I came across this recent article from USA Today titled “Americans are going into debt over death.  Here are affordability tips.”  Reading that article led me to a survey and results from Debt.com and another article, that you can access here, titled “The Financial Toll of Grief: More than 1 in 3 Americans took on debt after a loved one’s death.” 

 

The Debt.com survey, which was done in October, pointed out that in 2025, 37% of those surveyed had taken on debt after the death of a loved one.  That compared to only a 14% rate from one year earlier.  The survey also suggested that 57% of Americans say “they couldn’t cover a loved one’s funeral today without going into debt.”

 

Debt.com’s Chairman, Howard Dvorkin, made this comment about those results in the USA Today article, “This one was a little shocking and it kind of makes sense.”  The article then mentioned that “Inflation has lifted consumer prices by at least 24% since early 2020 seeding recent talk of a national affordability crisis.”  

 

The USA Today article also pointed out that those in the Generation X cohort of ages (born between 1965 and 1980) that fall between 45 and 60 have taken on more funeral debt than any other generational cohort.   43% of Gen Xer’s say that they have taken on debt to pay for funerals.

 

 

Funeral Director Daily take :  I suggest that you read the linked articles — the survey article has some very good graphics.  I found both articles to be good, honest, and because they were written  from a perspective that is not one of a Death Care professional they might contain opinions that we agree with, but are not always taken seriously because we are the pre-planning advocates.  For instance. . . here were a couple of comments:

 

• “When there is no funeral plan, survivors scramble”
• “Most people don’t have the family conversation (about death)”
• “Having that conversation is probably the most important thing”

 

While I’m no longer on the front lines of funeral service, I remember what it was like sitting with families who had just experienced a loved one’s death and did not have the resources, or credit ability, to fund the memorial experience that they would like to have.  It’s never an easy experience for the family members or the funeral director making the arrangements.

 

And, I’ve worried lately about the apparent “K-shaped” economy and those it may be leaving behind in my own community.  With compounding inflation over the past couple of years and wage growth in many sectors of our economy not keeping up with that inflation, this affordability issue was bound to happen.

 

You can’t blame funeral homes and memorialization providers for raising their prices because inflation has caused virtually all of their expenses to go up.  For instance, Angie and I have lived in our home for 34 years and never had an insurance claim. . . however, only a few days ago I received an annual homeowner’s insurance premium renewal that is up 28.2% over last year’s premium.

 

I’m not so sure that the increases are over yet for me, for you, and for Death Care and other businesses. . . . . From my point of view, health insurance premiums are just one item that I see going up.  Think of this perspective — Social Security has announced a 2.8% cost-of-living increase for its recipients for 2026, but the basic Medicare premium for those recipient’s has been announced as a 10.8% increase in premium.

 

And, for funeral homes and other businesses. . . .if your health care costs are going up, then so is your cost of doing business and those costs will more than likely be passed on to client families — making affordability of funeral and cremation services move up for them.

 

In my opinion, the best thing that could happen for business, and the American consumer at this time, is for the inflationary cycle to settle down a little bit.

 

Related — You might be able to help families find hidden resources by using the no-cost Sunset App.  Here’s what one reader told me recently when he tried using the app, “I was on the Sunset Software App yesterday and was reminded that you introduced (me to it).  I think this is the BEST app I’ve seen so far for the ‘Estate Settlement’ side of the business.  Super Clean and so easy to navigate.” 

Here’s a link to what Sunset App can do.

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Point Park’s Funeral Services Program renews focus on emotional support for grieving families.  WESA – NPR (PA)
• Cremstar becomes the first to offer 100% green aquamation statewide in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.  EIN Newswire – Indianapolis Fox 59 (IN)
• Mortuary workers exposed to “dangerously high” formalin levels.  The Independent (Great Britain)
• Woman, 81, spent thousands on “predatory” funeral insurance says, family.  1 News (new Zealand)
• Sustainable alternative to cremation.  Alkaline hydrolysis Bill being introduced into Scottish parliament.  Scottish Government (Scotland)

 

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