June 23, 2025
Published by 
Chris Cruger on June 23, 2025
Chris Cruger on June 23, 2025Plotting the transfer of ownership of your firm –something you should start right now. Written by Chris Cruger and Jared Tanke In 2023, NFDA conducted a succession-planning study that provided valuable insights into how funeral home owners plan to exit the profession. One of the notable findings was that 55% of respondents said they would prefer to sell or transfer their business to a family member or key employee. This reflects how deeply rooted many funeral homes are in their communities. Unlike many other businesses, funeral homes often are tied to the identity of the owner and their values and service legacy. Maintaining continuity through trusted family or team members is a natural choice, but it’s a complex one, too. Succession planning isn’t just about naming a successor and stepping aside. It’s about ensuring the long-term stability of your business, […]
June 23, 2025
Published by 
Jarod Bernat on June 23, 2025
Jarod Bernat on June 23, 2025Intentional, transparent communication must be integrated into every step of your succession plan. Within the funeral profession – a field built on tradition, legacy and long-standing community ties –succession planning carries a particularly emotional and operational weight. The transition of leadership from one generation to the next is about ownership and financial continuity but also about the preservation of trust, culture and relationships cultivated over decades. At the heart of this delicate process lies a single powerful tool: communication. Communication is not just a helpful part of succession planning; it is the very foundation that determines whether a transition is smooth and successful or fraught with conflict, confusion and frustration. In a profession where trust is paramount, the way leaders communicate with their successors, staff, clients and community can make or break the legacy they worked so hard to build. […]
June 23, 2025
Published by 
Stephanie Ramsey on June 23, 2025
Stephanie Ramsey on June 23, 2025True Stories of the Everyday Funeral Business Owner Scenario: Meet Tony Morgan (age 54), owner of Morgan Funeral Home and Cremation Services. Tony’s business consists of a single location in the Midwestern United States, serving approximately 160 families annually. Tony began his business from scratch 25 years ago. Tony worked hard to make his dream of ownership come true. He raised the equity and qualified for a loan that allowed him to buy the real estate and build a reasonably sized funeral home that met the needs of the community that he decided to serve. It was a rural community that did not have a provider when he began his business. Over time, Tony expanded his location to provide additional space within the facility, parking, and cremation by purchasing the adjoining real estate. The growth he has experienced has been […]
June 6, 2025
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on June 6, 2025
Nicole Vullo on June 6, 20252025 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study Insights Summary DOWNLOAD NOW Insights in Action: How Consumer Attitudes and Behaviors Shape the Future of Your Business Model For six years, Foresight has been surveying consumer attitudes and behaviors regarding funeral services and the cemetery profession. This research aims to deliver meaningful, fact-based insights that empower our profession to stay ahead of evolving trends. In the last three years, we’ve expanded our research to include funeral and cemetery professionals. This dual-perspective approach reveals an unsettling truth: a profession often out of sync with consumer expectations, and in some cases, actively resisting market changes. Many businesses lack a strategic long-term plan to engage with an increasingly non-traditional and evolving consumer base. We delve into the disconnect between the profession and the consumer, highlighting key findings from our research. You will gain actionable […]
May 22, 2025
Published by Nicole Vullo on May 22, 2025
Nicole Vullo on May 22, 2025Written by Alan D. Wolfelt PhD As you know, there are many families out there who are more difficult to satisfy than in the past. Some observers have noted that today’s consumers are “never satisfied customers.” Many of the families you serve are not familiar with the value of funerals. In addition, we now live in a culture that is convenience and efficiency oriented. These are only two of the many factors that have influenced why some families consider holding “parties” as opposed to meaningful funeral ceremonies. In the face of these challenges, it seems those of you committed to the future of funeral service confront an important choice. On the one hand, you can decide to give up and project that it is the difficult family’s problem. On the other hand, you could work to really listen to the […]