Blog

September 26, 2025

Artificial Intelligence, Real Emotion

A personal account of the ways in which AI can preserve memories and facilitate the grieving process. “We should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that … With artificial intelligence, we’re summoning the demon.” – Elon Musk, businessman and entrepreneur, Tesla, SpaceX and X “Artificial intelligence will never be a match for natural stupidity.”– Unknown “A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.” – Alan Perlis, computer scientist and professor, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon and Yale University “In a sense, artificial intelligence will be the ultimate tool because it will help us build all possible tools.” – K. Eric Drexler, engineer and author I usually begin my writings with a quote – sometimes sage, sometimes satirical – to highlight the general […]
September 25, 2025

Flying Blind or Navigating with Data? Why Google Analytics 4 Matters More Than Ever for Funeral Professionals

Written By Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing On a chilly Monday morning, the phone at Harrison & Cole Funeral Home stayed eerily quiet. The funeral director, Melissa, couldn’t understand it. Just two weeks earlier, families were calling steadily about preplanning and immediate services. Now — nothing. Out of curiosity, she looked at her website. The pages loaded slowly, and the contact form seemed broken. If Melissa had been watching her analytics, she would have seen the red flags: a sharp drop in traffic, fewer phone-click events and visitors abandoning the site within seconds. Instead, she was flying blind. That’s where Google Analytics 4 (GA4) comes in. GA4 is Google’s free tool for tracking how people use your website. It replaced the old Universal Analytics system in July 2023 — and for funeral homes, it’s more than just a tech upgrade. […]
September 25, 2025

Ask the Owner: To Sell or Not To Sell

Written By Jen Graziano, Attorney, Licensed Funeral Director NY/CT Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home Independent funeral home owners are facing unprecedented challenges which can force their hands into a premature exit. Labor shortages coupled with declining service revenue margins and increasing overhead costs cause many owners to ponder whether it’s time to hang their hat. Another contributing factor is the decline of generational continuity in the family business. After all, our children have watched us leave the dinner table far too many times to take a death call. The decision to not enter the funeral business has subconsciously been made for them. There is a collective frustration that has permeated the headspace of so many funeral home owners. Repeat families that call upon us often fail to repeat their prior service and merchandise selections. The rising generation of funeral planners […]
September 25, 2025

Partner Disputes and Buyout Planning

Partnerships in funeral service businesses can be both a strength and a challenge. Shared ownership often begins with aligned goals, but over time, differing visions, unequal workloads, or family dynamics can create tension. These disputes don’t just affect the partners involved – they can damage staff morale, disrupt service quality, and ultimately hurt the reputation of the firm in the community. When disagreements escalate, the consequences can be serious. Prolonged disputes can lead to legal battles, financial strain, and missed opportunities for growth. In some cases, they prevent businesses from pursuing acquisitions, expanding facilities, or even maintaining day-to-day operations smoothly. Too often, owners wait until conflict has boiled over before addressing it, rather than being proactive and putting safeguards in place from the start. The most effective way to avoid destructive disputes is to establish clear rules early. This means […]
September 25, 2025

Why We Track Public Funeral Companies and Why It Matters for Yours

If you’re an independent funeral home or cemetery owner, tracking public company performance might seem like something only Wall Street cares about. But the truth is, these companies influence the entire profession, especially when it comes to how buyers think, how valuations are framed, and what success looks like in today’s market. At Foresight, we maintain a quarterly model that tracks the two dominant public players in the funeral profession: Service Corporation International (SCI) and Carriage Services (CSV). We analyze their financials, monitor their growth, and benchmark their performance against trends we see across the country. The goal isn’t to mimic every move they make. It’s to study what’s working, what’s not, and use it as a reference point for private business owners who want to grow, transition, or better understand their own value. What the Data Reveals We track […]
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