Today we bring you a short, less than 3 minute video, and article that you can access here that has the CEO of death care conglomerate InvoCare speaking on why he believes it “is a transformational time” in the industry. CEO Martin Earp, speaking with CNBC, talks of the major shift on how people are…
I spent three days last week at my annual funeral professional/death care professional golf event that I have attended almost every year since first being invited in 1991. From my count, there are about 130-144 invited guests that enjoy three days with each other in an atmosphere of fellowship and friendship. Most of the talk…
At the close of business Monday, May 7, Park Lawn Corporation announced that it had completed its announced purchase of Signature Funeral and Cemetery Investments, LLC (the Signature Group) for approximately US$123 million. You can read the press release from Stockhouse here. According to Park Lawn CEO Andrew Clark, “With the acquisition of Signature Group,…
When looking at today’s column I noticed that there was a lot of small tid-bits in the news about funeral service and I decided to give you readers the option of reading what you wanted to instead of having me dictate one article to you. Here are four articles that I have commented on briefly…
In a release from A.M. Best that you can read here the company has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) and the Long-Term Credit Ratings (ICR) of the life and health subsidiaries of Assurant, Inc. The FSR rating was affirmed at A- (Excellent) and the ICR rating was a-. The company’s outlook was listed as…
BUSINESS
Titan Casket continues “edgy” journey to find their audience
On Wednesday of this week arguably the most innovative and edgy marketing tool was turned loose on the funeral buying public when Direct-to-Consumer casket company Titan Casket unveiled their new collaboration with Elan…
Federal Trade Commission bans “Non-Compete” agreements
“This rule affects every segment of the American economy and in a simple 3-2 vote destroys billions of dollars in value that employers have spent in compensation for a covenant not to compete”. …
Take Ring Ring Marketing for a Test Drive
When it comes to technology I am a confessed “Novice”. And personally, with Social Media I am pretty quiet too. . . . or maybe my life is dull enough that none of…
FINANCE
Starmark acquires AMA Containers
It was announced earlier this week that Starmark, a leading manufacturer of innovative funeral products, has acquired AMA Containers. AMA was originally founded in 1991 as Airline Mortuary Associates. Starmark, according to the press…
Seeking Alpha has a recent opinion on Carriage Services
Every once in a while the writers at Seeking Alpha put out an article on one of the Death Care Index stocks — Carriage Services, Service Corporation International, Park Lawn Corporation, Security National…
Security National Financial CEO on their Memorial Segment: “Growth. . .is our goal”
It took awhile, but Security National Financial Corporation (SNFC) finally got around to posting the results of the company’s 2023 year just last week. And, there is no doubt that SNFC’s Memorial Segment was…
REGULATIONS
Federal Trade Commission bans “Non-Compete” agreements
“This rule affects every segment of the American economy and in a simple 3-2 vote destroys billions of dollars in value that employers have spent in compensation for a covenant not to compete”. …
Dignity, care, and respect. . . bringing the fallen home
On Saturday night I was at a movie, came home and turned the television on to catch the news and learned of the missile bombardment of Israel that Iran took responsibility for. Now,…
Might the Baltimore Bridge collapse cause a “funeral tax” in Maryland?
A week ago today I woke up to the news of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore Harbor. It wasn’t so long ago that I was in Baltimore…
CEMETERY
County governments seem to have lots of problems, are human remains another one?
Funeral Director Daily recently learned through this article from Public Media for Central Pennyslvania that Centre County will be building a 160-unit columbarium in Zion, Pennsylvania, to house urns that have went…
America’s military cemeteries face financial backlog for upkeep and improvements
Kansas United States Senator Jerry Moran recently testified at a United States Senate Veterans Affairs Committee meeting that “When mourning a death the last thing a grieving family needs is some bureaucratic hurdle…
Looking outside the grave for cemetery revenue
Back almost three years ago in July 2021, Funeral Director Daily brought you this story of how a renewable energy company, Verogy, had put a 7,000 panel solar energy farm inside a…
CREMATION
County governments seem to have lots of problems, are human remains another one?
Funeral Director Daily recently learned through this article from Public Media for Central Pennyslvania that Centre County will be building a 160-unit columbarium in Zion, Pennsylvania, to house urns that have went…
Well intentioned rules and regulations need to be thought through, clarified
Well-intentioned rules and regulations are put into place by organizations. Sometimes, however, like America has found out with the disastrous “de-fund the police” movement, the results are not what the organizers intended them…
Permanent Memorialization: How long is “Permanent”?
How long is “Permanent”? That is a question that has never been answered, but in many cases you will find out that “permanent” is not really “permanent”. There is an interesting…
PRENEED
Take Ring Ring Marketing for a Test Drive
When it comes to technology I am a confessed “Novice”. And personally, with Social Media I am pretty quiet too. . . . or maybe my life is dull enough that none of…
Cash is King. . . .make sure that you turn your services into cash
Last week Funeral Director Daily published this article titled “Know your customer — How’s their credit”. That article delved into the American consumer credit profiles and why, before extending credit, you needed to…
Know your customer — How’s their credit?
The American economy keeps spending, yet we hear that families are getting squeezed by the combination of high prices and high interest rates. We also hear that high interest rates don’t seem to…
PRODUCTS
Titan Casket continues “edgy” journey to find their audience
On Wednesday of this week arguably the most innovative and edgy marketing tool was turned loose on the funeral buying public when Direct-to-Consumer casket company Titan Casket unveiled their new collaboration with Elan…
County governments seem to have lots of problems, are human remains another one?
Funeral Director Daily recently learned through this article from Public Media for Central Pennyslvania that Centre County will be building a 160-unit columbarium in Zion, Pennsylvania, to house urns that have went…
Starmark acquires AMA Containers
It was announced earlier this week that Starmark, a leading manufacturer of innovative funeral products, has acquired AMA Containers. AMA was originally founded in 1991 as Airline Mortuary Associates. Starmark, according to the press…
