March 20, 2023
Published by 
Dan Isard on March 20, 2023
Dan Isard on March 20, 2023What Is the Solution for the Continuity of a Perpetual Business? The age of most companies in the United States is relatively young. Even those huge companies on the Dow Jones (DJIA) are on average barely 20 years old. When we use the concept of a cemetery, they are intended to be perpetual. Perpetual is forever, which is longer than 20 years. While the anticipation of an on-going concern might be into perpetuity, no company on the DJIA can assert that they are committed to running their company in perpetuity. That is what makes a cemetery business so unique. Funeral homes are a bit different in their on-going concern mentality. Funeral home owners have a mentality of a perpetual provider. However, their historical reliance on a building makes the funeral home a business that is immobile. This means the business […]
March 20, 2023
Published by 
Chris Cruger on March 20, 2023
Chris Cruger on March 20, 2023A peacetime army often can be effectively led with good administration and management up and down the ranks, with strong leadership at the top. In wartime, leadership is required at all levels. No one has figured out how to manage people effectively in battle, they simply must be led. I am not suggesting that funeral service and wartime are one in the same. However, I do think this analogy does highlight the reality of the times we are facing in funeral service. The radical changes that have impacted our profession has often made it feel like we are in crisis mode. In general, times have been quite good for most of us in funeral service over the past few years. We have been pushed to the limits but have come out better and stronger for it. The pandemic ushered in […]
March 20, 2023
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on March 20, 2023
Stephanie Ramsey on March 20, 2023Scenario: David Sully has a thriving funeral business in the southern United States comprised of three locations serving more than 700 families. Recently he decided to create a multidenominational funeral home as well as building his own cemetery, crematory and pet cremation business. Given the success of his existing businesses, the current staff did not have the capacity to take on the added responsibilities that would be associated with the new development. Further, they did not have experience in the cemetery, crematory and pet crematory segments. As part of his expansion plans, David anticipated that he would be locating and hiring an entirely new staff to handle the new business enterprise. He carefully thought about the various positions and interviewed cemetery, crematory and pet crematory owners to understand the number of employees and the positions that he would need to […]
March 20, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on March 20, 2023
Dan Isard on March 20, 2023A cobbler with no shoes is just unheard of, and a funeral director without an estate plan should follow suit. How can you – someone who confronts daily the reality of death – ignore the fact that all of us are going to die at some point? If you respect the fact that you will die someday, then you have the right/obligation to plan how you want to transfer your assets to those around you. This article offers some insight into the key points of estate planning. ASSET TRANSFER METHODS There are usually a few things you’ll want to accomplish when creating your estate plan, the first of which involves determining who should be protected by the use of your assets until your death. Next, decide how to provide for the transfer of those assets to the intended parties. Lastly, […]
February 23, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on February 23, 2023
Dan Isard on February 23, 2023It is a simple matter. When you make an advance sale of an interment right, do you at the same time make an advance sale of the Opening/Closing (O&C)? In my 40-year career, I have never seen such a simple question cause so much disagreement. Let me make sure we all understand the description of the simple matter at hand. For any interment, in the ground or above ground, for a caskets interment or an urn inurnment, there needs to be a service for opening the crypt, grave, or niche. Once opened, after placing the human remains in the site, you close the grave or ground niche by refilling earth or closing the door panel of the above ground niche or crypt. It is a simple act. We all charge for it. The question is not whether to charge at […]
February 23, 2023
Published by 
John McQueen on February 23, 2023
John McQueen on February 23, 2023To keep up with change, we don’t need to change cars, we simply need to shift gears. For some, it wasn’t long ago, while for others it’s been decades, but all of us graduated from funeral service school and are licensed to tend to the needs of the dead and those left behind. Disposition of the deceased is the part that makes us funeral directors but caring for our communities is the ingredient necessary to turn the local undertaker into the true funeral professional. Yet for some, the community aspect is the troublesome part. In this age of technology and instant everything, we often lack connectivity to our communities. Many no longer see the need to belong to civic and social organizations because we stay “connected” through social media. The nightly news will soon follow the daily newspaper as the […]
February 23, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on February 23, 2023
