May 29, 2023
Published by 
Dan Isard on May 29, 2023
Dan Isard on May 29, 2023I have attended ICCFA Conventions for decades. I go back to the ACA and when most people knew about half of the membership without looking at the lapel name cards! Yet, most cemeterians don’t seem to retire. Since the ICCFA morphed from the ACA and ICFA, today’s membership is a blend of cemeterians, funeral directors and cremationists. So the matter of retirement is not just a cemeterian problem, it is an industry wide problem. It is just the cemeterians have less options to plug the financial asset gap available to funeral home owners and cremation company owners. Allow me to elaborate. Paraphrasing Old Benjamin Franklin, there are only two things that are certain in life, retirement or death before retirement. As to the later, people can buy life insurance to provide for those they are responsible to care for. As […]
May 29, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on May 29, 2023
Dan Isard on May 29, 2023Funeral home owners and staff, for the most part, are technophobic. Despite this, every reason exists for them to embrace and effectively use technology to improve both their business and their customer service. So, I beseech you to either embrace it or hire some 17-year-old kid to do it for you. Funeral service has always hated technology, however. The last technology this profession universally adopted was gravity! Cremation remained a limited service before we could automate a crematory. The first manually operated cremation in the 1880s actually took three days to complete. Even with the automation of the modern retort, a few fires still destroy the crematory, and sometimes the building, each year. Another technology – the telephone – helped save time but, most importantly, gave way to the answering service. Why? Because nothing costs funeral homes more money than […]
May 29, 2023
Published by 
Chris Cruger on May 29, 2023
Chris Cruger on May 29, 2023Written By Chris Cruger and Alice Adams 2018 – Business as usual — the “normal” as we knew it. 2019 – The COVID-19 pandemic arrives, ravaging both coasts then quickly spreading across the U.S. 2020 – Hospitals at capacity, death rates climbing daily, funeral homes and cemeteries overwhelmed. 2021 — COVID-19 listed as the underlying or contributing cause of 460,513 deaths (111.4 per 100,000), an increase from 384,536 deaths (93.2) in 2020, according to Centers for Disease Control/Prevention. 2022 — COVID-19 accounted for about 270,000 deaths in 2022, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, down from 473,000 in 2021, and 350,000 in the pandemic’s first year. 2023 – America back to work, nation in recovery, “new normal emerging.” ***** By mid-2020, phones stopped ringing in businesses, members of the workforce who were not furloughed were now working from home, most schools were closed and […]
May 29, 2023
Published by 
Jarod Bernat on May 29, 2023
Jarod Bernat on May 29, 2023It’s well known that in our industry, there are slow and high-volume periods that vary with the seasons due to the ebbs and flows of mortality rates as the year progresses. The timing of these periods can vary from region to region, but generally, they are fairly predictable based on historical precedent – this is what we call “seasonality”. During the summer, the sun nourishes our bodies with more Vitamin D than the rest of the year improving our immune systems, we’re more active outdoors, and overall moods improve. These factors combine to lower mortality rates compared to the winter month when the cold and lack of sunlight negatively impacts our immunity and health. Based on The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, US death rates are about 25% higher in winter than in the summer. This means that […]
April 19, 2023
Published by 
Jared Tanke on April 19, 2023
Jared Tanke on April 19, 2023Have you considered selling your funeral business but didn’t know where to begin? We understand that the decision to sell can be overwhelming. We asked Jared Tanke to walk us through the process from start to finish. Question: What does it looks and feel like to sell my funeral home? Jared Tanke: You may have had conversations with your fellow funeral home owner friends, and I am sure the topic of selling has come up. Maybe one of your friends has recounted his or her experience in selling, and you may have heard several buzzwords, including a “multiple” which is very common language when talking about a business acquisition. But what do these people actually go through? What does the process of selling your funeral home look and feel like? It is such a big life event, and there are […]
April 19, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on April 19, 2023
Dan Isard on April 19, 2023In the disco age, the “Side Hustle” was a dance move. For me, growing up in Philadelphia, the side hustle was something altogether different. Today, that phrase has been resurrected by “gig workers” and others looking to make a little extra cash. Now, I’m not suggesting that funeral directors should try to generate extra money by dancing or otherwise. I’m just thinking about the future because the future for funeral service is vexing. I see costs for labor skyrocketing, assuming you can even find licensed people to hire. I see the number of price-focused consumers rising from the current 5% of at-need families to almost 20%. I see more pressure on the amount of revenue generated per call due to limitations on consumer spending, shortfalls on preneed crediting rates and the increasing preference for cremation. Unfortunately, any time businesses experience […]
