Monthly Tips
February 2026
TIP 1 Groundhog Day
Here are some fun facts to share this Groundhog day to make it feel a little different:
February 2nd is not a random date. It is the cross-quarter day that falls between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. That means it’s right in between the seasons, which is why it is a good time think about whether it’s going to be a long winter, or an early spring.
We may wish for an early spring, but it’s been notoriously difficult to predict. The National Centers for Environmental Information has compared Punxsutawney Phil’s forecast to actual temperatures for the 2010-2020 decade and found that he’s only been correct 40% of the time.
https://gstrustco.com/about-us/why-garden-state-trust/
TIP 2 Independent Trust Company
The trust industry is continuing to grow as a whole. According to data from trustupdates.com, the trust industry asset average growth in the first half of 2025 was 5%, and assets in Investment Management accounts grew 8%. Part of that is market growth, and part of it is more people raising their hands and saying they want to reach the goals that can only be accomplished utilizing trusts.
However – being a trustee isn’t always a fun job. Read about some of the goals of trusts, and how they might make an amateur trustee’s life difficult in our latest blog: Who Wants To Be My Trustee?
https://gstrustco.com/about-us/a-case-for-an-independent-trust-company/
TIP 3 Checking In On Those Living Alone
The most popular app in the Apple store in China last year was called “Are you Dead?”. It is a very simple app with a singular purpose. A person checks in daily by hitting a big button to confirm they are alive, and if they miss a couple days a message is sent out to an emergency contact.
Surprisingly, this BBC article suggests that it’s mostly young professionals living alone that the app is targeting. We would think that it would be more likely to appeal to solo agers and the elderly, as it is reminiscent of Japan’s postal service “Watch Over” service where a fee can be paid for a postal worker to check-in on elderly relatives monthly and send a report to the family.
The market for solo-agers is getting larger, so the market for products that can help them on their journey will increase too, whether it’s for the elderly solo-agers or young professionals.
https://gstrustco.com/solutions-services/solo-agers/
TIP 4 Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Did you know that we publish a monthly e-newsletter with articles about wealth management, taxes, retirement planning, and trusts? You can sign up for it here. Last month we posted an article about how the rules for postmarks were clarified last year and could impact the timely filing of tax returns. Learn about that and more by checking out the full issue here.
