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 […]
January 23, 2023
Published by Dan Isard on January 23, 2023
Dan Isard on January 23, 2023…and How to Beat Them at Their Own Game “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – George Santayana It was in the early 1980s the Federal Trade Commission started to investigate the way funeral homes charged for their services. Back then – more than two generations ago – when a death occurred, the consumer purchased the casket and vault and received all the other services of the funeral home. This included the removal of the body, arrangement planning, preparation of the body, livery of the deceased body and the family as well as the use of the funeral home for a gathering or the funeral home would bring the body to the place of worship for a visitation and/or service. Ultimately, the funeral home brought the casketed body to the cemetery for interment. You got […]
January 23, 2023
Published by 
Curtis Rostad on January 23, 2023
Curtis Rostad on January 23, 2023Have you wondered whether you need to pay employees while they are “on-call” for your funeral or cemetery business? This is a common question we have received when having this type of employee on your staff. Curtis Rostad provides his insights to this important question below. Question: Do I have to pay my employees to be “on call?” Curtis Rostad: In thirty-four states* most employees, including licensed funeral directors, must be paid hourly with overtime for work over 40 hours per week. That makes the “on-call” question especially important. The Wage and Hour Division uses two principles in addressing this issue. The first is “engaged to wait.” The employee is not performing duties, but they are unable to use the time effectively for his or her own purpose. For instance, if they must remain in the building to answer the […]
December 20, 2022
Published by 
Taylor Weber on December 20, 2022
Taylor Weber on December 20, 2022Have you ever wondered why your Gross Profit Margin has such importance when analyzing the strength and performance of your funeral or cemetery business? It is a question that we receive quite often when working with our clients. Our Financial Analyst, Taylor Weber provides informative insights on this important element of your business analysis. Question: Why is Gross Profit Margin important when Foresight performs their Strategic Performance Analysis for my business? Taylor Weber: The Gross Profit Margin is one of the most significant measures for determining your business’s profitability and financial performance. Gross Profit Margin is defined as “a metric that analysts utilize to measure financial health by calculating the amount of money left over from total sales (or revenue) after subtracting the cost of goods sold (COGS) that is sometimes expressed as a percentage of total sales/revenue.” The general […]
December 19, 2022
Published by Dan Isard on December 19, 2022
Dan Isard on December 19, 2022The Hatfields vs. The McCoys; the Cattle Grazers vs. The Sheep Ranchers; David vs. Goliath; North vs. South; Funeral Homes vs. Cemeteries. All of these Polar opposites are competing forces, but none is the equal of the constant battle for dominance or avoidance of fear as the funeral versus cemetery forces. Of the almost 20,000 funeral homes and about 8,000 cemeteries, less than 5% represent a marriage of the Two forces, which we call a “combo.” Over time, the funeral directors were afraid of the cemeteries out competing them, so in some states they passed laws outlawing the combined ownership of funeral homes by cemeteries. In some states, it was never a spoken issue but whispered as a point of concern. In all reality, over my lifetime witnessing the operations of marketing efforts nationwide, the Combo is the high ground […]