Funeral Director Daily

Death Care Index up 24% Year-to-date. . . on par with other indices

By Funeral Director Daily / December 2, 2024 /

    Today is December 2 and we are into the last month of 2024.  If you are involved in investments — and virtually everybody in this day and age of 401k’s, IRA’s, 529 Plans, and the like is – you have to admit it’s been a pretty good year.  And finally, it has even…

Try a little kindness. . . and compassion

By Funeral Director Daily / November 29, 2024 /

    It’s funny how when you get older and more mature that certain situations and happenings bring back a forgotten remembrance to you.  Today’s article is the result of one of those memories.   It’s the day after Thanksgiving and, because of that timing, I’m guessing that not too many will open and read…

The Thanksgiving Proclamation – 1863

By Funeral Director Daily / November 28, 2024 /

    Editor’s Note:  It was in the middle of America’s Civil War, the year 1863, that President Abraham Lincoln decided that Americans should give “Thanks” for the blessings bestowed upon them. . . Even during this dire time when citizens where fighting against fellow citizens. . . and brothers against brothers.   It was…

Will your interest rates be “Higher for Longer”?

By Funeral Director Daily / November 27, 2024 /

    You’re a funeral home or cemetery owner/operator and you are in the final stages of planning that 2025 business budget.  If you have loans for livery vehicles or building improvements that are either adjustable or coming due in 2025 what can you reasonably expect for interest rates on those loans going forward?  …

Titan introduces the “Mystery Casket”

By Funeral Director Daily / November 26, 2024 /

    Titan Casket, the business to consumer national casket company has introduced what they term their “Mystery Casket” for sale through Cyber Monday.  According to this release from Business Wire, Titan’s Mystery Casket will be sold to consumers through Cyber Monday for $1,199 — the release notes that is a 60% discount when compared…

Seeking Alpha’s Valkyrie Trading Society opines on Matthews post-earnings release

By Funeral Director Daily / November 25, 2024 /

  It didn’t take long for an investment advisor to get a take on what they think about Matthews International’s 4Q Earnings Report of last week.  The article from Seeking Alpha’s contributer Valkyrie Trading Society is titled, “Matthews International:  Signs of Deleveraging and Margin Improvement”.  You can access the article here.   Here’s a short…

Matthews releases quarter and fiscal year end results, stock price rises

By Funeral Director Daily / November 25, 2024 /

    Matthews International, which provides memorialization products and cremation solutions among its multi-faceted business segments announced their Fiscal 4th Quarter and Fiscal Year End results last Thursday.  Matthews operates on a fiscal year that ends on September 30 of each year.   While the company had some positive attributes for the quarter such as…

The death of Julian Litten. . . and more

By Funeral Director Daily / November 22, 2024 /

  A few days ago I came across this article from  Great Britain’s newspaper, The Telegraph.  The headline was intriguing to a person like me who worked in Death Care, so I continued to read the article.   Turns out that the article was an obituary news article of sorts dealing with the life and…

Matthews announces dividend increase

By Funeral Director Daily / November 21, 2024 /

  Matthews International, parent company of Matthews Aurora Caskets, Matthews Cemetery Products, and Matthews Environmental Solutions (cremation products) announced yesterday that they will be increasing the dividend that they pay on common shares of their stock by $0.01 per quarter.   That will increase the dividend to $0.25 per share per quarter or $1.00 per…

Survey indicates the Top Location in each state for dispersal of cremated remains

By Funeral Director Daily / November 21, 2024 /

    In October Choice Mutual, an end-of-life burial insurance company released the results of a nationwide survey of over 3,000 individuals that, among other things, asked where in their home state would they want their cremated ashes to be dispersed or scattered.   According to one article I read, the impetus for this survey…