April 18, 2023
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on April 18, 2023
Curtis Rostad on April 18, 2023If you grew up on a farm you probably learned that PTO stands for “power takeoff’ and that it is the connection point on a tractor for other implements and attachments. But today we will be talking about PTO as “Personal Time Off’ or “Paid Time Off’ as a system to replace the traditional vacation, sick leave, and personal leave policies that you may be presently using. Simply put, PTO combines vacation time, sick leave, and personal time into one “bank” of time-off available to your employees as the need or desire arises. Employees have more flexibility for a work-life balance while no longer having to be untruthful or deceitful when obtaining time-off. You don’t have to have a very large operation with very many employees before you will recognize that you have at least one “warrior” and one “wimp” […]
April 18, 2023
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on April 18, 2023
Nicole Vullo on April 18, 2023Bringing your marketing blueprint to life requires a solid plan but also the flexibility to try new things and change what doesn’t work. I recently finished a book in which the main character and I shared a few things in common. We both love football and we both use algorithms in our careers. Her algorithms were focused on using data to analyze and predict game strategies and mine are focused on crafting the appropriate elements for a marketing strategy. Now, if only I could also marry the star NFL quarterback like she did… But I digress. Every marketing and social media platform uses an algorithm, and whether you like it or not, you need to understand it to be successful in marketing your funeral home or cemetery business. The algorithms determine which content people see every time they check the […]
April 18, 2023
Published by 
Doug Gober on April 18, 2023
Doug Gober on April 18, 2023One of the great debates in funeral service today is whether you should display your merchandise or offer a digital catalog for your client families to look at. We asked Doug Gober to provide insight and guidance on this important topic. Question: Should I display my casket, vault or urn merchandise in my funeral home or just have a digital catalog? Doug Gober: The key elements to this question are information and control. Ask yourself the following: how does the consumer access information? For today’s consumer, it is mostly online. However, is that the best methodology for a consumer to purchase an unfamiliar product combined with an unfriendly state of mind? Most product purchases made today that are infrequent, higher priced purchases that are not routine are usually done in a positive state of mind. As funeral home owners and […]
March 22, 2023
Published by Curtis Rostad on March 22, 2023
Curtis Rostad on March 22, 2023Each and every day, we use social media whether for business or personal needs. As owners and operators of funeral homes and cemeteries, what are the guidelines for implementing social media policies and can an employee be fired for the content they post? Our Director of Regulatory Compliance, Curtis Rostad provides his insights to this important question below. Question: Can an employee be fired for something posted on Facebook or other social media? Curtis Rostad: In an at-will state, an employee can be terminated for any reason that is not illegal. An employee could not be fired for instance, if they are directing their communication to other employees in an attempt to organize or unionize. An employee cannot be fired for a discriminatory reason. Some labor laws and whistleblower statutes protect workers who complain truthfully about unsafe work conditions, illegal […]
March 21, 2023
Published by Nicole Vullo on March 21, 2023
Nicole Vullo on March 21, 2023If you are planning to sell your funeral home or cemetery business, there are many factors to consider. One that is extremely important in 2023 is the rise of interest rates. Our M&A Analyst, Sierra Heil provides her insight on this vital question. Question: How can I sell my business if interest rates are rising? Sierra Heil: Over the past 20 years, the deathcare industry has undergone significant consolidation. Many industries have become more focused on convenience and value leading to the emergence of large national chains in an industry that at one time was entirely run by independent local providers. As the baby boomer population ages, many people live outside of the areas they were born or away from younger family members, and families often appreciate when firms offer a wide range of services and options for their loved ones. […]
March 20, 2023
Published by 
John McQueen on March 20, 2023
John McQueen on March 20, 2023Learn How to Attract the Right Help & Retain the Staff You Have Drive down Main Street in almost any town throughout the United States and a common sight are signs that consist of two words: “Help Wanted” or “We’re Hiring”. Based on a 2022 funeral industry survey and report, between 2020 and 2030, the U.S. Total Employment Growth Rate is expected to be 7.7%. Of course, the report also shared that the growth rate in the funeral profession is going to be a dismal 4.0%. So how does this compare to other trades in the service industry? According to the Employment Projections by Projections Managing Partnership, bartenders are expected to increase 32.5% and barbers will increase 17.5% during the same period. In addition, dental hygienists will increase 11.2%, EMTs and paramedics by 10.9%, and electricians by 9.1%. What does […]