Can I cancel a "power of attorney"?

Can I cancel a "power of attorney"?

You may revoke or cancel a “power of attorney” at any time. That said, I have to add that the problem is more complex if the agent already has a copy, or the original, of the “power of attorney” because although the principle can revoke the “power of attorney” by executing a new one or by executing a revocation, a third party might be unaware of the existence of that revocation and may honor the agent's activities even though the agent is no longer the agent. What we try to do to minimize that possibility is by retaining in our office the original “power of attorney,” giving to the principle, the person who signed the power of attorney, a copy. And that copy shows that we hold the original. Giving a copy to the agent may still be something that the principle has to do, but that copy too would show that we held the original. And if the agent were attempting to exercise the power at an institution or wherever, and we were aware that a revocation had been made, there is at least some likelihood that the institution might call our office and say “is this ‘power of attorney' still in effect?” The revocation, in a word, is “tenuous”. But it can be done.