Slow the erosion, relocate graves, or letting nature take its course. . . .

By Funeral Director Daily January 8, 2026

    When it comes to a cemetery on a river bank and the river has moved the shoreline back over 20 feet in the past 30 years and you now realize that in the next couple of decades, as the erosion continues, you will be losing the cemetery — and the remains buried in…

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 have been grandfathered in but operate less efficiently as compared to the new cremation machines available.   However, because of…

Investors shy away from Death Care stocks

By Funeral Director Daily January 6, 2026

  The price of equity ownership (stocks) in public companies is a function of supply and demand.  The more people that want to own the stock (equity or ownership in the company) the higher the price goes because the stock is in demand.  Conversely, when the stock is not in great demand the price drops…

Slacking into the New Year

By Funeral Director Daily January 5, 2026

  We’ve noticed at Funeral Director Daily that readership drops by about 33% in the last half of December.  It was particularly noticeable this year as we reached a record of over 21,000 page views in November only to see the latter half of December come in with run-rates of page views at less than…

Bill back on the table to increase Social Security Lump-Sum Death Benefit

By Funeral Director Daily January 2, 2026

  Back in September 2024 Funeral Director Daily let you know that the Social Secuirty Survivor Benefits Equity Act had been introduced to the the United States House of Representatives.  While the bill failed to go anywhere at that time – possibly because of the impending Presidential election and eventual change of leadership – as…

BUSINESS

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…

“Mattering”: Can your funeral home help “It”. . . Can “It” help your funeral home?

By Funeral Director Daily | January 29, 2026

  It’s not something I thought about ever.  And, while I sensed some of the psychological needs associated with it, I’d never thought of it in the sense I learned about it last week.  …

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…

FINANCE

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…

What’s with Private Equity?

By Funeral Director Daily | January 26, 2026

  I guess “Private” means “Privacy” and that is probably why it is so difficult to get information on how the Private Equity market is doing.  The status of the industry is, however, of much…

Matthews closes European unit sale, announces agreement with Barington Capital

By Funeral Director Daily | January 23, 2026

  The first half of January 2025 saw two news releases come from Matthews International that probably, in a wide scope, are related to each other.  First, in early January, this press release titled “Matthews…

REGULATIONS

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 legal dispute ends in disinterment

By Funeral Director Daily | January 15, 2026

  A lengthy legal case of about four years that involved a Service Corporation International (SCI) cemetery and also included a well-known and succesful business family has ended in a disinterment ruling of the keepsakes…

CEMETERY

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…

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…

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…