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In case you haven’t opened your eyes in the past 30 years, the funeral business has changed. It has changed from a business model based on merchandise to a business model based on service. Click here to read more  Not Your Father’s Casket August 2014 AFD

As a reminder to readers, last month I promised that in the August column I would be writing in rhyme à la Dr. Seuss since I live my life following the basic storyline of the creation of this man (by the way, my favorite is If I Ran the Zoo). So, we are going Seussical! I’ll call this column Horatio Sees Ratio. Horatio sees a ratio. He sees ratios high and low. But before reading my last two columns, Horatio didn’t know a ratio from radicchio. Click here to read more Re-engineering Your Overhead Ratios – The Conclusion-August 2014- Finance 101-The Director

…funeral home  owners are not respecting the largest expense in their operation. I have found that more time is spent maintaining the $50,000 hearse than the $300,000 staff!   Click here to read more Why We Need to Manage Our Human Resources – The Director August 2014  

Congratulations! Your small business has finally become profitable and now you can afford to pay yourself. You may have worked for free in the early days and now it’s time to pay  yourself for your efforts. Accounting Newsletter August 2014

If I were Shakespearean, I’d have a soliloquy that began, “Ratio, Ratio, wherefore art thou, Ratio?” As I shared last month, I find ratios simply wonderful. In June, we covered operating ratios and those demonstrating revenue trends. This month, we’ll focus on the costs of doing business. Click here to read more of this article Re-engineering Your Overhead Ratios – Part 2-July 2014- Finance 101-The Director

Time for Your 6 Month Budget Review      If the year is producing more revenue than budgeted, this is not the time to spend more money, but you can go into the closet and giggle a bit! Accounting Newsletter July 2014

In order for there to be an innovative solution, there has to be a problem. In order to be innovative, the idea must be new and creative. I would venture to add that any idea that the death-care profession is going to implement – especially when it pertains to consumers – must be simple and logical. Pricing Impressive Innovative Solutions – June 2014 AFD

If I asked you to write a story about a funeral home or cemetery in the year 2114 what would the story be? The Cemetery of the Future June 2014 CEM

Nothing is sexier to a finance geek than ratio analysis – the relationship of numbers to other numbers. If you think one set of data points rocks, you can’t imagine how much my blood pressure rises when I get to look at two sets of data points intersecting with each other! The only thing more erotic is… Re-engineering Your Operating Ratios – June 2014 Finance 101 The Director

Reading Financial Statements If you can read a nutrition label or a baseball box score, you can learn to read basic financial statements. If you can follow a recipe or apply for a loan, you can learn basic accounting. The basics aren’t difficult and they aren’t rocket science.