Monthly Tips
December 2025
TIP 1 Holiday Sales Expected to Be Up
The National Retail Federation has collected data and made estimates about spending on various holidays for years, and despite concerns about inflation or tariffs, has predicted that for the first time ever holiday sales in November and December will surpass $1 trillion! They are basing that estimate on “various key economic indicators, including consumer spending, disposable personal income, employment, wages, inflation and previous monthly retail sales releases.” The American consumer being resilient is a good sign.
It may always feel as though we need to one-up the gifts from last year, but the most valuable gift is also the one with the worst return policy: time. The time and stories we share are precious, create lasting memories, and let us affirm that we are the most valuable resource to each other. If we can’t hold onto it, we may as well spend it in the best way possible, and look forward to sharing our time this holiday season with family, beloved friends, and our communities.
https://gstrustco.com/investments/managing-preserving-wealth/
TIP 2 Gifting Strategy Motivation Change
This year, the OBBBA was enacted on July 4th making the federal estate tax exemption permanent, starting in 2026, at $15 million (up to $30 million with portability for a married couple). With such a high permanent exemption amount, an initial glance might make someone reconsider the grandparent gifting strategy of taking advantage of the $19,000 annual exclusion from federal gift taxes each year to reduce federal estate taxes as we have explored in the past. However, the strategy is still powerful when it comes to income tax planning, and taking into account the income tax brackets of recipients compared to the giver. There is also the basis step-up to consider, and the potential sale of the assets avoiding capital gains if the recipient is in the bottom tax bracket.
Wealth planning strategies in estate planning are often not limited just to planning for taxation in estates, or taxation in a portfolio as a whole. If you are interested in learning why even moderately wealthy family consider estate planning essential to providing a legacy within and across generations, let us know. That is where we shine as a trust company, and we would be pleased to elaborate.
https://gstrustco.com/investments/strategic-portfolio-management/
TIP 3 Time for a Family Wealth Meeting
The great wealth transfer is coming, and some may have considered it started already, yet we are woefully underprepared. Not just millions or billions of dollars, but trillions of dollars that will need to be transferred. Not just one or two trillion dollars, but twenty to thirty, and some estimates suggest even more. According to an article published earlier this year from Caring.com, less than ¼ of Americans have a will or estate plan in place.
The holidays are coming, and for many that means an opportunity for the whole family to be in one place. Although it may not be the most pleasant topic, it may be a serendipitous occasion to start or continue a conversation about the family wealth, so as to avoid squabbles later on. A family meeting is a way to create a forum for questions, and the trust officers at Garden State Trust company can help with that. Learn more in our latest blog: Getting Ahead of Wealth Transfer Squabbles With a Family Meeting
https://gstrustco.com/assets/GST-What-If-brochure.pdf
TIP 4 A Book In the New Year?
Like New Year’s resolutions, reading is often a goal we create and leave behind to be created again when time allows.
In the financial space, many books are written to explain extraordinary wealth strategies and concepts to an ordinary audience. Any top ten list will contain many such books. Though not in the trust industry, one such inspiration from the insurance industry is Joseph Jordan’s book on Living a Life of Significance.
Although the book is written for financial professionals about selling life insurance, it peeks behind the industry curtain through personal stories that explain the real reason to have that as a primary goal in the first place. Those stories can present the questions needed to understand the underlying motivation in any industry.
There are more terrific, marvelous, and extraordinary books than one could read in a month, year, or decade. Books we reflect on and share stories from, books of fantasy and fiction and real life and the lessons drawn from it. Whatever your New Year’s resolution may be, we hope you have a very happy, healthy and successful 2026!