If I cannot act, who can act for me?
Financial and health-care decision-makers, with thoughtful backups.
ESTATE PLANNING • OHIO
Easier decisions now.
Fewer hard decisions later.
Understand the core choices in plain language, then build a focused brief so your consultation can be about decisions—not missing information.
No Social Security numbers. No account numbers. No legal advice by questionnaire.
WILL•FINANCIAL POA•HEALTH CARE POA•LIVING WILL•TRUST & TRANSFER PLANNING
THE BIG PICTURE
A useful plan answers three questions.
You do not need to arrive knowing the documents. Start with the decisions the documents need to carry.
When I die, who receives what?
People, charities, timing, protections, and sensible contingencies.
Who will carry the plan forward?
An executor, trustee, or other fiduciary with clear authority.
PLAIN-LANGUAGE GUIDE
The documents are tools.
The plan is the system.
Open each topic for the role it usually plays. Your attorney will help decide what fits your facts—and what does not.
Download the full consultation packet01Last Will & TestamentWho receives probate assets—and who is in charge?
Names an executor, directs probate assets, and can nominate guardians for minor children. A will guides probate; it does not avoid probate by itself or override most beneficiary designations.
02Durable Financial Power of AttorneyWho can handle money and property if you cannot?
Authorizes a trusted agent to address financial matters during your lifetime. The document can be broad or carefully limited, and backups matter.
03Health Care Power of AttorneyWho can make medical decisions when you cannot?
Names the person who can communicate with providers and make health-care decisions when you are unable to do so yourself.
04Living WillWhat should doctors do in defined end-of-life situations?
Records your directions for terminal illness or permanent unconsciousness under Ohio law. It works alongside—not instead of—a health care power of attorney.
05Beneficiary, POD & TOD PlanningWhich assets can pass outside probate?
Account beneficiaries, payable-on-death instructions, and transfer-on-death designations may control particular assets. They must be reviewed as part of the whole plan.
06Revocable Living TrustWould ongoing management or added control help?
A funded trust can manage assets during incapacity and after death, and may avoid probate for assets placed into it. Signing the trust is only the beginning; funding is essential.
07Business & Succession PlanningWhat happens to the company when an owner cannot act?
Ownership documents, buy-sell terms, beneficiary choices, and the estate plan need to point in the same direction. Families with several entities may also discuss a holding-company structure.
A CLOSER LOOK
Do you need a trust?
Possibly. But a trust is not automatically better than a will—and an unfunded trust is often an expensive empty suitcase.
A trust deserves a closer conversation when one or more of these is true:
- You want to avoid probate as much as practical.
- You own real estate in more than one state.
- A young, vulnerable, or special-needs beneficiary needs protection.
- Your family, distributions, or business ownership are complex.
- You want stronger continuity if you become incapacitated.
WHAT TO EXPECT
From “we should do this” to done.
A practical process keeps the legal work focused and gives you space to make the personal decisions well.
Prepare
Complete the short online brief or the detailed packet. Gather what you already have.
Meet
Talk through goals, family, assets, decision-makers, and the tools that may fit.
Draft & review
We prepare the documents and resolve any open questions or requested changes.
Sign & align
Execute the plan, then coordinate titles, beneficiaries, and trust funding where needed.
ESTATE PLANNING, EXPLAINED
Prefer a conversation to a checklist?
Watch the EQUES team explain wills, powers of attorney, medical directives, trusts, and beneficiary planning in practical terms.
Recorded January 29, 2026 • Educational information, not individual legal advice.
CONSULTATION PREP
Build your meeting brief.
Answer only what you know. We ask for categories—not account numbers, Social Security numbers, passwords, or exact balances.
YOUR CONSULTATION CHECKLIST
Bring what exists.
Do not delay for what does not.
Your consultation is designed to fill gaps. “Unknown” is a perfectly useful answer.
Download detailed packet- 01Prior wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and directives
- 02Deeds or parcel IDs for real estate
- 03List of financial institutions and beneficiary pages
- 04Vehicle information and titles
- 05Business entities, operating agreements, and buy-sell terms
YOUR EQUES TEAM
Practical counsel. Human conversations.
Estate planning touches family, health, property, and sometimes a lifetime of business decisions. Our team brings those pieces into one conversation.
Executive Partner
Christopher White
A strategic counselor and firm founder whose business, real-estate, and succession experience helps connect the estate plan to the rest of a client's life.Full biography
Attorney
Tom Schmitt
Tom makes estate planning comfortable and practical, helping clients turn personal goals into clear wills, directives, trusts, and transfer plans.Full biography
Attorney
Austin Warehime
A Guernsey County native with a broad transactional and litigation background, Austin brings grounded, client-first counsel to Southeast Ohio families.Full biography
Junior Associate
Sarah Powell
Raised in Barnesville, Sarah returned to serve the communities of Southeast Ohio with careful research, clear communication, and local perspective.Full biography
Associate Attorney
Siphokazi Lali
A former educator with experience in probate, civil representation, and corporate practice, Siphokazi helps families make informed decisions with confidence.Full biographyREADY WHEN YOU ARE