Church Times, a publication in Great Britain, came out with what I thought was a truly thought provoking article last week concerning the growing trend of direct cremation and what that means for the greater church going forward. You can read the article here. In essence they talked about the change in society from what…
Read MoreStoneMor Partners issued a press release last week that it will not file its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017 by its due date of April 2, 2018. They are seeking a waiver to extend the date by which the Form 10-K must be filed. You can read…
Read MorePark Lawn Corporation, the Toronto based funeral home and cemetery consolidator, released their 4th quarter and Year End 2017 results last week. Andrew Clark, Chairman and CEO of the company stated in the release, “Overall the company continued to grow in 2017, while improving its margin profile.” He continued, “Our goals for 2018 include increased…
Read MoreIt was announced this week that Service Corporation International and the Archdiocese of New Orleans will collaborate on a plan to build a funeral home and cemetery on land owned by the Archdiocese in New Orleans. You can read the press release from Globe News Wire here. The combination unit, which will also have mausoleum…
Read MoreBUSINESS
The paradox that is killing funeral service
Last week Angie and I attended a visitation service for a neighbor at the funeral home I used to own and operate. While there we witnessed first hand the care the family was…
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,…
Has Inflation hit your bottom line yet?
There is no doubt that the cost of inflation in doing business will affect the bottom line of businesses unless they do something to counter the effect. It’s a pretty simple equation in the…
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
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…
It’s Good Friday. . . .Easter is coming!!!
We are blessed to live in a country which allows for religious freedom. And, when you work as a funeral director helping those who have lost loved ones to death, it’s a…
CEMETERY
CREMATION
Are you registered for CANA’s “Thinking Green” cremation symposium?
It is a only a little more than a month away. . . .are you ready to attend? The “It” I’m referring to is the “Thinking Green” Cremation Symposium hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada,…
PRENEED
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…
“Preneed” or “Funeral Contribution Funds”
There is an old saying that goes, “You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink”. I think that the meaning of that phrase, in human terms is something…
PRODUCTS
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…
Empathy startup raises an additional $47 million
In the recent past I served as Board Chairman for a large Senior population health and living company for three years and as Chairman for a smaller home care and hospice company…
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…