Mary Kay Buysse, Executive Director of the National Association of Specialty & Senior Move Managers ® (NASMM), describes herself as a "fan girl" of Artifcts and with good reason. Technology is awesome when it's awesome, and the rest of the time it gets in our way, causes costly delays and errors, and spoils relationships. 

Our founders joined the Hello! interview series from NASMM for a deep-dive into Artifcts, a powerful digital instrument move managers will want to have front and center in their move management toolboxes. We offered a behind the scenes look into how Artifcts came to be as well as how move clients and their families benefit from Artifcts.

"Artifcts really has no direct competitor. What Artifcts is doing is unique because it's solving a problem we all have when we have to both deal with our stuff and want to preserve our stories and memories. And it's so easy and fun. It's remarkable!" said Mary Kay.

It was an engaging discussion, and we hope an informative one for all of you who are move managers or are in the position to hire someone to help with your next move. Artifcting can help you prepare, ease the emotional nature of the actual pack out day(s), and bring you joy for years to come. Listen in!

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Last week was the first annual LongeviTech conference, led by the vision and mission-driven focus of Dr. Ira Sobel, the founder and Academic Director of Fintech for Longevity Academy.

LongeviTech-TLV 2023 united people from across the globe to create a unique space for open discussions and collaboration on the critical social, financial, health, and other lenses of longevity. If we are living longer and longer, how do we ensure the financial resilience, community support, and more to live quality, healthy lives by our own personal definitions?

Artifcts was honored to be invited to the stage in Tel Aviv alongside Laura Minquini, AthenaDAO; Ariel Yosefi, Herzog Fox & Neeman; Ron Gura, Empathy; and Polina Marenkova, Wallife. Our panel discussed the role of technology in longevity to preserve our legacies and both pre-plan and manage end of life with lesser emotional, legal, and financial toll than is the status quo.

"Artifcts is building something revolutionary, uniting in a single technology the power to unlock the stories and the financial value within the objects we all collect," said Dr. Sobel. "The platform promises a simple and powerful process, and I look forward to seeing how it will reshape aspects of insurance, estate planning, and story-sharing."

Over the next year, the conference participants will use the new relationships and momentum from last week's conference to forge new product crossovers, support intersecting research, capture the imagination of venture capital in longevity, and more. Stay tuned! This this only the beginning.

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

If you've been following along here at Artifcts, you know that Artifcting to support downsizing and decluttering as well as building those intergenerational bonds are very much a part of our ethos. So you can imagine how at home the founders of Artifcts found themselves when chatting recently with Marty Stevens-Heebner on her podcast How to Move Your Mom™ (and still be on speaking terms afterward). Stevens-Heebner's podcast features top experts as well as older adults and family members who’ve lived through it all in the search for answers to the questions most people don’t know to ask and explore the possibilities, complexities, and potential of later life.

Our discussion was wide ranging! Here are a few themes that guided our discussion:

• Where you can preserve and share the history behind your personal treasures for generations to come
• Why documenting your most important possessions with younger family members can bridge the generational gap and create closer relationships
• The surprising crossover between Artifcts and insurance. Make sure you have the proper coverage. File claims faster and easier.
• How sharing these memories makes it much easier to let items go when you’re downsizing.

Catch the preview here or jump in and enjoy the full podcast now by clicking the image below! 

And if you get curious as you listen, here are two of the Artifcts we mentioned in the discussion:

• Asolo Hiking Boots, from @Heather
• Mystery Ring From My Grandfather, from @Egoody

In the words of Stevens-Heebner, "What objects are traveling through your history with you?" We'd love to share your story at Artifcts. Contact Editor@Artifcts.com.

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

“If you want an engaging conversation, ask people about the ‘stuff’ in their homes!” said Steve Gurney, Founder and Director of The Positive Aging Community, after a delightful and high energy conversation with the founders of Artifcts yesterday. 

The Positive Aging Community seeks to foster the connections to the right solutions and the connections to help make aging choices easier and more accessible for all. Within that framework, Artifcts has created a brand new domain for ‘stuff,' so that all the objects we collect and accumulate as we live our lives are transformed from a burden on future generations – and even as we move and downsize today—to the source of personal connection, story and legacy, and financial security.

