I’ ve realized that over my lifetime I’ve had a never-ending compulsion to know what is happening in the world around me.  In my elementary school days our family subscribed to both the morning edition and the afternoon edition of the Minneapolis newspapers.  I can remember reading the sports section — that’s all that mattered to me at the time — of the Morning Tribune before I left for school and as soon as I walked home from school spreading the sports section of the Afternoon Star out on the living room floor to read while I watched cartoons or other shows.

I continue to have that unsatiable appetite for news . . . .and I’ve always had it.  During my working years I got up early to read the morning paper cover to cover before going to work.   Retirement has been great because I now have more time and the internet has been great because I’ve got all kinds of sources never before available to me.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

One of the things that I’ve come to learn is that decisions are best made when you have all the available information to make the decision.  And, news and what is going on around us is important information.  I don’t always get decisions correct, however I believe that I’ve made better decisions, even in the business of the funeral home, over time because I was aware of trends and topics happening in the secular world outside of the business of funerals.  While many people stubbornly believe Death Care work occurs in a bubble, I’m convinced that if you drew Venn diagrams you would actually realize the secular world and your funeral home world overlap.

I also know that owners and managers of funeral homes are very busy and don’t always have the time to search out news that may affect them in some way.  For that reason, I’m going to periodically put out an Afternoon Edition of what I will call “The World Around Us“.  Hopefully, it will be an easily scanned opportunity for Death Care professionals to scan the news and read what interests them. . . .And, I’ll try to show how the news may be pertinent to some of the decisions you might need to make.   Here’s today’s try at it  —  Let me know if you like it:

Funeral Director Daily take — At least in my Midwest area, farm families are some of the best backers of “The Traditional Funeral”.  “Will the lack of soybean sales and resulting poor financial year have an effect on how families in the Midwest spend on necessities, including funerals?”

• U.S. Soybean farmers deserted by big buyer China, search for other importers.  Yahoo Finance

Funeral Director Daily take —  Yahoo Finance Executive Editor Brian Sozzi takes a look at concerns over tariffs and the U.S. Government shutdown.

• Why tariffs should overtake the government shutdown as your biggest concern.  Yahoo Finance

Funeral Director Daily take —  Ford Motor Company has 6,000 dealer service bays without a mechanical technician at this moment in time.  What’s at play here and is there a movement about technical skills vs. college educations?  If so, will that “educational friction” affect the future educational requirements of morticians, funeral directors, embalmers, etc?

• Ford has a huge mechanic shortage.  Here’s how long it will take to get your car fixed.  The Autopian
• Ford CEO’s son opts for mechanic career over college.  Yahoo News

Funeral Director Daily take —  The installation of the new bishop of the Evangelical Church in America (ELCA) last Sunday shows that tradition is rapidly changing in our nation’s religious institutions.  What will this continuing lack of tradition and heritage mean for funeral and cremation providers moving forward?

• Answering the Call.  Living Lutheran

Funeral Director Daily take —  This article just reinforces the thought that “Nothing lasts forever”.  The recent bankruptcy of Publisher’s Clearing House means that many former winners of monthly or annual prizes for life will now have those payments stop.  To me it is a stark reminder that “Nothing lasts forever” and when you make that decision to sell your funeral business   —  make sure that the company that buys you can afford any payments that are set-up over time.  I’m guessing that there are very few things in life that would be more difficult to take than building a business for generations and then selling to a company that could not fulfill its obligations to pay you.  . . . .Remember the Loewen Group???

• Publisher’s Clearing House bankruptcy means “forever” winners will no longer get paid.  CNN
• A Loewen insider’s story:  Bankruptcy, betrayal, and lessons learned.  Ask Jodi blog

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”