Posts

The latest from the South Pacific on the InvoCare/TPG Global situation

By Funeral Director Daily / July 21, 2023 /

      As to the possible takeover of Australia’s largest death care provider, InvoCare, by United States private equity company TPG Global, The Australian Financial Review reported this on Thursday, July 20, 2023:   “After a bit of back and forth, InvoCare and TPG signed an agreement on May 15 at a $13 per…

Leadership: You need to “Stand Out” but still “Fit In”

By Funeral Director Daily / July 21, 2023 /

      It’s estimated that about 85% of North America’s funeral businesses are still family owned.  However, that number seems to be headed downward as the large national and regional consolidators seemingly accelerate their purchases of these family funeral homes when they come to market.   I think that increased rate of consolidation is…

Confessions of a retired funeral director

By Funeral Director Daily / July 20, 2023 /

      I had an incident in church on Sunday that both the party I was involved with and myself laughed about at the time.  However, when I returned home I thought about the situation and wondered to myself, “Is it just me in this stage of life or is humanity, in general, losing…

What’s fueling Matthews International’s growth

By Funeral Director Daily / July 19, 2023 /

        Most of us in the Death Care business recognize Matthews International as a trusted supplier in the monument, cemetery, cremation, and casket business.  However, this recent article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette gives us some insight into what has been fueling the company’s rise in stock price and potential future growth prospects.…

What keeps ’em coming back. . .do you have the data?

By Funeral Director Daily / July 18, 2023 /

    The funeral home business is well known for its retention of retaining families served over the generations of deaths.  Most of us call this “Heritage” business and any great funeral home will find a way to keep the families they have served happy so they don’t look any where else the next time…

Tomorrow night is Peer Support Night

By Funeral Director Daily / July 17, 2023 /

      One of Funeral Director Daily’s sponsors, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), will again be helping to host the Peer Support Network online meeting tomorrow night, July 18, at 8 pm Eastern, 7 pm Central time.   Here’s what CANA says about this month’s meeting in a recent press release on…

It’s legal to sell body parts. . . .Congress introduces “Body Broker” bill to give some respect to the process

By Funeral Director Daily / July 17, 2023 /

    The following quote came out of a National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) e-mail on June 26, 2023, that announced the introduction of the “Consensual Donation and Research Integrity Act” bill into Congress, “In almost every state, it is legal for anyone, even if they do not have training, to sell the human remains…

Can Artificial Intelligence prevent suicide?

By Funeral Director Daily / July 14, 2023 /

      If you have been a funeral director for any length of time the odds are that you have served a family of a suicide death at some point.  I served several over my years as a funeral director and those times were very difficult and stressful for me.  And, I had somewhat…

Another argument for Preneed. . . .

By Funeral Director Daily / July 13, 2023 /

      Americans are taking a loan, early withdrawal, or hardship withdrawal from their retirement plans at record rates according to this article from Yahoo Finance.  And, one of the top reasons why, according to the survey, is to pay for a funeral.   According to the survey released by by the non-profit Transamerica…

Is Private Equity really paying 14 x for InvoCare?

By Funeral Director Daily / July 12, 2023 /

      This article from the Australian Financial Review states that, even as the due diligence period is being extended for giant private equity firm TPG Global in their pursuit of Australia’s largest Death Care company, InvoCare, it is purported that TPG’s offer is more than 14 times the forward forecast EBITDA for InvoCare.…