“It’s not enough to capture memories with journals and interviews and ignore all the ‘stuff,’ and today we learned that The Positive Aging Community agrees,” said Artifcts co-founder Heather Nickerson.  “There’s a lot of frustration and exhaustion out there because of the burden stuff has become to store, sort through, and find future homes for. If we can alleviate that burden and capture the meaning, memories, histories behind our belongings as well, we’ve made the world better.”

The entire discussion with The Positive Aging Community is available on instant replay here. The discussion ranged far and wide. A few themes we touched on included:

• The simplicity of creating Artifcts – As Steve said, if you can join a Zoom call, you can create an Artifct. 
• No need to be a storyteller or have that kind of time in order to create Artifcts. Just write five words, e.g. “My mother gave me it.”
• Collaborating through Artifcts' invite-only circles and shared editing privileges to capture stories you do not personally know at all or only in light detail
• How to Artifct large photo, document, and other collections
• Making Artifcts more accessible to those who are less comfortable on computers and smart phones through Artifcting with a child or grandchild
• Finding the right solution for your needs and making sure you know how you can download your digital assets and assign legacy contacts so your digital assets are not lost in cyberspace in the event you or a loved one passes away.

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© 2023 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artifcts is pleased to announce its expansion into the memory care community, where the joys of our daily lives represented by the objects we keep can empower everyone to capture their story. Artifcts' collaboration with Virginia-based Insight Memory Care Center (IMCC) will help to bring the power of story-sharing to the IMCC community.

"Insight Memory Care Center is excited to collaborate with Artifcts to bring their innovative, engaging and meaningful service to IMCC families with early stage dementia," said Lindsey Vajpeyi, Early State Programs Director. "IMCC values care, connection, and creativity, and Artifcts is a platform that strives for the same. Artifcting provides an opportunity to spend quality time with friends, family, and care partners to remember, document and share stories in a safe and supportive environment."

Artifcts does away with the need for story prompts and tedious inventories of a life lived. Instead those tangible mementos, photos, and videos you keep provide the source of inspiration. Artifcting is an easy and fun way to remember the moments of life behind those objects and preserve your personal history and legacy. Keep your Artifcts collection private or share it to connect with your community and your loved ones – you decide!

IMCC cares for a diversity of memory impairments and offers a variety of innovative programs to support individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. IMCC also provides support, education, programming and resources to families, caregivers, and the community. By offering person-centered and holistic care, IMCC creates opportunity and a community for those affected by memory impairments to live their highest quality of life.

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DEMENTIA RESOURCES

During the course of our work at Artifcts, we've come across a pleathora of resources related to those affected by dementia. Starting local is imperative to social connection and availability with the every expanding digital universe, so many more options are now at our fingertips. Many you likely know, including the Alzheimer's Association, UsAgainstAlzheimer's, and AARP. There are two additional resources that have learned about more recently that we wanted to flag for those just starting this journey or on the lookout for new resources:

• • Alzheimer's Speaks. Artifcts recently joined their free directory called the Dementia Map. We encourage you to explore the map to find the right resources for you and your loved ones.
  • Great Age Reboot. One of the standout features is that the Reboot Your Age app includes research-supported programming, including the quintessential "games" associated with brain health. Artifcts has no affiliation with this company.

© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artifcts is thrilled to be an invited sponsor and speaker at The What’s Next Longevity Innovation Summit in Washington, DC. The Summit convenes leaders who are innovating within the AgeTech space to help adults live longer, better lives. Heather Nickerson, Co-founder and CEO of Artifcts, will serve as the moderator of a panel titled, "The Power of Story and Legacy," which will delve into the meaningful, functional, and clinical perspectives on storytelling within the storyline of longevity. 

“We are honored to be recognized as a thought leader in the AgeTech space, and we look forward to making new connections at the Summit to help us as we continue to grow and scale,” said Nickerson. Artifcts is the only holistic SAAS platform designed to tackle the world of ‘stuff,’ allowing individuals and families to tell their story, preserve their history, and build their legacy, one object at a time.

