Business

The Trump tariffs and Death Care

By Funeral Director Daily / February 3, 2025 /

    The International Trade Association defines tariffs as such:  “A tariff or duty (the words are used interchangeably) is a tax levied by governments on the value including freight and insurance of imported products. Different tariffs applied on different products by different countries.”   I’m writing this on Saturday morning and the “Trump tariffs”…

Read More

Project “Trust” to gain business

By Funeral Director Daily / January 31, 2025 /

    Sometimes we make the process of gaining business or market share more complicated than it has to be.  We pay for focus groups and surveys and hiring marketing companies to tell us how to grow our businesses.  All of those methods can help and paying experts in those fields to do just that…

Read More

Newcomer Funeral Service adds locations in New York and Indiana

By Funeral Director Daily / January 27, 2025 /

    With one acquisition announced in December and another in January Newcomer Funeral Service, based in Topeka, Kansas, continues to grow.  The Newcomer website states “Newcomer Funeral Service Group is an independent funeral home, crematory, and cemetery service provider based in Topeka, Kansas with operations in ten states.”   According to this press releasefrom…

Read More

Celebration coffee and business insights that may help funeral homes

By Funeral Director Daily / January 23, 2025 /

    I’m writing this article mid-morning on Saturday.  It’s already been a busy morning for me as I got up early and did my run and have since been to Starbucks for what I term my “Saturday Celebration Coffee” which celebrates my six consecutive days of running.  I take Sundays off!!   I’m also…

Read More

Hockey, competitiveness, and time horizons

By Funeral Director Daily / January 22, 2025 /

    I’ve told you before that I get my inspiration for articles from the strangest of sources.  The other day I was on YouTube and looking for a certain speech presented by then President Ronald Reagan.  For whatever reason, this clip of United States Gold Medal hockey goalie Jim Craig came up as a…

Read More

My Opinion: Federal Trade Commission should start over with “Funeral Rule”

By Funeral Director Daily / January 20, 2025 /

  The “Funeral Rule” came into effect in April 1984.  That’s 40 years ago.   Don’t get me wrong. . . . I’m an advocate for consumer protections.  The “Funeral Rule” was supposed to offer those protections back in 1984. But in my opinion, the actual reality of the rule ever since it was implemented,…

Read More

Foundation Partners Group names John D. Smith as new CEO

By Funeral Director Daily / January 17, 2025 /

  It’s been over eight months since cremation oriented funeral home and cemetery operator Foundation Partners Group (FPG) has been without a permanent CEO at their Orlando, Florida, offices.  We received news this week that FPG has now named and hired their new Chief Executive. . . and with this decision the company reached across…

Read More

Quick, substantial volume growth? Acquire your competitor

By Funeral Director Daily / January 16, 2025 /

  Funeral Director Daily published an article last Friday about the number of, or lack of,  funeral directors in the field and one of our thought processes during that article was that it is apparent that many rural funeral homes have a difficult time in acquiring the professional help necessary to operate their businesses.  Part…

Read More

The Experiential Tribute

By Funeral Director Daily / January 15, 2025 /

  As I’ve been formulating this article in my mind before putting the thoughts on the computer screen and into print two words come to my mind — “Experiences” and “Vision”.  I think of “Experiences” in the realm of what do our client families expect for the “experience” of their funerals and or tributes?  …

Read More

L.A. fires. . . a good time to check your insurance

By Funeral Director Daily / January 13, 2025 /

    It was less than two years ago in August 2023 when I heard the news about the fire that ravaged Lahaina and some other areas of Maui.  Turning on the news the scene looked like something I’d never seen in my lifetime and almost apocalyptic.  The Maui fire of 2023 destroyed approximately 6,271…

Read More