Frequently Asked Questions
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Are you compatible with Windows?
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Yes.
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What methods does a user have to access your system?
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Users can access our system through the Internet, web-based.
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Are there any special installation requirements?
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Yes. If your company employs a firewall, port 1494 must be open
for dynamic outbound usage. Citrix ICA Client (provided by us) must be installed
on every workstation that will access the Appraise program
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Are there any special installation requirements?
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Yes. Appraise can be downloaded from our website or you can request
an installation disk.
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How does the user obtain the new release?
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Appraise can be downloaded from our website or you can request
an installation disk.
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What special permissions are required to enable full functionality?
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The user should have full rights to the Appraise directory, and
read & execute on the Citrix folder.
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How do I obtain a password?
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If you already have an account with us contact Technical Support.
If you wish to open an account click here
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How many users can access your system simultaneously?
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More than one user can work on the same account. Appraise.Asp users
cannot work simultaneously with the same logon account.
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Is training available?
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Yes. Training is available by phone or through our interactive
webinars.
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How does a user manually add price information for assets your system does not price?
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A user can manually price an item by entering a ‘dummy’ CUSIP®
starting with “99”, and then select edit selected security. Click on price manually.
Select security type, and then enter your pricing information. There is no charge
for Cusips starting with “99”.
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Do you support imports of CUSIP® and share information into your system, or must
this information be entered manually?
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You can import Cusips and shares by using our Universal Import
utility.
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What output formats do you offer? Can data be exported into other formats to allow
further sorting or manipulation?
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You can export an Appraise report to a Word document or Excel spreadsheet.
Portfolios can also be imported into 706 software including OTEA, FASTER, Lackner,
and BNA.
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Who provides your pricing data?
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Interactive Data Corporation provides pricing. The same provider
the IRS uses.
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What does "Cannot connect to the citrx server" mean?
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You should check to be sure your firewall is open to port 1494
for inbound/outbound traffic.
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After installation of Appraise I receive the message "Missing Communications Program",
why?
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This message indicates that the Citrix Ica Client has not been
installed. On the installation disk open the Ica Client folder and run the setup
or download Appraise.Windows, and then run the setup.
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What do you need from a client in order to process a valuation?
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We need to know 4 basic pieces of information:
- The date for valuation (the date of death or alternate date).
- The number of shares.
- The identity of the security. If CUSIP® numbers are available, they can speed up
the process. If you are unable to obtain the CUSIP® , we research this information
and provide it to you as part of our service.
- Return delivery information, (i.e. mail, fax or e-mail).
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How long does it take to process my order?
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Once we have received your request, it generally takes four business
days to process your report. We then return your completed report to you via mail,
fax, or e-mail, according to your instructions. Please remember to calculate return
delivery times in addition to our processing time before sending an order. Our office
is located in northern New Jersey. If you need a report sooner, you can use the
next business day option listed on the order request form and/or request the report
to be faxed or e-mail back.
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Can I place my order over the telephone?
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Due to the nature of this reports, we request that all orders,
regardless of size, be submitted via mail, fax, or e-mail. This avoids miscommunications
and helps us to ensure the accuracy our clients have come to expect.
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Can I just send you a copy of the brokerage statement?
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Certaintly. Make sure the statements are clear and clean copies.
If there is anything on the statement that does not need to be valued, please cross
it off. Otherwise, it will be included in the valuation.
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What do I need to do to set up an account with you?
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The first order request you send will create your account. There
is no contract or ongoing obligation with our mail, fax or e-mail services. We do
not require pre-payment. Bills are sent monthly and are payable net 30 days.
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My client has several Brokerage accounts that I'd like to value separately. Is this
possible?
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Yes. Let us know in advance and we'll be happy to do it for you
at no additional charge. If you do not give us instructions, we will automatically
combine everything into one report.
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Is there anything APPRAISE doesn't price?
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We price a lot of things. Appraise uses a database containing 4.5
million securities. But... there are a few things we don't price. We do not price
personal Certificates of Deposit, Life Insurance policies, puts/calls/options or
annuities. We also do not value privately held businesses.
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How long do you keep my reports on file?
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Reports are saved for 10 months.
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How do I set up an account with you?
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In several ways depending on the service you need. For Appraise.Windows
and Appraise.ASP you can submit a form here or call us at (888) ESI-4706. For Appraise.E-mail/Fax
service the first order request you send will create your account.
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What are your licensing requirements?
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There are none. However an annual maintenance fee is applicable
for Appraise.Windows and Appraise.ASP.
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Can more than one user work on the same account?
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Yes. More than one user can work on your account.
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What are the fees for valuation of securities?
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To learn about Appraise.Windows and Appraise.ASP fees
click here. For Appraise.E-mail/Fax fees click
here.
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How is billing handled?
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Bills are sent monthly and are payable net 30 days.
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Can multiple accounts be billed to a central account?
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Yes. You can combine multiple accounts for billing purposes if
you want to.
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Why should a Trust and Estate professional not use BigCharts.com or Yahoo.com?
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There are several reasons:
- The Historical Quotes section of BigCharts.com explicitly states:
4.0 Ownership of Information; Downloading of Materials; Retransmission and Redistribution
of Data.
The Website is made available solely as a convenience to you for general informational
purposes for your internal, non-commercial use, subject at all times to these Terms
and Conditions. Unless otherwise noted, all right, title and interest in the Website,
and information made available in the Website ("Information"), in all languages,
formats and media throughout the world, including all copyrights and trademarks
therein, are and shall continue to be the exclusive property of FT Interactive Data,
its parent corporation, subsidiary corporations, affiliates, licensors, or third
party data providers ("Data Providers"), or used under principles of "fair use."
