New Year's Resolutions: How Top Investigators Are Leveling Up in 2026

It's that time of year. We all make resolutions to be more productive, organized, and focused. But in the world of crypto investigations, "getting organized" isn't just about cleaning up your desk — it's about sharpening your approach.

To help you stick to your professional resolutions, we've recruited our global investigations team to act as your "investigative personal trainers." Whether you resolve to move faster or dig deeper in 2026, here's the expert playbook to make it happen.

If you’re a TRM customer, explore even more details behind these tips and tricks in this support article. Make sure you’re logged into TRM first.

Resolution #1: I will stop wasting time.

Your coach: Kevin Crum

The philosophy: "If you're clicking one by one, you are already behind."

Speed is critical in asset recovery. Crum advises mastering batch analysis strategies:

• Bulk triage: Elite investigators don't review addresses one by one. They ingest and tag addresses in bulk to immediately surface high-priority leads.
• Prioritize via exposure: Don't hunt for connections visually. Sort entities by exposure volume to turn a chaotic graph into a prioritized checklist immediately.
• Pinpoint quickly: In a massive graph, use specific search tools to instantly highlight specific transactions, rather than scanning the visual web manually.

Resolution #2: I will tell a better story.

Your coach: Jake Inman

The philosophy: "If it’s not part of the story, it shouldn’t be on your graph."

Investigations are ultimately about communication — explaining complex flows to non-technical stakeholders. Inman's method is all about narrative hygiene:

• Clean up the "plumbing": Service hot wallets are necessary for the flow of funds but confusing for a jury. Grouping these addresses into single entity clusters clarifies the narrative: "Funds moved from Service A to Wallet B" without the clutter.
• Hide, don't delete: A common mistake is leaving every intermediate hop on the screen. However, deleting them breaks the data chain. The pro move is to hide irrelevant elements (like noise from a mixer or a busy bridge) without deleting them. This keeps the data accessible but the visual clean.
• Trace flows, don't scan: On account-based chains, tracing funds visually can be dizzying. Use transfer lists to follow the specific flow of funds directly to the receiving address.

Resolution #3: I will tackle the complex cases.

Your coach: Casey Dougherty

The philosophy: "Follow the money, even when it jumps chains."

Criminals don't stay on one chain, and neither should you. When leveling up to cross-chain swaps (CCS), Dougherty offers these techniques:

• Isolate cross-chain flows: When an address is noisy with multiple swaps, don't try to untangle it visually. Isolate specific fund flows using tabular data to find the exact swap you need.
• Don't stop at the bridge: When you track funds to a new chain, the investigation isn't over — it's just restarting. Swaps often happen in rapid succession. Always check the destination address immediately for subsequent swaps.
• Decode the destination: Stuck on a bridge transaction with a confusing address format (like TRON)? Use encoding converters to reveal if it's actually an Ethereum address in disguise.

Resolution #4: I will focus on the signal.

Your coach: Mariano Gemignani

The philosophy: "Don't let the data bury the lead."

For the resolution to be more precise, Gemignani offers a masterclass in navigation:

• Trim the fat: When analyzing a virtual asset service provider (VASP) withdrawal, identifying your target is only step one. Immediately "trim" or hide the hundreds of other customer withdrawals to keep your workspace focused on your suspect.
• Navigate speedily: Don't scroll endlessly. Use navigation shortcuts to jump to the next relevant transaction in a sequence.
• Time travel: Scope your analysis. Use time-based filters to instantly snapshot activity for a specific relevant timeframe, ignoring historical or future noise.

Resolution #5: I will cut through the noise.

Your coach: Brandon Tetro

The Philosophy: "Filter out the dust to see the evidence."

High-volume blockchains can be overwhelming. Tetro shares his masterclass in filtering:

• Filter out the "dust": On busy networks, addresses are often spam-bombed with tiny amounts of tokens. Setting a simple value filter (e.g. > USD 1) acts like a magic wand, wiping away the noise to reveal the actual theft pattern.
• Jump to the evidence: If you have a transaction hash, use direct jump features to go straight to the crime scene, rather than filtering by date.
• Check the peripherals: Don't get tunnel vision. Always check active chains to see if your subject is hopping between networks or conducting swaps back to the same address.

Bonus: The team's real 2026 resolutions

We asked the team what they are working on outside of the blockchain. Here's what they said:

• Kevin Crum: Finding more time for woodworking projects and less screen time.
• Jake Inman: Learning to hunt. Web3 and blockchain is cool, but nothing beats getting outdoors for some fresh air in the woods or on the water.
• Casey Dougherty: Spending more days disconnected from technology in my canoe and setting a new deadlift personal record.
• Mariano Gemignani: Getting back to having a workout routine and reading more without losing the signal!
• Brandon Tetro: Spending more time with my nieces and nephews.

Ready to start?

Whether you’re cleaning up your graph hygiene or hunting down cross-chain swaps, we hope these tips help you start 2026 with a clear head and a clearer investigation.

Happy New Year from the TRM global investigations team!