“The passion and strategy the founders of Artifcts bring to this critical area of human connection and legacy leaves you in awe and inspires you to think about the world around you differently,” said Mary Furlong. “We at MFA look forward to watching them become a dominant player in the market.”

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

AgeWise Colorado is a non-profit created with older adults, their loved ones, and current and future caregivers in mind, helping them to find the products and services to help older adults stay in their homes and Age Well ... Age Wisely. "AgeWise Colorado is exactly what we need more of in this world. Essential to life-fulfilling services, vetted, and in one place to benefit the local community. We're honored to be a small part of their work." said Artifcts Co-founder Ellen Goodwin.

Artifcts is an agile provider that not only cherishes the value of our personal memories and histories but wants to ensure that's what we carry with us in life, and not the burden of 'stuff.' Artifcts is a fun and powerful website and app that helps you connect the dots of a memory to create a personal collection that you can privately or publicly share. Combine a photo with audio or video to share Mom's story about her and your Dad's first home, remember the details behind all those medals, flags, and uniforms of Dad's service in the Korean war, capture that family recipe for all time, with a video tip from Grandma on that key step.

"We saw in Artifcts a platform that puts people first. Whether in-home care providers spend time Artifcting with your loved one, or together you use Artifcts for estate and end-of-life planning, it's the experience that keeps on giving. It's time well spent. You can enjoy those memories together now and simplify what can be a difficult process at end of life, too," said Bob Brocker, Founder and Board President of AgeWise Colorado.

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artifcts was honored to be invited by Nancy Griffin, of the Glowing Older podcast, to chat about the purpose and realities of starting a consumer tech company that can support more meaningful and connected living. Co-founder and Chief Solutions Officer Ellen Goodwin spoke with Griffin about creating Artifcts to preserve history while protecting privacy, and how the founders strive to grow Artifcts into a household name for all generations.

Key Takeaways, according to Glowing Older:

• Artifcts will be adopting biometric options because they found members have difficulty remembering their passwords, so they write them down. (Please don't do that!)
• To be a trusted site for privacy and security, there is a padlock on sensitive information so certain fields are impossible to share in error. Read more about privacy and security at Artifcts >
• Artifcts’ diversity of functionality appealed to AARP Innovation Labs. Members can create stories with text, photos, audio, and video and then connect with others.

Listen to the podcast on Glowing Older now by clicking on the image below!

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ABOUT GLOWING OLDER

Hospitality and wellness expert Nancy Griffin interviews a diverse cohort of entrepreneurs, authors, corporate executives, experience providers, and agetech developers, all around the theme of senior living and aging well. Learn more >

© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Dear Reader,

We’re celebrating Artifct’s first birthday tomorrow! 

We often joked at the beginning that building a company was a lot like raising a child—it takes a village, with all kinds of people, supporters, and even village elders to guide us along the way. The first year proved this out—we built a highly functional, fun, and powerful platform with the help of our diverse and talented village. It was everything and nothing that we expected.  

Launching during a pandemic comes with inherent uncertainties. We had hoped for many more opportunities to interact in-person with our Artifcts community—from Arti Live events to pop ups around the country—that we could not in good conscience pursue. At the same time, we were able to build our company to thrive from a virtual-only standpoint that is not only pandemic proof but recession proof. We focused on local roots and communities to bring them what they needed most—human connection. No risky events or travel required.  

Of the many highs was our participation in the AARP Innovation Labs accelerator program and the partnerships that came out of our local communities and networks. We have a thriving partnership network to ensure all of life's moments and ‘stuff’ are addressed from digitization and preservation to videographies and genealogy research and storytelling. Through our partnership with Unwrapit, we’re even enabling companies to gift sustainably and meaningfully. We also recently announced our “What’s it worth?” feature supported by Heritage Auctions to help our members preserve and share the value behind their stuff. (Have you tried it yet?)  

Our strategic advisory board has been game changing as well, helping as we grow and expand our reach to new markets. We have vast expertise behind us to keep us on the frontline of technology, online community, estate and financial management, and stuff! If you missed our announcement introducing our newest advisory board member Matt Paxton, you can view it here. 