These Terms and Conditions are subject to any requirements of the Data Providers
under FT Interactive Data's agreements with such Data Providers. Certain materials
may be made available for download from the Website. Subject to these Terms and
Conditions, FT Interactive Data grants you permission to download and copy such
materials solely for your internal, non-commercial use; provided that all copyright
notices appearing on the originals are duplicated on all copies thereof; and provided
further, that you do not modify the materials in any way. Without limiting any other
right or remedy available to FT Interactive Data, at law or in equity, the permission
herein granted will automatically terminate in the event you breach the terms of
this paragraph and, in such event you must destroy immediately all downloaded materials
in your possession, custody or control.
EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PERMITTED BY THE PRECEDING
PARAGRAPH, YOU AGREE NOT TO REPRODUCE, RETRANSMIT, DISSEMINATE, SELL, DISTRIBUTE,
PUBLISH, BROADCAST, CIRCULATE OR PROVIDE, THE INFORMATION OR SERVICES IN ANY MANNER
OR FOR ANY PURPOSES (PERSONAL OR BUSINESS) WITHOUT THE PRIOR EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT
OF FT Interactive Data AND/OR THE RELEVANT DATA PROVIDER(S).
- The Historical Quotes section of Yahoo.com explicitly states: By accessing the Yahoo!
site, you agree not to redistribute the information found therein. Yahoo Finance
explicitly states in its Historical Finance section:
All information provided as is for informational purposes only, not intended for
trading purposes or advice. Neither Yahoo! nor any independent providers is liable
for any informational errors, incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken
reliance on information contained herein.
In fact, the Yahoo site also says, this website may contain inadvertent factual
inaccuracies and typographical errors (and ) expressly disclaims all liability for
the use or interpretation contained.
In addition, using the Yahoo site may be an illegal means to research security prices.
The Yahoo disclaimer also states: By accessing the Yahoo! site, you agree not to
redistribute the information found therein.
By breaching these policies, an individual/institution can put itself in a very
precarious situation by abdicating their fiduciary responsibilities and possibly
violating copyright laws.
- Both sites only price equities and mutual funds. They do not value international
securities, bonds, or fixed income instruments. Nor do they generate the dividend
or accrual calculations, mean pricing, and inverse weighting required to complete
an estate/gift tax return. It is an incomplete tool for a trust and estate professional.
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What asset types can be priced by your system?
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Appraise offers a broad range of global securities and related
financial data from all major markets and exchanges. Equities, CMO’s, UIT’s, corporate
bonds, municipal bonds, government bonds. See our
Coverage Universe.
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What asset types cannot be priced by your system?
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We are unable to price options, puts, calls, and money markets,
cash accounts, and privately held businesses.
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How are corporate actions handled?
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We have products to help you with this. Ask us about APPRAISE Plus.
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How are sales handled?
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Transactions that occur between the date of death and alternate
portfolio can be inputted by the user from within the alternate portfolio. Highlight
the selected CUSIP® then click Sales, Mergers, etc. Click on Add transaction. Select
the transaction type and enter your pricing information.
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How are stock dividends and stock splits reflected?
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Stock dividends and stock splits are included automatically.
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How are treasury bills and paydowns held on alternate valuation date handled?
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According to IRS Regulations Treasury
or savings bonds will not show a different valuation on alternate date reports.
This is because the increased value is due only to the passage of time, rather than
a trade.
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How do you calculate principal payments made between date of death and alternate
date on paydown securities?
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Principal payments made between the date of death and alternate
dates are itemized and the paydown factor from the date of death is applied to the
alternate report.
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Do you calculate accruals on all mutual funds?
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Yes. Accruals are included in the price.
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Do you calculate accrual through date of death?
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Yes. Accruals are calculated up to and including the date of death.
To check what setting your set to, go to the system setup, methodology tab and be
sure the accrual method is set to 2.
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Do you include carryover accrual on UITs as part of your accrued income?
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Yes.
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Why should a Trust and Estate professional not use Finance.Yahoo.com?
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A Trust and Estate professional should not use Finance.yahoo.com
because by accessing the Yahoo! site, a user agrees not to redistribute the information
found therein.
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How far back in history is pricing data available?
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We value stocks beginning in 1968 forward. Municipal Bonds are
available from a rolling five-year basis. See
Coverage Universe.
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Appraise's Securities Coverage
Appraise offers a broad range of global securities and related financial data from
all major markets and exchanges. Evaluation Services collects, edits, maintains
and delivers global data on more than 4 million securities, as well as evaluations
for more than 3.6 million municipal bonds.
In addition, Evaluation Services maintains proprietary data for numerous other issues.
Our complete coverage is as follows:
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Security
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Starting
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Major Exchanges (NYSE, AMEX, NASDAQ, NYBE, Regionals)
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1969
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Unlisted Corporate Bonds
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1975
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Medium Term Notes
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1987
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High Yield (Junk) Bonds
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1985
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U.S. Government and Agency Obligations
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1972
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Stripped Coupon Bonds
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1987
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Municipal Bonds
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Past 5 years
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International Stocks and Bonds
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1975
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UIT - Unit Investment Trust
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1986
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GNMA, FNMA & FHLMC
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1975
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ADR -American Depository Receipts
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1992
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Series E, EE, and H Savings Bonds
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1970
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