October 30, 2025
Published by 
Foresight on October 30, 2025
Foresight on October 30, 2025Written by Wendy Russell Wiener, Managing Member, WRW Legal and Liz Apolonio, Legal Administrative Assistant, WRW Legal Target identified – CHECK! (with the help of Foresight, of course!) Letter of Intent – CHECK! Due diligence complete – CHECK? Asset Purchase Agreement – CHECK! Closing – NOT SO FAST! So many states require prior approval of a change of ownership of a cemetery, funeral home or crematory; yet so many buyers and sellers overlook the requirement in their rush to the closing table. Every week clients approach us at WRW Legal to help them secure approval from their state regulator for the change of ownership they have planned. Recently, we were lamenting, if only there were a way for us to get the word out that getting those applications in early is crucial! What you should know and do: Know your […]
October 30, 2025
Published by 
Welton Hong on October 30, 2025
Welton Hong on October 30, 2025Written by Welton Hong, Ring Ring Marketing One spring morning, a funeral director in Ohio logged into her email and found a pleasant surprise. A family had attended her grief support group the night before, and when she asked how they discovered it, the answer was simple: “We saw a question about it on your Google listing.” That question had been posted weeks earlier by someone browsing the funeral home’s Google Business Profile. The funeral director had answered promptly, and her response wasn’t just seen by the original poster — it became a lasting, public message for anyone searching for comfort and guidance. In a profession built on trust, that digital interaction had a ripple effect, opening the door for more families to connect with her services. But starting this fall, that kind of online visibility may look very different. […]
September 26, 2025
Published by 
Gabriel Ngo on September 26, 2025
Gabriel Ngo on September 26, 2025A 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
Published by Welton Hong on September 25, 2025
Welton Hong on September 25, 2025Written 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
Published by 
Nicole Vullo on September 25, 2025
Nicole Vullo on September 25, 2025Written 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 […]