Products

Batesville wins patent infringement case

By Funeral Director Daily / February 28, 2025 /

    Earlier this week Funeral Director Daily learned from this press release from Batesville that “the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana awarded summary judgment in favor of Batesville Casket Company, LLC and Batesville Services, LLC and against Vandor Group, Inc., rejecting Vandor’s claims that Batesville’s cardboard rental insert, which the…

Read More

The Rise of Luxury Funerals

By Funeral Director Daily / February 27, 2025 /

    It’s hard to think of the rise of luxury funerals when we hear about all the low-cost cremation services and read articles such as this one titled “More Mainers are leaning on state help to pay for funerals, cremations” that was published earlier this month in the Sun Journal of Maine.   Yet,…

Read More

“Niche” Death Care appears to be continually growing

By Funeral Director Daily / February 24, 2025 /

    As I’ve told you before, I read the book Megatrends early in the 1980’s.  That book, written by John Naisbitt, enlightened me on how happenings of today’s world become trends and potentially “Megatrends” that can change society over time.  It also enlightened me that sometimes we can be fooled — some things that…

Read More

The blueprint for 21st century modern funeral facilities

By Funeral Director Daily / February 13, 2025 /

    There are lots of ideas how a new, contemporary, 21st Century physical funeral establishment should look like and function.  I don’t think anybody knows exactly what that is, or even if there is a one-size fits all best practices solution to the question.   However, it is probably a fair assumption that like…

Read More

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

Should Disney be in the “Memorialization” business?

By Funeral Director Daily / January 30, 2025 /

    Over the last couple of decades there arises every once in a while the idea that the Walt Disney Company should get into some of the businesses that funeral home operators and cemetery operators specialize in.  That’s recently been in the news again.   I first really thought about Disney and Death Care…

Read More

North Carolina floods, Florida hurricanes, and L.A. wildfires: The tragedy of losing “kept at home” cremated remains

By Funeral Director Daily / January 24, 2025 /

    If you have read Funeral Director Daily for any length of time you will know that I am an advocate of “Permanent Memorialization” of loved ones.  My reason for that belief is pretty simple. . . 1)  It is just the way I was brought up and 2) I believe every life has…

Read More

ASD partners with Continuing Vision to power CEU fulfillments

By Funeral Director Daily / January 21, 2025 /

    Funeral Director Daily learned last week that “ASD – Answering Service for Directors is proud to announce a new partnership with Continuing Vision, an education provider that hosts virtual and on-site events with the goal of helping funeral directors fulfill their CE requirements. This collaboration aims to support funeral professionals in their efforts…

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

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