What term describes a person who acts to benefit themselves rather than the principal?

• A. Principal
• B. Self-dealing
• C. Agent
• D. Durable power of attorney

Answer: (B)

The concept here is fiduciary duty and, specifically, acting in a way that serves the agent’s own interests at the principal’s expense. When someone in a fiduciary role—such as an agent under a power of attorney—seeks personal gain from opportunities that arise while entrusted with the principal’s affairs, that is self-dealing. It breaches the obligation to put the principal’s interests first and can lead to the fiduciary having to disgorge profits, face removal, or be liable for breach. So, the term that best describes this behavior is self-dealing. The other terms describe roles or documents, not the act: the principal is the person who appoints the fiduciary, the agent is the person who acts on behalf of the principal, and a durable power of attorney is the document granting that authority.