August 15, 2018
Published by 
Dan Isard on August 15, 2018
Dan Isard on August 15, 2018I think we can all agree that from shifting consumer preferences to declining revenue per call, the funeral profession is facing challenges. Shifting consumer preferences are largely driven by the decline of religious folk and the increase of the “nones” (people that claim no religious affiliation). The culprit responsible for the decline in revenue is funeral home owners and managers’ inability to price services properly, not the “rise in cremation” we are so quick to blame. Funeral homes that serve exclusively along racial, religious or cultural lines have all the before mentioned challenges, plus some different challenges. Often, in large populated areas, we see funeral homes exclusively serving narrow segments of the community. For example, Jewish, African-American, Irish Catholic, Italian Catholic, Hispanic, Asian, and Orthodox Greek funeral homes serve narrow vertical markets. As you can see, even though some of […]
August 15, 2018
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on August 15, 2018
Stephanie Ramsey on August 15, 2018Employment laws are always changing, and can vary from state to state and even from one locality to another. There are a number of “hot topics” the people who run funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories need to be aware of. In the United States, employment laws seem to change as frequently as most people change their socks. This is because laws and regulations that relate to employees are enacted not only at the federal level but also at the state, county and city levels. News reports about proposed or implemented employment laws can help funeral home, cemetery and crematory owners and managers anticipate the impact their businesses may face, but such news tends to focus on major changes such as increases in the minimum wage or very controversial laws. But many employment laws don’t make the headlines and are only […]
August 15, 2018
Published by Dan Isard on August 15, 2018
Dan Isard on August 15, 2018A cemetery is a different kind of business, so it’s not surprising that when it comes to getting their projects financed, cemeterians need to understand that and find the right sort of banker. Dear CI, I went to my bank to borrow money to build a new mausoleum. They turned me down. They said, “they could not perfect a collateral arrangement on the mausoleum.” I have built three previous mausoleums and they financed them all. Why has their position changed? Sincerely, Need to Borrow in Boston Dear NBB, I think your bank got smarter of late. Allow me to explain in detail. There are two types of lending relationships consumers and their banks might have. Most banks are asset-based lenders. This means you give them an item of collateral and they will generally loan you some percentage of […]
July 25, 2018
July 13, 2018
Published by Dan Isard on July 13, 2018
Dan Isard on July 13, 2018We’ve all heard about it, some of us have one, and a movie was made to shed light on how it can be accomplished: A Bucket List. A loose definition of a bucket list is coming to terms with who we are as a person, what we have or have not accomplished in life, and the desire to complete a list of things we want to see or do before death. Personally, at this point in my life I don’t have a long list. Returning to Cuba for a week of cigars with local libations and attending a Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania are two that remain. As we in the funeral profession know all too well, many people have a bucket list that never came to fruition. Death is not a scheduled event (except for a conviction […]