Gaggos Flaggman

Estate Planning Attorneys in Troy, Michigan

No two families have the same concerns when they begin planning for the future. Some want to make sure young children are cared for if something unexpected happens. Others are trying to protect a child with special needs, preserve a family cottage, prepare a closely held business for the next generation, or reduce the burden placed on loved ones after their death.

Gaggos Flaggman focuses its estate planning practice on helping Michigan families prepare for those situations while also providing guidance when estates and trusts must be administered or disputes arise.

When a Second Marriage Changes the Plan

Estate planning often becomes more complicated after remarriage. Many people want to provide financial security for a current spouse while also preserving an inheritance for children from a previous relationship. Without careful planning, those goals can conflict.

The firm assists clients in coordinating estate plans with premarital agreements when appropriate and develops strategies that reflect each family's structure rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Protecting a Child Who Will Always Need Financial Support

Leaving an inheritance to a child or loved one with a disability requires different planning than a traditional estate. Families are often concerned that a direct inheritance could affect eligibility for government assistance programs.

Gaggos Flaggman prepares special needs trusts for families facing these circumstances, helping clients provide long-term financial support while considering the public benefits that may already be in place.

Keeping a Michigan Cottage in the Family

A family cottage can represent decades of memories, but it can also become a source of disagreement after an owner's death. Questions about maintenance expenses, scheduling, improvements, and whether one family member wants to sell can quickly create conflict.

The firm includes Michigan cottage planning among its estate planning services, helping families establish a legal framework for transferring and managing recreational property across generations.

If Your Business Is Part of Your Estate

For business owners, an estate plan often involves more than personal assets. Ownership interests, management responsibilities, and succession plans may all need to be addressed so the business can continue operating if an owner retires, becomes incapacitated, or dies.

The firm's practice includes business succession planning, along with buy-sell agreements and other business planning documents that can help prepare for future ownership transitions.

When Someone Can No Longer Make Decisions

Not every family has the opportunity to plan before a medical emergency or declining health makes independent decision-making impossible. In those situations, relatives may need legal authority to manage financial affairs or make personal care decisions.

The firm assists with durable financial powers of attorney, patient advocate designations, guardianships, conservatorships, long-term care planning, and Medicaid planning, helping families prepare for or respond to periods of incapacity.

After You're Named Executor or Trustee

Many people serve as a personal representative or trustee only once in their lives. They may suddenly become responsible for locating assets, paying creditors, addressing tax matters, communicating with beneficiaries, and carrying out the instructions left by a family member.

Gaggos Flaggman represents executors, trustees, and beneficiaries during probate and trust administration. When disagreements arise over an estate, trust, or fiduciary's actions, the firm also handles probate litigation.

Helping Michigan Families Plan for the Future

From its Troy office, Gaggos Flaggman assists individuals, families, business owners, and fiduciaries with estate planning, estate and trust administration, long-term care planning, and related tax and business succession issues. Whether clients are planning years in advance or responding to a recent loss or health crisis, the firm's practice addresses both the preparation of estate plans and the legal responsibilities that follow.

Practice Areas

• Estate Planning

• Wills

• Revocable Living Trusts

• Durable Financial Powers of Attorney

• Patient Advocate Designations

• Special Needs Trusts

• Probate Administration

• Trust Administration

• Probate Litigation

• Guardianships

• Conservatorships

• Business Succession Planning

• Buy-Sell Agreements

• Asset Protection Planning

• Estate and Death Tax Planning

• Income Tax Planning

• Tax Controversy

• Elder Law

• Medicaid Planning

• Long-Term Care Planning

• Michigan Cottage Planning