Brett N. Cagan, Partner

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• Practice Areas: ESTATE PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION
  
  
• BRETT N. CAGAN focuses his practice on all aspects of estate planning, probate and trust administration. His goal is to assist clients in developing and implementing estate plans that both maximize tax savings and address their specific non-tax goals and objectives. He has experience designing estate plans for clients that take advantage of the full range of wealth preservation and transfer strategies available to them, including the use of GRATs, QPRTs, charitable trusts, family limited partnerships and installment sales. He provides guidance to clients on all aspects of charitable planning, insurance planning, gift planning, business succession planning, retirement planning, and special needs and Medicaid planning. Brett also counsels executors, trustees and beneficiaries on estate and trust administration issues, including opening a probate estate, marshalling assets, handling creditor claims, preparing and filing estate tax returns, distributing assets and post-mortem estate and income tax planning.
  
  Brett is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He has presented to the Chicago Bar Association’s trust law committee on the topics of Estate Planning for the Closely Held Business and Apportionment of Estate Taxes and Administration Expenses. He also has written an information piece on powers of attorney for property and health care for the Chicago Estate Planning Council’s Public Outreach Committee, whose objective is to educate the public about estate planning and probate issues.
  
  Brett graduated summa cum laude from Valparaiso University School of Law and from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting. After law school, Brett clerked for two years for the Honorable Andrew P. Rodovich, Federal Magistrate Judge with the United District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.
  
  Brett lives in Naperville with his wife and two children. Brett serves on the Fry Family YMCA of Metro Chicago Branch Board and is a member of the Rotary Club of Naperville Sunrise. Brett coaches youth basketball through the YMCA and youth football through St. Raphael Football.
  
• Bar Admissions:
  
  Illinois (1997)
  
• Memberships:
  
  Illinois State Bar Association
  
  Chicago Bar Association
  
  Chicago Estate Planning Council