“Drowning in information, starved for knowledge”

September 17, 2026/Business, Products/

Back in 1982 when John Naisbitt’s bestselling book, Megatrends, was flying off the shelves (it was before Amazon so it wasn’t being ordered by mail) the book commented that Americans were “drowning in information but starved for knowledge”. As we get deeper and deeper into what Naisbitt coined “The Information Age” that thought process of Americans “drowning in information but starved for knowledge” is only getting deeper and deeper into society.

And, I think there is reason to believe that even in Death Care and the funeral and cemetery businesses that the consumer has more knowledge than ever before, but also is more confused than ever before as to what their complete set of choices are. I think the consumer learns more and more when they go online in search of information, but without Death Care professionals to help them sift through that information they are, what Naisbitt suggested, “drowning in information”.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

I think it is imperative that you make sure that your funeral home or cemetery is there to help these consumers sift through the reams of information available to find the Death Care choice(s) that fit their individual needs. Maybe some information on your website introducing some solutions to their issues or an invitation to visit with you about their thoughts could make your funeral or cemetery business a problem solver for them. . . . and put your business in good stead to be used by them for their pre-arrangement or at-need services.

Just the other day I noticed a couple of articles in the secular world which dealt with the possible costs of Death Care and how your funeral home could point potential consumers in the right direction to solve the issue that they may face.

First of all, I came across this article in Seven Ponds which pointed out that “In the past, funerals were typically paid for through savings, life insurance policies or family aid. Lately, however, it has become increasingly common for people to turn to strangers for assistance with funeral expenses.”

That same article pointed out that 4.1% of all deaths in America now involve crowdfunding for some means of payment. That means that 1 out of every 25 deaths coming through your door will have that component to the family dynamic of the death of a loved one.

Are you aware that there is a crowdfunding platform created by funeral directors for funeral homes and cemeteries? Click here to learn more about Treasured Memories Community Funding. In addition to helping families with funeral costs, Treasured Memories can help other organizations in your community raise funds for many kinds of worthwhile projects. . . . .and your funeral home will be the one that can be the conduit to help these organizations. It can’t get much better than that for public relations.

And I also came across this article from the State of Florida Department of Unclaimed Property which mentions that over $57 million in unclaimed property was recovered and claimed in July 2026 alone. . . .with $548 million still waiting to be claimed.

There is a financial property search company, Sunset, which crosses over into the Death Care business in order to help families locate unknown or lost assets. Giving this information to families will not only help them find assets at no cost to you or them, but the assets they find may help you in collecting amounts owed to you.

In a country where “53% of Americans couldn’t even cover a $1,000 emergency expense using their savings”, that kind of help may come in handy for you and for them.

To learn more about Sunset and their program to locate lost or unknown assets at no cost to you or your client families click here.

Related Article: “Bankrate’s 2026 Annual Emergency Savings Report.” Bankrate.com

Funeral Director Daily take: I’m a firm believer that the more you help families solve the issues that they are presented with the more favor you will find as the company of choice in their quest for Death Care service providers. I believe that the role of Death Care providers is changing and we are no longer the funeral people or the cemetery people or the cremation people. . . . We are the people who can provide solutions to the issues or obstacles that “Death” has or will present to families.

And the more information we have to solve their issues and obstacle the more success we will have in our own business.

More news from the world of Death Care: