Acquisitions: Two companies, two countries, two continents. . . and more

By Funeral Director Daily August 22, 2023

    Today we will try to catch our readers up with what has been happening in the acquisition pipeline for a couple of the public companies. . . .   First of all, we will tell you that we received this press release last week from Park Lawn Corporation announcing the acquisition of the…

Matthews International: Seeking Alpha opines on stock price “There is still a little life left”

By Funeral Director Daily August 21, 2023

      Death care company Matthews International has had quite a stock run up so far in 2023.  And, this August 2, 2023, article from Seeking Alpha seems to say there is still room to move up for the company.  The article, entitled, Matthews International:  The easy money has been made, but there is…

Security National bucks the trend, increases margin in 2Q 2023

By Funeral Director Daily August 21, 2023

    On August 14, Security National Financial Corporation (SNFC) issued this press release on its 2nd Quarter 2023 financial results.  The company which operates in three segments — Life Insurance, Memorial, and Mortgages, saw their after tax earnings increase nearly 78% from about $3.6 million in 2Q 2022 to over $6.3 million in 2Q…

Do you know why you get your clientele?

By Funeral Director Daily August 18, 2023

      A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a person who worked for about 30 years in death care — both as a funeral director and on the supply side of the business.  First he complimented me with some of the articles that I write about the results of funeral homes…

My brother Jim. . . . and the power of kindness.

By Funeral Director Daily August 17, 2023

    Editor’s Note:  This is a reprint of my article of August 17, 2021.  I think the message to Death Care professionals still resonates so it is reprinted with only the calendar numbers changed.  Thanks for reading.   Today is August 17.  Today should be my younger brother, Jim’s, 62nd birthday.  Instead I’ll spend…

BUSINESS

Funeral homes and cemeteries — Where’s the future potential?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 5, 2026

  I’ve been around the Death Care business my whole life. . . . and one thing I can tell you is that, like other businesses, “things” change.  For instance, Death Care clientele used to…

Indiana’s “Funeral Centric” bank sold — Sale price said to be $40 million

By Funeral Director Daily | February 4, 2026

    In a press release issued earlier in January 2026 out of Batesville, Indiana, ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust made the following statement:   “ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust, a federally chartered savings bank…

What’s your state’s Death Rate? – Above or Below the National Average?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 3, 2026

  According to provisional data released from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in January of this year the overall age-adjusted “Death Rate” in the United States for 2025 was about 722 deaths per 100,000…

FINANCE

Indiana’s “Funeral Centric” bank sold — Sale price said to be $40 million

By Funeral Director Daily | February 4, 2026

    In a press release issued earlier in January 2026 out of Batesville, Indiana, ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust made the following statement:   “ClearPoint Federal Bank & Trust, a federally chartered savings bank…

Service Corporation purchases two funeral homes in Ontario

By Funeral Director Daily | February 2, 2026

  We learned from this article written by Fort Erie Radio that Service Corporation International (SCI) recently purchased two funeral homes in the Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada, community.  According to the article, the Williams Funeral…

Seeking Alpha authors “Bullish” on SCI

By Funeral Director Daily | January 27, 2026

  When you follow the public companies in Death Care like I do it is unusual to find articles about them appearing very often.  But, last week two separate authors of Seeking Alpha gave opinions…

REGULATIONS

What’s your state’s Death Rate? – Above or Below the National Average?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 3, 2026

  According to provisional data released from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in January of this year the overall age-adjusted “Death Rate” in the United States for 2025 was about 722 deaths per 100,000…

Offender to be dis-interred and removed from Fort Sam Houston National Military Cemetery

By Funeral Director Daily | January 30, 2026

  Texas Senator John Cornyn authored a bill that was passed by the Senate, the House, and signed into law by President Trump in late December 2025, that was included in the 2026 National Defense…

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…

CEMETERY

Funeral homes and cemeteries — Where’s the future potential?

By Funeral Director Daily | February 5, 2026

  I’ve been around the Death Care business my whole life. . . . and one thing I can tell you is that, like other businesses, “things” change.  For instance, Death Care clientele used to…

Offender to be dis-interred and removed from Fort Sam Houston National Military Cemetery

By Funeral Director Daily | January 30, 2026

  Texas Senator John Cornyn authored a bill that was passed by the Senate, the House, and signed into law by President Trump in late December 2025, that was included in the 2026 National Defense…

The “Humanity” of Death Care

By Funeral Director Daily | January 28, 2026

  Funeral Director Daily publishes lots of articles that deal with the business, or money side of Death Care.  That’s good. . .and readers seem to like it, however, I never want any of us…

CREMATION

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…

Washington crematories stymied by air quality regulations

By Funeral Director Daily | January 7, 2026

  Washington State cremation owners and operators find themselves in somewhat of a Catch-22 when it comes to new cremation equipment.  According to this article from the Seattle Times Pacific Northwest Magazine old cremation machines…

Cremations, and now tariffs creating headwinds for monument dealers

By Funeral Director Daily | December 16, 2025

  American monument dealers have become accustomed to dealing with the rising cremation rates in the country and the dwindling sales opportunities for cemetery monuments that fact brings.   But now, according to this recent…

PRENEED

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…

Can you the provide the opportunity for additional Preneed sales in the 1st Quarter of 2026?

By Funeral Director Daily | January 14, 2026

  “Strike when the iron is hot“.  That’s a 15th-century saying that came from the blacksmith trade and meant to suggest that the blacksmith should “bend the metal when it is hot and somewhat flexible”. …

More Americans take on debt to cover funerals

By Funeral Director Daily | December 12, 2025

  I came across this recent article from USA Today titled “Americans are going into debt over death.  Here are affordability tips.”  Reading that article led me to a survey and results from Debt.com and…

PRODUCTS

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…

Can you the provide the opportunity for additional Preneed sales in the 1st Quarter of 2026?

By Funeral Director Daily | January 14, 2026

  “Strike when the iron is hot“.  That’s a 15th-century saying that came from the blacksmith trade and meant to suggest that the blacksmith should “bend the metal when it is hot and somewhat flexible”. …

Creedy, Jefferson form advisory firm

By Funeral Director Daily | January 9, 2026

    Long-time Death Care executives and advisors Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson have again joined together to form a new firm to help those in the business.  A press release issued earlier this week…