Sister set herself up as power of attorney and not allowing other siblings to see transactions?

Answer 1

A person cannot "set themselves up" as an attorney-in-fact for someone else. The principal needs to grant the POA in writing. If you think your parent was not legally capable of choosing your sister and executing a POA to that effect then you should speak with your parent about it first, especially if you believe your sister is using undue influence. For the average family with no legal experience it is always a good idea to have at least two people monitoring the finances of an elderly parent and each other's activities. Otherwise, if an unscrupulous child is stealing, by the time the theft is discovered it's too late and the assets are gone. If your parent seems unable to discuss it with you then you should speak with an attorney who specializes in elder law who could explain your options. Perhaps you need to set up a more supervised handling of your parent's finances through a court process. Perhaps she needs a guardian or conservator appointed who would fall under the jurisdiction of the court. One sibling should not be acting in secret. It is a much used tactic to raid an elder's assets and is easily disclosed if a court requests financial records. On the other hand, if she can explain her reasons for choosing your sister then it is her choice. Perhaps she could be persuaded to add another name as a co-attorney-in-fact.