The Question: “How does the economy look for 2026?” , The Answer: “Depends on who you ask?”

By Funeral Director Daily December 26, 2025

  The overall economy and, more importantly, the way consumers and Death Care clientele feel about their individual situations has some effect on purchases of Death Care products and services– both Pre-Need and At-Need.  It’s just common sense that the better a consumer feels about their own financial situation, the more apt they are to…

“It is the Night of our Dear Savior’s Birth”

By Funeral Director Daily December 25, 2025

      O, Holy night! The stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth O night divine, O night when Christ was born O night, O Holy night, O night divine!       Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,201 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily Subscribe…

This Christmas: “Count Your Blessings”

By Funeral Director Daily December 24, 2025

    We all worry — probably too much.  We worry about finances, we worry about weather, we worry about our children.  Trust me, I think everybody worries a lot — like I said, probably too much.   Over the past week I’ve had a couple of experiences that have made me want to count…

Everstory Partner’s Cedar Hill Funeral Home completes renovations

By Funeral Director Daily December 23, 2025

  Everstory Partners, who may be the nation’s 2nd largest Death Care provider by serving over 65,000 families per year, recently announced completed renovations at their Cedar Hill Funeral Home just outside Washington, DC.  This press release from Everstory will give you more information on the recent transformation at the funeral home that serves about…

Trust your instincts, don’t always follow the herd with business decisions

By Funeral Director Daily December 22, 2025

  If you own, operate, or manage a funeral home or cemetery you get lots of advice — including from Funeral Director Daily at times.  However, I’ve also learned over 40+ years of business ownership in various enterprises, that while it it good to consider all the advice you get, it is most of the…

BUSINESS

Wisconsin acquisition follows “Successful” strategy

By Funeral Director Daily | March 13, 2026

    A quote from a 1987 Los Angeles Times article on the then growing acquisitions of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries goes like this, “In increasing numbers, long-established mortuaries are closing or, more often, selling to…

CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 11, 2026

To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States.  However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…

Chptr makes moves, promotes televised Death Notices

By Funeral Director Daily | March 10, 2026

  The people at Chptr are not standing still.  In the last couple of weeks they have added Death Care industry veteran Glenn Gould to their team in a position that they term President of…

FINANCE

Wisconsin acquisition follows “Successful” strategy

By Funeral Director Daily | March 13, 2026

    A quote from a 1987 Los Angeles Times article on the then growing acquisitions of Pierce Brothers Mortuaries goes like this, “In increasing numbers, long-established mortuaries are closing or, more often, selling to…

CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 11, 2026

To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States.  However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…

Carriage Services’ 4th Q25 and Year-End ’25 Earnings Call “Notes and Quotes”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 6, 2026

  Last week funeral home and cemetery operator Carriage Services reported on their 4th Quarter of 2025 and their Year-End of 2025 financial results.  Earlier in the week Funeral Director Daily published this article on…

REGULATIONS

CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 11, 2026

To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States.  However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…

There has to be another side to this story

By Funeral Director Daily | March 9, 2026

  Late last week Fox 6 TV of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, broke a story pertaining to Death Care that I found to be incredulous.  Here’s the headline, “Milwaukee County funeral home debt; officials move to collect…

Does Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) face religious headwinds?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 26, 2026

  From 2015 to 2021 I served on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents.  That 12-person governing board for the State of Minnesota got to know each other very well.  One of the people…

CEMETERY

There has to be another side to this story

By Funeral Director Daily | March 9, 2026

  Late last week Fox 6 TV of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, broke a story pertaining to Death Care that I found to be incredulous.  Here’s the headline, “Milwaukee County funeral home debt; officials move to collect…

Natural Organic Reduction to be done on the East Coast

By Funeral Director Daily | February 19, 2026

  Green-Wood Cemetery, the venerable and historic cemetery in New York City announced last week a plan to become the first facility on America’s East Coast that will offer Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) or Terramation…

VA Cemeteries set new record for “Customer Satisfaction”

By Funeral Director Daily | February 18, 2026

    Funeral directors should feel good about their role in helping the “The Department of Veterans Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration earn the highest customer satisfaction score ever achieved by any public or private organization measured…

CREMATION

Private Equity company Epiris to sell a “Structured Minority interest” in Pure Cremation

By Funeral Director Daily | February 12, 2026

  I’ve watched the growth of direct cremation provider and preneed cremation business Pure Cremation from a start-up to, in my opinion, the most profitable investment in Death Care over the past decade.  According to…

Will the large-scale use of Hydrogen-powered cremation come into play?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 11, 2026

    One of the positive things of living during the winter months in a Florida golf community is that I get to meet and play golf with lots of new people with greatly differing…

Veterans’ Affairs recently grants $77 million to state-operated veteran cemeteries

By Funeral Director Daily | January 22, 2026

    According to this recent article in Newsweek “The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded more than $77 million in new grants aimed at expanding and improving state-operated Veterans cemeteries.  The funding, announced…

PRENEED

Funeral planning: There seems to be a gap between “Perception and Action”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 12, 2026

    Funeral planning is an interesting topic on an individual basis.  In my opinion, regardless of your age, self-mortality is a thought all human beings have at more than one point in their lives. …

Homesteaders celebrates 120 years, $5 Billion in force

By Funeral Director Daily | February 27, 2026

  In a press release received the other day, Homesteaders Life Company, a national leader in Preneed Death Care funding announced that 2026 marks the 120th year for the company.  The company issued its first…

Is a 10% credit card interest rate ceiling good news for funeral homes? . . . Maybe not

By Funeral Director Daily | January 20, 2026

  Today is January 20.  It is the day that President Trump wanted to institute one of his ideas for making life more “affordable”.  That idea is a 10% cap on interest rates on credit…

PRODUCTS

CANA partners to offer “Deathcare Business Administration Certification”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 11, 2026

To my knowledge there is not an MBA program in Funeral Directing or Death Care to be found anywhere in the United States.  However, through a partnership of Goalmakers and the Cremation Association of North…

Chptr makes moves, promotes televised Death Notices

By Funeral Director Daily | March 10, 2026

  The people at Chptr are not standing still.  In the last couple of weeks they have added Death Care industry veteran Glenn Gould to their team in a position that they term President of…

Sunset publishes “Estate Settlement Report Card”

By Funeral Director Daily | March 4, 2026

    “If you are a funeral director and don’t know about Sunset yet you are probably missing out on a tool that your families would thank you for. . . ”   Last week MarketWatch…