On a rainy Monday Minnesota morning earlier this week I was doing my run indoors on the treadmill while I watched CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” business news broadcast. On that show Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son predicted that the coming “AI Revolution” will be 50 times bigger than the dot-com boom. You can read…
This recent article from the Jacksonville Daily Record makes note that the new Jacksonville Jaguars’ football stadium that will be the home of that franchise in the National Football League (NFL) has agreed to partner with Eternal Fan to create what is called the “904EVER Club” at the stadium. According to the article…
About two weeks ago I decided to take in the Minnesota Funeral Directors Association convention. Now, I have not attended that particular convention for 5-7 years and decided to this year only because a friend of mine from Chicago was going to be in attendance and it gave us the opportunity to see each…
Crowne Vault, the Indiana-based company that is a leading presence in serving the Death Care profession with American-made cremation vaults is supporting a new initiative for the profession that hopes to bring cremated loved ones from the closet or mantle to permanent placement in American cemeteries. The trademarked program, “At Home…
Earlier this month, as you can read in this article from NBC Connecticut, the legislature of Connecticut passed their state budget which included the “Act Concerning Unlawful Funeral Service Practices”. The state appropriated $1 million that is intended to pay back the victims of a funeral home that is alleged to have stolen…
BUSINESS
Colorado city tackles cemetery issue
The Lafayette (Colorado) City Council reached an agreement on what action to take to help those who have purchased lots in the Lafayette Cemetery and may not be able to use them due to…
NFDA, Selected Independent Funeral Homes to pursue merger
Yesterday we received this press release from the National Funeral Directors Association that stated a Letter of Intent was signed between the Boards of Directors of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and Selected…
The U.S. still has Covid-19 deaths
Maybe it is just because I want to put that time period out of my mind but I don’t think of the global pandemic of 2020-2021 very often anymore. It was a time period…
FINANCE
SCI Earnings Call: SCI Execs comment, Artificial Intelligence tries to pull it together
On Thursday, July 30, Service Corporation International (SCI) held their quarterly earnings call to give their opinion of the company’s 2nd Quarter 2026 results and answer questions from analysts who cover the company.…
SCI 2Q 2026 Report: I see higher revenues, but funeral margins, gross profits challenged
Service Corporation International (SCI) reported their 2nd Quarter of 2026 on July 29 — which happened to be a bad day on Wall Street. On that day the Dow Jones Index dropped 2.19%,…
Can “Roll-ups” work in a “Price-Sensitive” environment
Earlier his week I heard from a couple of people who notified me that Foundation Partners Group (FPG) apparently had a recent round of employee layoffs. That seems to be confirmed by employee and…
REGULATIONS
Colorado city tackles cemetery issue
The Lafayette (Colorado) City Council reached an agreement on what action to take to help those who have purchased lots in the Lafayette Cemetery and may not be able to use them due to…
NFDA, Selected Independent Funeral Homes to pursue merger
Yesterday we received this press release from the National Funeral Directors Association that stated a Letter of Intent was signed between the Boards of Directors of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) and Selected…
The U.S. still has Covid-19 deaths
Maybe it is just because I want to put that time period out of my mind but I don’t think of the global pandemic of 2020-2021 very often anymore. It was a time period…
CEMETERY
Colorado city tackles cemetery issue
The Lafayette (Colorado) City Council reached an agreement on what action to take to help those who have purchased lots in the Lafayette Cemetery and may not be able to use them due to…
National “Cremation Placement Day” coming on October 17
If you are in the Death Care business you know that the number of cremated remains that reside in peoples’ homes is a large, and more than likey, growing number. Some estimate that…
Everstory Partners adds New Jersey cemetery to its group
Everstory Partners the cemetery heavy company that operates more than 460 cemeteries, funeral homes, and crematories in the United States and Puerto Rico announced last week that they had acquired the Franklin Memorial…
CREMATION
National “Cremation Placement Day” coming on October 17
If you are in the Death Care business you know that the number of cremated remains that reside in peoples’ homes is a large, and more than likey, growing number. Some estimate that…
Can “Roll-ups” work in a “Price-Sensitive” environment
Earlier his week I heard from a couple of people who notified me that Foundation Partners Group (FPG) apparently had a recent round of employee layoffs. That seems to be confirmed by employee and…
Pure Cremation exec: Is the “At-Need choice” death market contracting?
The number of deaths in the United States is expected to grow 26.3% from 2019 (the last year prior to the pandemic) until 2040 by certain estimates. Estimates for the number of deaths in…
PRENEED
Pure Cremation exec: Is the “At-Need choice” death market contracting?
The number of deaths in the United States is expected to grow 26.3% from 2019 (the last year prior to the pandemic) until 2040 by certain estimates. Estimates for the number of deaths in…
Anthem Partners announces strategic partnership with Family Shield Credit
In a press release from earlier this week funeral home operator Anthem Partners announced that they have formed a partnership with Family Shield Credit in order to provide families with “flexible, budget-friendly payment options while…
Connecticut budget includes money for victims of allegedly stolen pre-arrangements
Earlier this month, as you can read in this article from NBC Connecticut, the legislature of Connecticut passed their state budget which included the “Act Concerning Unlawful Funeral Service Practices”. The state appropriated…
PRODUCTS
“Complimentary Disposition”. . . Another uphill climb for the traditional operator?
Recently, to prepare for a presentation at the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) annual convention I’ve been looking into the future to try and see where Death Care is going. And, I’ve been…
OneRoom’s “Stories” feature is proving successful
There seems to be an amazing number of technological advances coming into Death Care that can help funeral homes, crematories, and cemeteries enhance the services that they provide. Many of these breakthroughs can…
The Natural Funeral brings Natural Organic Reduction to the local level
In a press release we received last week we learned that The Natural Funeral, Inc. of Colorado is bringing their Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) program to the Northeast and Southeast parts of the United…
