Editor’s Note: Today Welton Hong, CEO and founder of RingRing Marketing takes over the pen and gives us some valuable advice on Deathcare marketing. His article begins right here: When was the last time you studied a map, planning out your route for a vacation or a trip to the ICCFA Convention?…
Empathy is a great skill as you go forward in life. It’s one of the characteristics of highly emotionally intelligent people according to this article. One of the things that made me an effective funeral director, at least in my opinion, was the empathy I was able to relate as…
This article that was first published in the Los Angeles Times begins “It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop David G. O’Connell was held Friday morning. And it seemed every one of the 3,000 mourners in attendance had a…
As of Friday, March 17 we scoured our sources for any news on if the takeover of leading Australian death care provider InvoCare by United States based private equity firm TPG Capital was moving forward. It’s hard to say what is happening as it appears to look more and more like a “hostile”…
The last ten days or so most of America, and the rest of the civilized world, has wondered about the safety of the banking industry. As this is being written on Friday, March 17, we’ve already seen American banks Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank closed by regulators and have seen some…
BUSINESS
Mapping Your Customer Journey: A Visual Tool for Deathcare Marketing
Editor’s Note: Today Welton Hong, CEO and founder of RingRing Marketing takes over the pen and gives us some valuable advice on Deathcare marketing. His article begins right here: When was the…
This reminds me of the funerals that I used to see
This article that was first published in the Los Angeles Times begins “It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop…
It’s not just the big guys making acquisitions
As small town funeral home operators we many times look at the acquisitions of the big public companies or the regional consolidators with a little envy about being able to do that ourselves. We…
FINANCE
Banking and Death Care
The last ten days or so most of America, and the rest of the civilized world, has wondered about the safety of the banking industry. As this is being written on Friday, March…
It’s not just the big guys making acquisitions
As small town funeral home operators we many times look at the acquisitions of the big public companies or the regional consolidators with a little envy about being able to do that ourselves. We…
Seeking Alpha opines on SCI, Carriage Services, and Park Lawn Corporation
When it comes to the five remaining public company stocks that make up the Funeral Director Daily Death Care Index (DCI) we have heard from four of them as to their Quarter ending on…
REGULATIONS
This reminds me of the funerals that I used to see
This article that was first published in the Los Angeles Times begins “It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop…
Banking and Death Care
The last ten days or so most of America, and the rest of the civilized world, has wondered about the safety of the banking industry. As this is being written on Friday, March…
What’s with “Excess Deaths”?
This is one of those articles that I will write that probably has no answers. It only brings up questions. That question today is “What’s with Excess Deaths”? When the pandemic hit…
CEMETERY
In Memoriam: Robert Waltrip, SCI founder — Services today
Robert L. Waltrip, age 92, founder of death care company Service Corporation International, died on Monday, February 27, 2023. A Celebration of Life service is scheduled for today (March 2). Interment…
Bucking the trend
“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated” is a popular misquote attributed to author Samuel Clemens, known by his pen name, Mark Twain. However, that quote has stayed with Clemens (Twain) forever…
The interesting ownership of New York’s Pinelawn Cemetery
I live in flyover country so I don’t pretend to be an expert on the customs and traditions of New York’s funeral and cemetery business. However, I’ve been in the death care business my entire…
CREMATION
Cremation — already the “New Tradition”
It’s no secret that as a percentage of dispositions, cremation continues to grow. This article from Forbes entitled “Cremation is gaining popularity as funeral costs rise” gives that indication and their thoughts on why…
More Jewish families opting for cremation
I’ll be the first to tell you that I’m certainly not an expert on the subject of faith preference and burial customs because the community that I served was, I’m guessing, at least 95%…
CANA announces “First-of-its-Kind” credential for Cremation Specialist
The Cremation Association of North America (CANA) has developed an all new program to train cremation specialists. The first class begins in January 2023 and registration begins today. The following is complete information from CANA:…
PRENEED
You can design your own casket
Last week I had a two hour drive and set my radio to a station on Sirius that featured a news talk show. What was highly unusual was that the group of…
Preneed to Millennials. . .Maybe so
Editor’s Note: This article was scheduled for earlier this morning but for some reason was not picked up by our email subscription service. . .Well, better late than never. Sorry for the inconvenience. Here…
When is the right age to establish a preneed account? . . . Maybe on your wedding day
We’ve touched on the subject in this forum before — when is the proper age, as a consumer, to look into getting a preneed funeral/cremation account? I’ve opined that our funeral home used to…
PRODUCTS
This reminds me of the funerals that I used to see
This article that was first published in the Los Angeles Times begins “It was standing-room only in the cavernous Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, where the funeral Mass for Bishop…
Banking and Death Care
The last ten days or so most of America, and the rest of the civilized world, has wondered about the safety of the banking industry. As this is being written on Friday, March…
Care for the Dead. . .Comfort for the Grieving
It’s not every day that you turn to the magazine Popular Mechanics to find an article about the Death Care profession. However, that is exactly where I found this article about “Have trocar…
