may have inverted one of equity law’s most sacred relationships. Beneath the surface of everyday registration, licensing, and identification lies an administrative presumption that grants silent authority over your legal name, allowing trustees to act as both manager and beneficiary. We uncover how this inversion shifts liability onto the living person while retaining control and benefit within the system itself.

Discover how historical precedents like the Sistui Que Vie Act and the Hines Report shaped this structure, and why revoking any presumed authority may be the key to restoring the proper equitable order — where the living beneficiary is shielded from loss and rightful control is reclaimed.

Presented by the Private Members Union (PMU).