“Worthwhile Magazine™ is an online repository of personal property appraisal knowledge accessible to the general public and professionals alike. Discussions include evolving practices and current scholarship used when valuing the various fields of collecting. Since knowledge is power, we believe an open dialogue about connoisseurship is worthwhile.”
As part of our goal of increasing empowerment, access to the magazine’s content is free and open to both industry professionals and the general public.
We have an exciting group of content planned for the coming year to expand on the articles already published in 2018. Our existing content includes:
You can check out all of our articles and read them in full online at https://www.worthwhile-magazine.com/articles-page/ and if you are interested in submitting a contribution or know someone to recommend, our Submissions process and Content Style Guide can be reviewed online herehttps://www.worthwhile-magazine.com/submissions/ You can also subscribe to receive notifications of newly published articles.
It has been a deeply rewarding and fun experience to create the magazine with Courtney, and we look forward to expanding our “open dialogue about connoisseurship” in the coming year.
In addition to co-founding the magazine, it was quite an eventful year here at the appraisal firm, with a number of professional milestones achieved. Among other accomplishments, this year I successfully completed the requirements to reach the “Certified” level of membership in the International Society of Appraisers, which is their highest and most prestigious level of membership. I can now add “ISA CAPP” following my name in recognition of that membership level, and I am among roughly 20% of all ISA members who have met these requirements and completed the process.
This summer I also had the opportunity to apply and gain acceptance in a new professional designation offered by the International Society of Appraisers, the “Private Client Services” designation for working with high-net-worth individuals. Obtaining this designation involved taking a two-day workshop called “Appraising in the World of High-Net-Worth Individuals “ which featured talks by experts specializing in the administration of the complex legal and accounting infrastructure of high-net-worth individuals. The workshop included presentations by trust attorneys, insurance agents, curators of private collections, and family office managers. I found it very informative and particularly appreciated the discussion of new tax changes and their implications for users of appraisal services. In addition to participating in this workshop, appraisers had to meet a number of extra requirements from a list of criteria to obtain the “Private Client Services” designation, such as having a master’s degree, regularly working with high-net-work commercial clients such as financial planners, estate attorneys, and museums, publishing professional articles, and appraising over $1,000,000 in fine art or $500,000 in decorative arts per year over the past three years.
My continuing education also included attendance at the Foundation for Appraisal Education’s annual seminar and my 7-Hour Update course for the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) that I must take every two years to remain a USPAP-compliant appraiser. I gave several presentations about appraising and had a very interesting project as a historic furnishings consultant, which is another service I provide in my firm, where I assisted in the recreation of a mid-20th century period interior. In my 2018 appraisal work I had the pleasure of working with a diverse group of clients including private collectors, insurance agencies, and corporations, and I thank them for the opportunity to assist with the protection of their collections.
