Overview
When you print your Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) or Financial Power of Attorney (FPoA), you will notice sections designed to be filled out by hand—often referred to as "Wet Ink" portions.
It is a critical best practice to ensure these sections are fully completed before any signatures, notary stamps, or witness signatures are captured.
The Role of the Notary vs. Your Elections
A common misconception is that a notary or witness is verifying every individual election or checkbox within your document. In reality:
The Primary Goal: The notary and witnesses are primarily acknowledging the Principal’s signature.
The Testimony: They are testifying that they saw you sign the document of your own free will and that you appeared to be of sound mind.
The Timing: For a document to be legally sound, it must be complete at the moment of execution. If you check boxes or add instructions after the notary has stamped the document, those specific instructions were never technically witnessed as part of the original act.
Can I fill in blanks after notarization?
If you realize a checkbox was missed or a "Wet Ink" section was left blank after the document has been notarized and witnessed, you might be tempted to simply go back and fill it in.
Wealth.com does not recommend this. Making alterations to a legal document after it has been executed can lead to several complications:
Challenges to Validity: Financial or medical institutions may reject the document if the ink or handwriting looks inconsistent with the signing date.
Fraud Concerns: It creates a risk that someone could claim the document was altered without the Principal's consent.
Invalidation: Some states have strict provisions that automatically invalidate any text added after the official witnessing.
How to Avoid Re-execution
The best way to ensure your document is valid is to do a final "walkthrough" before your notary appointment:
Read the Instructions: Always read the full Signing Instructions sheet provided by Wealth.com.
Address Every Field: Ensure every checkbox is marked and every blank line is either filled in or struck through (if you wish to leave it empty).
The "Final Check": Do this right before the signing process begins. Taking an extra five minutes to address every field beforehand prevents the need to re-print and re-execute the document later.