For those of us in the appraisal profession, ethics is at the cornerstone of what we do. Clients look to us to provide impartial information about their collector and classic automobiles. Customers, insurance and financial communities depend on appraisers to complete an appraisal report with the highest degree of accuracy and ethical standards.

Most ethical lapses are so small as to seem insignificant. However, they add up over time, and can snowball into a serious situation. Poor ethical standards are most damaging in the long-term.

Why has such an important topic as business ethics gone unnoticed, even actively ignored? The biggest reason is that ethics have recently become muddled up with moral or political questions.

As political and moral concerns have taken center stage, ethical concerns have been forgotten. Ethics has very little to do with political beliefs, or public opinion. Ethical behavior is a very personal matter, which requires that a person be honest and truthful in all business dealings.