Under Iowa law, the Attorney-In-Fact need not be an actual attorney, and can be any competent adult. It is important that you choose someone who understands the scope of your financial affairs, and shares your views on how to conduct business. It is also wise to choose someone who lives close by or can at least be available often enough to make frequent enough contact with your creditors, debtors and all the others you do business with.
It is recommended to nominate a “stand-in” Attorney-In-Fact in case the default agent of choice is for whatever reason unavailable. You can revoke this agreement at any time you are mentally fit to do so. It is important to note that in Iowa, if you chose your spouse as your Attorney-In-Fact, the agreement does not automatically terminate upon divorce as it does in most other states.