Dan Isard on February 23, 2023I just returned from the annual conclave of GIFS (Geeks In Funeral Service), which I have chaired for many years. Our meeting was well attended; we filled every seat in the Volkswagen van we rented (our budget is small). Significantly, every member arrived at the same conclusion: We need to promote a new metric in the financial analysis of funeral homes. You see, before I joined the group in the 1980s, the prior generation of GIFS had created “average revenue per call” and “casketing rate” as key metrics. We used those two stalwart mathematical assessments, along with ratios, to understand “accounts receivable days” and “number of licensees per 100 calls.” Early in my GIFS tenure, we eliminated the word “livery,” which was later to be replaced by “Ubers in the procession.” And now, after exhaustive study, we are prepared to […]
February 2, 2023
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on February 2, 2023
Nicole Vullo on February 2, 2023DOUG GOBER TO BE HONORED WITH THE ICCFA EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION’S LASTING IMPACT AWARD STERLING, VA—January 31, 2023 – The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association’s (ICCFA) Educational Foundation will present its Lasting Impact Award to Doug Gober during the 2023 ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition in Kansas City, Missouri. Doug has logged hundreds of hours as a speaker and educator at deathcare events across the globe and has presented at many ICCFA events including the ICCFA Annual Convention & Exposition, the DEAD Talks Sales Conference, and the ICCFA University. He has earned numerous national awards within the deathcare profession and has served as a consultant for marketing and merchandising projects on an international scale. Doug currently serves on the ICCFA Sales & Marketing Committee. Doug began his career in deathcare 44 years ago as a sales representative for Batesville Casket […]
January 26, 2023
Published by 
Jared Tanke on January 26, 2023
Jared Tanke on January 26, 2023Is one of your goals for 2023 to sell your funeral home or cemetery business? While we are still in the first month of the year, there are various things you need to start now in order to make the transaction a success by the end of the year. Our Senior M&A Analyst, Jared Tanke is back to provide informative insights and the steps you need to take to get the transaction process started. Question: It is my business goal to sell our funeral home in 2023. What do I need to do now? Jared Tanke: To sell your funeral home in 2023, you should start by assessing the current market conditions and determining the value of your business. This is a service that Foresight recommends to all of our clients who are looking to sell, so you can have […]
January 26, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on January 26, 2023
Dan Isard on January 26, 2023Neglecting Your Cemetery Grounds Could Ruin Your Reputation It was like a scene from a Hollywood movie. Coffins were dangling on the side of a building containing burial niches from four stories up. Coffins containing people’s loved ones exposed and in danger of severe damage after the wall of the building known as The Resurrection collapsed on the grounds of the oldest cemetery in Naples, Italy. Pictures certainly are worth more than words when the press grabs a candid shot of such a horrific scene. No one was physically injured in the collapse. But the families of those who dangled were emotionally injured and even held a protest to hold the city officials accountable for their alleged poor management of the public cemetery. Unfortunately, this was the second incident occurring this year at the cemetery. In January, about 300 burial […]
January 25, 2023
Published by Chris Cruger on January 25, 2023
Chris Cruger on January 25, 2023So 2023 is here. The question is what do we do now? The last few years have seen changes in our profession like never before. What used to take years to change, now takes months or weeks. The process of planning for the future is more important now than ever. We have seen incredible challenges in staffing, rising costs, and rapidly changing consumer attitudes. If there is anything to be learned over the past few years, it’s that the business is different today than it was three years ago. You all have seen it; the way we conduct business has simply changed. The pandemic ushered in a new era of funeral service that requires us to plan and adjust quicker than ever before. Some leaders in our profession have been resistant to change; but operating “the way it’s always been” […]
January 23, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on January 23, 2023
Dan Isard on January 23, 2023The first funeral home profit and loss statement I ever saw showed that the firm had spent $30,000 on “escort services.” Back then, my immediate, uninformed reactions were, “That’s not deductible!” and “What a pervert!” I have grown smarter in the past 40 years, and my goal now is to leave this profession smarter and better prepared for the future than it was when I first encountered it in 1985. On New Year’s Eve, as we toast to auld lang syne, we often promise to all within earshot our forthcoming resolutions to do better. Thus, we might promise to lose weight, be a more caring spouse, not curse as much and other superficial things. On New Year’s morning, however, while eating our third doughnut, defending ourselves from the criticism of our spouse for eating three doughnuts and cursing the jelly […]