September 1, 2016
Published by 
Dan Isard on September 1, 2016
Dan Isard on September 1, 2016Dear Dan, I have an iPhone, an iPad and a Facebook page for my funeral home and myself. I’ve even read a tweet or two. Today, however, I’m feeling old and out of touch. I am in service to a family that asked me to set up a crowdfunding account. They said this fund will pay all of the funeral expenses. The death was of a teen, so they asked that I cash-advance the cemetery. They bought a nice casket and vault, but I have no idea what I am doing with crowdfunding. Signed, I Am Definitely Not Hep Dear Definitely Not Hep, Let’s start with an explanation of crowdfunding. Then, if you decide to move forward with this fundraising arrangement, I will move for your commitment and the removal of all power to make independent financial decisions. Crowdfunding is […]
August 17, 2016
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on August 17, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on August 17, 2016What You Need to Know About the New Overtime Rules Do you know what is important about Dec. 1, 2016? The recently released overtime rule changes to the Fair Labor Standards Acts released by the U.S. Department of Labor become effective. Cemetery and funeral business managers and owners will need to be in compliance with the new requirements by that date. The last time revisions were made to the FLSA was 2004. On the surface, it may seem that there are really not that many changes to the FLSA after 12 years; however, the impact to funeral and cemetery business owners may be significant. To grasp the possible implications to business owners, it is necessary to clearly understand exactly what rules the DOL altered or expanded. The FLSA previously established three tests that must be met for an employee to […]
August 17, 2016
Published by Stephanie Ramsey on August 17, 2016
Stephanie Ramsey on August 17, 2016HR Reality Check: Yep, the Stories are True! HR CASE STUDY #3 Scenario: Barliabov-Water Funeral Home is a small family-owned funeral home with only five employees. The firm’s licensed embalmer recently broke his wrist while playing softball at a family reunion. When the employee reported to work on his next regularly scheduled workday, he provided a note from his doctor advising that he could not lift more than 15 pounds for the next two weeks or he would risk the bone not setting properly. The employee asked for an accommodation by the employer that would allow him to work his normal schedule. Barliabov-Water informed him that they could not make an accommodation and that he was free to use his sick leave and vacation time to cover the two-week period he was unable to lift more than 15 pounds. The […]
August 10, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on August 10, 2016
Dan Isard on August 10, 2016Pricing Services The 2016 NFDA International Convention & Expo is coming closer, and as you line up your schedule and choose which workshops to attend, you will realize that this article and one of the workshops have a similar title. Fortunately for you, if you read this article and attend the workshop, you’ll get a three-dimensional presentation of these ideas. It seems ridiculous that we are still having expert discussions on pricing for cremation. Just as we don’t have burial calls and cremation calls – we just have calls – we don’t have burial pricing and cremation pricing – we should just have pricing! And once again, to understand how to protect this profession for the future, we must understand the past. Prior to 1984, the funeral profession priced itself like many merchandise-driven businesses. A consumer purchased the merchandise and […]
August 2, 2016
Published by Dan Isard on August 2, 2016
Dan Isard on August 2, 2016MANAGEMENT It might seem that steady sales should bring in a steady income, but it’s not that simple when you run a cemetery. It all depends on how you collect payment and whether you control costs. What can you do when your cemetery’s sales are good but its cash flow is not? Dear Cemetery Impossible, I own a mature cemetery with 100 years of history. We are about half sold out. We sell nearly 100 interment graves in advance of need a year and complete about 75 actual interments. However, I find that I just don’t have any cash flow. My salesman is driving a Mercedes and I have a Taurus. What am I doing wrong? Sincerely, Troubled in a Taurus Dear Troubled, Times have changed, but most operating cemeteries have not adapted. Whether you are operating a for-profit or […]