Thought Leadership

A cemetery is a special place, not only to families but also to accountants. It’s not a typical business, and decisions about how to record the business of a cemetery need to be made with an eye to consistency.  Read Dan’s latest CI column in the May issue of the ICCFA Magazine or click here. CI May 2016

Every business will be sold. The only question is will the business owner be alive to enjoy the fruits of the years of labor. Business succession is the most important decision you can make. If you elect to do this carelessly, your chance of doing it correctly is slim. My very first speech at a National Funeral Directors Association convention was titled, “Do You Need to Sell Your Home in Order to Get Your House in Order?” The question posed addressed whether or not you will have enough money when you want to retire and what role your business will play in that life event. In my 40 years of working with business owners, predominantly funeral and cemetery businesses, I have perfected a system that works. It is an integrated approach. You can try to do it yourself or find […]

About 50 percent of all bodies today are not embalmed due to the public not seeing the economics of the funeral service. That is your fault, not mine. Finance 101 April 2016

All men might be created equal, but all mausoleum crypts are not. Any cemeterian who has a mausoleum knows that crypts on certain rows are more popular with families than others. But you need to sell them all. Here’s how to do it. CI April 2016

Are you wrestling with receivables?  In the March column of Finance 101, Dan responds to Alice, in Wonderland, about the paths that lead to no receivables, fewer bad debts and creating a payment policy.