And of course, Artifcts itself is the ultimate representation of how far we’ve come in only one year. We’ve delivered key new features such as audio and video, file sharing from alternative storage sites, building networks, and so much more. All these features are custom designed in our patent-pending platform where privacy and security come first.  

We continue to enable our community to make the choices that are right for them, just as we are redefining Artifcts to be what is valuable to you. We’re calling it Human Media 1.0 and we invite you to join us as we joyfully kick off year two of Artifcts. 

Happy Artifcting,

Heather

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artifcts welcomes Matt Paxton to its strategic advisory board. Established in March, the board provides diverse expertise and decades of experience across technology, estate planning, community building, marketing, strategic growth, and now ‘stuff.’ Matt Paxton started his career with his own downsizing and moving business before gaining national celebrity through appearances on the TV show Hoarders and more recently paving a new path with the PBS series Legacy List with Matt Paxton.

“Matt approaches stuff by looking at the humanity, the history, behind the objects and people’s attachments to them. He doesn’t demand a painful dive into a one-size fits all minimalism. We’re kindred spirits here at Artifcts,” said Artifcts co-founder Heather Nickerson. “Matt’s empathy and energy are great match for the passion behind Artifcts. Everyone needs a history and Matt respects that. He sees first-hand daily the need for Artifcts,” chimed in Artifcts co-founder Ellen Goodwin.

Look for the co-founders of Artifcts and Matt to be out and about through special virtual engagements and live appearances this fall. The trio will continue to Artifct-by-example and release tips to help you join in to redefine artifacts one recipe, heirloom, and travel trinket at a time. Heather reminds everyone, “Remember, when in doubt, just pause, look around, and snap a picture of the first object you see with a story or memory to capture. Artifcting is for all of us.”

The full Artifcts strategic advisory board includes:

• Matt Paxton, Downsizing, Cleaning, and Organizing
• Georgia Mavrookas, HR & Marketing, Ex-Bumble
• Richard E. Miller (Dutch), Wealth Advisor and Relationship Manager, Glenmede
• Aravinda Gollapudi, Technology Executive, Sage

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Artifcts Team proudly welcomes Georgia Mavrookas to its strategic advisory board. Established in March 2022, the Board contributes incredible depth, hands-on experience, and leadership as Artifcts reaches towards and beyond its first anniversary in late August.

Georgia's experience across regulated industry, HR and strategic alignment, and development and growth of digital communities will shore up the growth strategies of Artifcts. Georgia knows community building, communities that are safe and inspiring and that transcend companies and the services they offer. She most recently served as Global Head of Talent Development at Bumble and previously led Bumble's community marketing and ambassadors program.

"We are delighted—maybe that's an understatement ... thrilled, even!—Georgia has joined to contribute to this next phase of Artifcts as we continue building a unique, fun, and open space for personal and world history to meet through the objects of our lives," said Artifcts Co-founder and CSO Ellen Goodwin. "Our board is a beautiful balance of outstanding professionals with big hearts, deep expertise, and a love for Artifcts' mission." 

The Artifcts Strategic Advisory Board now includes:

• Georgia Mavrookas, HR & Marketing, Ex-Bumble

• Richard E. Miller (Dutch), Wealth Advisor and Relationship Manager, Glenmede

• Aravinda Gollapudi, Technology Executive, Sage

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Artifcts was invited by Mary Furlong and Fred Fishkin to join their podcast, "What’s Next… Living Longer Better Smarter: People, Places & Things (episode 28)."

Heather Nickerson, co-founder and CEO of Artifcts, led off the discussion sharing insights into how Artifcts has brought to market a friendly, fun, and powerful tool to unite stories and stuff so that our stories can live on, whether or not we hang onto the stuff!

Episode 28 was full of surprises, featuring not only Artifcts, but basketball great Rick Barry, Ancestry.com, and Vitalcy, "Your pro-age guide to living."

You can replay the podcast below or visit Mary Furlong's website to view this and other episodes. 

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© 2022 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.