Alan advises and consults with universities, charities, brokerage firms and accounting firms the areas of non-cash related gifts of fine art objects and insurance related financial instruments.  He is uniquely qualified to appraise donated life insurance policies.  

Alan has degrees in Art History and Appraisal Studies as well as advanced studies in insurance, underwriting and financial planning.  He has spoken at and sponsored recent national and regional conferences.

 

 

Alan appraises:

Fine Art/Sculpture	Rare Books	Historic Documents / Autographs
Engravings and Lithographs	Fine Jewelry	Documentary Films
Memorabilia	Collectibles	Insurance Policies

Education

BA, Art History, The New School, New York City
Intensive Appraisal Certificate Study, New York University

   – Intern, Jersey City Museum of Art
CLU, Chartered Life Underwriter, American College, Bryn Mawr, PA
ChFC, Chartered Financial Consultant, American College, Bryn Mawr, PA

Appraisal Studies

Legal and Ethical Aspects of Appraising, • IRS Legal Guidelines in Valuation
Research Methodology • Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP)

 

Related Professional Experience

•    Fine Art Appraisal and Brokerage Services with specific focus on estate and gift tax planning

•    East Coast Division Insurance advisor to Legg-Mason Securities, 2003 – 2005

•    Financial resource committee Kennesaw State Univ. 2002-2004, Atlanta, GA

•    Board of Advisors, Business Division, JNF, New York City

•    Member-Development Board, American Red Cross-SE Division (Atlanta)

•    Real Estate, Insurance and Financial Planning, 40+ years experience.

 

•    Advisor/Appraiser for non-cash donations to charitable organizations including:  

Northwestern University, Harvard University, DePaul University, John Carroll University, Ohio University, The National Children’s Cancer Society, The Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital.

Memberships:

        The Appraisers Association of America, New York City

        The Partnership for Philanthropic Planning

 

Conference Sponsorships

National Conference on Planned Giving - 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010

 

Recent Speaking Engagements                                                                

“What’s In Your Donor’s Attic?”, Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, 2011 National Conference

Educating planned giving professionals about unacknowledged tangible assets that can be monetized to support both philanthropic and retirement needs.

 

 “Cash Replacement Donation/Tangible Assets”, Chicago Council on Planned Giving, 2011 Masters Seminar

Options for donors who may not have ready cash assets:  How donating tangible assets can increase cash flow through tax benefits derived from benign assets.

 

Also presented to:

Northwestern University Planned Giving Seminar, April, 2010,   DePaul University Planned Giving Seminar, April, 2010,   Greater Bay Area Planned Giving Council, Greater Bay Area Conference on Planned Giving,   Greater San Diego Planned Giving Seminar                                                               

 

 

Selected Appraisal Engagements

Rare Book Donation to University

University received a 24 volume set of rare books that had not been carefully reviewed by either the donor or the receiver - neither had a sense of its current value. Asked by the University to appraise the gift for insurance purposes, I carefully reviewed each volume, and
discovered 44 original historical documents inserted into the last volume. I photographed and researched each document. The resulting appraisal was more than $80,000 greater than the original cost of the books to the donor four years earlier. Therefore the donor's tax deduction was greater, and the university understood the extent of the value of the donation for insurance purposes. The donor was so pleased the he donated additional documents to the University.

Documentary Film Donation to Museum Worth More Than Donor Had Imagined

Donor found a historic documentary film in his attic, inherited from his father. After giving it to a museum, the donor engaged me to determine if it had any tax deductible value. I determined a significant fair market value by using the "Income Approach Method forAppraisal" (valuing a work of art or object as if it would be used to generate future income most commonly through leasing, rental or reproduction). This prompted the donor to further search his attic and
basement, where he found additional valuable material which he then donated.

Life Insurance Policy Yields Considerably Greater Deduction than Expected; Charity Receives
Immediate Cash

70+ year old man donated a life insurance policy with little or no cash value to a charity - he needed a qualified appraisal for tax purposes. By reviewing the donor's current medical conditions I found his life expectancy to be dramatically less than the norm. This factor increased the current Fair Market Value of the policy to what was considerably greater than its cash value, resulting in a greater deduction for the donor than he had imagined and a greater immediately realized donation to the charity

 

 

Contact Us

For more information please contact us or download one of the following PDF forms, fill it out and mail it to us.
Appraisal Request Form: Fine Arts/Eclectic Donations
Appraisal Request Form: Life Insurance/Life Settlement