Business

Memorial Day 2025 — May God Bless their memories

By Funeral Director Daily / May 26, 2025 /

  I bring you this Memorial Day thought and tell you that it is a slight reprise from an Easter message of thanks that Funeral Director Daily produced during the days of the pandemic lock down. . . . The crux of the message, with a little editing to bring it up to date, seems…

Are there too many funeral homes?

By Funeral Director Daily / May 22, 2025 /

  The number of funeral homes in the US in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s was often quoted as 22,000, similar to the number of furniture stores at that time. Today, furniture stores exceed 67,000; in contrast the number of funeral homes has remained nearly the same as in the 1970’s.   The demand for…

Moody’s downgrades U.S. government credit rating — what might that mean for funeral homes

By Funeral Director Daily / May 21, 2025 /

  Last week, as you can read in this article, credit rating company Moody’s downgraded the status of the United States Government debt from Aaa to Aa1 – which is a downgrade of one notch.  In making the recent downgrade, the article states:   “The US has lost its last perfect credit rating, as influential…

Treasured Memories Community Funding can promote positive public relations for your funeral home

By Funeral Director Daily / May 20, 2025 /

  Last week I attended a Blue Ocean Tour seminar planned and produced by Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson.  It was my first time on one of these events and it was an incredible learning experience including tours of Death Care facilities, a National Cemetery, discussons, learning experiences, and simple brainstorming of ideas with a…

Trends, transformations, private equity, and consumer choices — We’ve had it all in the past 30 days

By Funeral Director Daily / May 19, 2025 /

  The middle of the month has crept up on us again. . . and in Minnesota we are finally getting around to golf season.  On about the 15th of each month Funeral Director Daily highlights our top read articles of the past thirty days and we have some great ones for you. . ..…

The “Big, Beautiful Bill”

By Funeral Director Daily / May 19, 2025 /

    If you have not heard about “it” yet, you will soon.  The “it” in this instance is the reprise of the President Trump Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA).  The reason that you will hear about it is that without something being done during the Congressional year of 2025 the laws,…

May is Mental Health Month: Are you okay?

By Funeral Director Daily / May 16, 2025 /

  Back in the years between 2015 and 2021 I served a six-year term on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.  I learned much from that experience over the years that I served.   For my entire life I had grown up, lived, and worked in a small community where self-reliance had been taught…

A Death Care perspective universal to three continents

By Funeral Director Daily / May 15, 2025 /

    John Adams, currently a past-President of Great Britain’s National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD), is a change agent in the Death Care space.  His advocacy for an elementary school curriculum that includes a course on “Bereavement” in Great Britain got him time to present the idea in Parliament and impress the members of…

The transformation of Batesville

By Funeral Director Daily / May 14, 2025 /

    In mid-April I received a press release from Batesville that was titled “Batesville empowers Deathcare professionals with Industry-leading Burial, Cremation and Technology solutions at 2025 ICCFA Exhhibition.”  Since that time I’ve had this article in my mind and thought now was as good as any time to share some of my historical insights…

Perfection is the enemy of progress. . . and profitability

By Funeral Director Daily / May 13, 2025 /

  I don’t know where I first heard the saying, “Perfection is the enemy of progress”, but it always sounded somewhat strange to me until I really took the time to see what the cliche meant.  To me, it says that we all want progress, but if we wait until the time is perfect to…