Funeral Director Daily

Can the 4-day work week succeed in funeral service

By Funeral Director Daily / March 13, 2023 /

    If you own, operate, or manage a Death Care business you have massaged your business through the pandemic, supply chain breakdowns, inflated related cost issues, and more in the past two to three years.  Are you ready for what many people are advocating in the near future — the “4-Day Work Week”?  …

Are Death Care investors looking for growth or earnings stability?

By Funeral Director Daily / March 10, 2023 /

    I think the title of this article poses an interesting question.  And, I also believe it is one that is not easily answered.  I’m writing this article on Monday, March 6, so that is the data that I will use.   I was spurred to write the article when I saw in this…

Influencers and events leading to modern Death Care

By Funeral Director Daily / March 9, 2023 /

    Last week we wrote of the death of Robert L. Waltrip, founder of funeral and cemetery business Service Corporation International (SCI).   In the article I wrote that Waltrip was arguably the biggest influence on the direction of the Death Care in the United States during the last half of the 20th century.  …

InvoCare receives over US$ 1 billion dollar buy-out offer

By Funeral Director Daily / March 8, 2023 /

    Yesterday it hit the United States business markets that InvoCare, Australia’s largest death care provider was offered AUS$ 1.81 billion in a non-binding take-over offer.  According to this article on the subject from Reuters, that would equate to an offer in the amount of US$ 1.22 billion.   The offer has came from…

Should you have a surcharge for weekend work?

By Funeral Director Daily / March 7, 2023 /

    If funeral homes are going to continue to serve their communities with full service, they have to be profitable.  Many funeral homes have seen margins erode as families choose less service and other death care competitors move into their service areas.   Our friends at “2 Guys and a Question” podcast ponder that…

Park Lawn year-end sees mixed results

By Funeral Director Daily / March 7, 2023 /

      Park Lawn Corporation (PLC) released their 2022 4th Quarter and 2022 Year-End reports last week.  In doing so they announced that their Revenue numbers for both the quarter and the year increased while their Net Earnings decreased in comparison to the 2021 4th Quarter and 2021 Year-End.  You can see the press…

You can design your own casket

By Funeral Director Daily / March 6, 2023 /

      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 well-known broadcasters started talking about death care and then started talking about what their wishes would be for their own…

In Memoriam: Robert Waltrip, SCI founder — Services today

By Funeral Director Daily / March 3, 2023 /

        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 is scheduled in the Reflection Garden of Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston, Texas.   You can access an obituary powered…

Bucking the trend

By Funeral Director Daily / March 2, 2023 /

    “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 and is now simply a part of his lore.   The same thing may be said for cemeteries.  The demise…

Will rural funeral directors be able to replenish themselves

By Funeral Director Daily / March 1, 2023 /

    Funeral director Collin Bourgeois made this comment in this article from CBC, “I certainly tried to retire.  It lasted three weeks.”   Bourgeois is a funeral director and owner of and operator of a funeral business with three locations in northeastern Ontario.  After 45 years in the business he’s staying on the job…