Thought Leadership

“Why have some national companies had problems?” I have gotten this question more than any other one I have been asked in the past the years. I entered the funeral/cemetery world in 1984. There were several small- to medium-sized companies with big ideas. Many were privately owned. One was a public company. By the early 1990s, there were several that had crossed over from the privately-owned world to the public world. Public companies have a duty to inform their shareholders about their business. The business plan they aspired to fulfilling was: 1. Buy multiple businesses 2. Operate multiple businesses in an area 3. Bring in operating synergies to those businesses 4. Acquire merchandise and capital assets at better prices through quantity discounts 5. Maximize staff efficiencies 6. Have a lower cost of capital 7. Make more profit I have seen […]

Mortuary School Education At the Intersection of Change and Inertia To my critics: I’ll start by making your argument for you. I am not a mortuary school graduate. Neither am I a mortuary school dropout. But I have been an observer of this profession for four decades. As an old man who loves this profession, writing every article as if it is my last (because one of them will be), I am compelled to explain my thoughts as to how the mortuary education system can be improved. It’s as clear to me as the liver spots on my hands, which were not present in 1984 when I came across this profession. In simple terms, we have a business with an educational agenda predicated on preparing students not much differently than it did 50 years ago. But to any observer, no […]

When starting your business, take care of the basics properly and all the rest will fall into place. The first determination an owner needs to make is which basic structure to choose for the business. One challenge is that while you know much of how the arterial system works, you do not know how the tax system works. While there are many business structure options from which to choose, the rationale behind choosing one is not so simple. Your lawyer will advise choosing a structure that will help protect you from litigation. From a legal perspective, then, you are protected if you choose anything other than a sole proprietorship or partnership. Your accountant will focus on the issues related to filing income taxes. The tax perspective, however, is much more complex. Following are the four most common business structures. 1. […]

Your firm must be firing on all cylinders for your financial protection now and in the future. By Daniel M. Isard Imagine that you’re a runner and you have a heal spur on your right foot. Visualize how your smooth, steady, well-cadenced stride is thrown off by this one impediment. Your stride is shorter on the right side now, which will create an imbalance as the left side stretches farther, which might then cause your left calf to tighten. Your right arm might not swing with its normal reaching movement, and that can cause an imbalance as your left arm tries to compensate. The next thing you know, you have several impairments all due to that one original symptom. It’s the same way with your financial well-being. The Problem Allow me to simplify the financial concerto of a business owner. […]