Mid-career professionals with mortgages, families, and years of hard-won identity tied to work are feeling the ground shift under them. AI-driven job disruption can make a steady role suddenly feel fragile, and the emotional impact of automation often lands as...
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How to Navigate a Late Career Change in an AI-Driven World
Mid-career professionals with mortgages, families, and years of hard-won identity tied to work are feeling the ground shift under them. AI-driven job disruption can make a steady role suddenly feel fragile, and the...
How to Ease Financial Stress and Boost Your Mental Well-Being Today
Busy parents juggling childcare, rent or mortgage payments, and unpredictable expenses often carry financial anxiety like background noise that never turns off. The core tension is simple and exhausting: bills keep coming, answers feel unclear, and the mind stays on...
Finding Calm After Loss How to Ease Grief Anxietyand Depression
For adults mourning a parent, partner, child, or close friend, the emotional impact of losing loved ones can feel like more than sadness. Grief after loss can quietly tighten into panic, sleeplessness, and constant dread, and then sink into depression from bereavement...
Moving Forward After Loss – How Widows Can Heal and Rebuild Life
For widows and widowers who are past the initial shock, the quiet can feel unsettling and strangely heavy. The grief transition often brings post-grief challenges that don’t look like constant tears, decision fatigue, loneliness in ordinary moments, guilt when...
How to Create a Warm and Personal Digital Memory Book for Loved Ones
Busy parents coordinating grandparents, siblings, and kids across cities and time zones often feel the same ache: the photos and stories that matter most are scattered across phones, chats, and half-remembered conversations. The core tension is simple, everyone means...
How to Free Your Funeral Business from Debt and Build Lasting Financial Health
For independent funeral business owners and family-run funeral homes, financial debt challenges often creep in quietly while the work stays constant and the expectations stay high. The core tension is simple: cash needs hit fast, but revenue and collections can move...
2026 Convention
Several Arkansans were honored on Thursday, April 30, 2026, by the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association (AFDA). The honors were presented during an awards banquet that serves as the capstone of the AFDA Annual Convention. The Arkansas Funeral Directors Association...
Meaningful Ways to Connect and Honor Loved Ones Before and After Loss
Arkansas funeral directors and families living on the edge of loss face a unique emotional weight: the need to connect deeply while preparing to say goodbye. Balancing everyday caregiving, work, and the realities of pre-grieving creates quiet pressures that are easy...
How to Start a Funeral Home Business in Your Community: A Complete Guide
Starting a funeral home requires a blend of compassion, organization, and business acumen. It’s a unique venture—one that serves families in some of their most difficult moments, while also requiring strict compliance with licensing, facilities, and ethical standards....
Smarter Document Systems for Funeral Homes
You didn’t open a funeral home to swim in paperwork. But here it is, flowing from every drawer, multiplying with every call, and threatening to gum up your already delicate process. A birth certificate scan here, an invoice trail there, a decades-old signed release...
2025 Annual Convention
Thoughtful Ways to Prioritize Emotional and Mental Wellness
Embarking on a journey to enhance your mental well-being can be both exciting and rewarding. By exploring unique strategies, you can find new ways to manage stress and foster a deeper sense of fulfillment in your life. Engaging in mindfulness activities like...
Building Trust: 8 Key Practices to Secure Customer Data in Your New Business
In the funeral industry, the confidentiality and security of customer information are paramount. As you embark on establishing your funeral service business, it's crucial to prioritize data security. Today, Arkansas Funeral Directors Association outlines...
How to Start Fresh in a New Place After a Loss
6 ways to start fresh in a new place after losing a loved one
What to Do When One Parent Needs Assisted Living and the Other Doesn’t
Aging is not for the faint of heart. And watching your loved ones age can be difficult, too, especially when you realize that one parent needs assisted living and the other doesn’t. While the decisions that follow will not be easy, there are some ways to navigate this...
Effective Strategies for Caregivers Balancing Work and Family
As a caregiver for a senior loved one, finding equilibrium between your caregiving responsibilities and personal endeavors can seem daunting. Luckily, there are actionable strategies that can greatly benefit your overall health and happiness. These insights from...
Hospice Care: Preparing Yourself and Your Loved One for the Journey Ahead
When a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness, it's important to have a plan in place for their end-of-life care. Hospice care is often recommended in these situations, as it can provide support and comfort to both the patient and their family. Here’s what you...
2024 Convention Schedule Announced!
Join us for the most impactful and dynamic event of the year – the AFDA 2024 Convention! We're thrilled to announce that the schedule of events has been unveiled, promising a rich time of inspiration, knowledge, and networking opportunities. Prepare to be inspired,...
Facing the Future Together: Tips for End-of-Life Planning Talks
Navigating the conversation about end-of-life arrangements requires delicacy, understanding, and a professional approach. As a funeral industry professional, your role in facilitating these discussions is crucial. This guide, courtesy of the Arkansas Funeral Directors...
Find Solace With These Mindfulness Practices for Navigating Grief
In the labyrinth of life, grief is an inevitable passage that can leave you feeling lost and overwhelmed. Amidst this emotional turmoil, finding a beacon of calm can seem like a daunting task. However, embracing mindfulness practices offers a pathway to navigate...
A Century of Caring: Navigating Family Dynamics, Grief & Marketing in the Death Care Industry
WilbertEDU will be presenting on February 8: "A Century of Caring: Navigating Family Dynamics, Grief & Marketing in the Death Care Industry", hosted by author and speaker Kevin O'Conner. You can register at www.wilbert.com/wilbertedu. This webinar explores...
What Small Businesses Should Watch Out For with AI
Artificial intelligence can be a valuable tool in your toolbox for business needs. However, businesses using or contemplating the use of AI should be mindful of its risks and limitations. This technology is still in its early stages of use and development. Before...
Addiction Treatment Help
Addiction Help is the only addiction and mental health website founded by a board-certified addiction specialist, a long-time recovering addict, and the spouse of an addict. They provide reliable information about addiction and recovery to guide addicts and their...
Pay-Per-Click: Worth the Ad Spend?
By Faith Bennett “Should I run Google Ads this year?” As you begin creating your 2024 marketing plan, you may find yourself asking this question. While Google Ads can help some businesses, they’re not always the right investment for everyone. But first, let’s back up...
Front and Center
The market for preneed trust services is changing, currently being affected by two trends: more families seeking unique end-of-life celebrations but also families that are more budget conscious after two years of surging inflation. It’s those two things – sustaining...
Respectful Rest – Protecting Sensitive Client Data in Funeral Home Services
Keeping clients’ information safe and private is a major responsibility for funeral home service providers. Funeral homes handle sensitive client data – such as financial information and the circumstances surrounding their demise – as a matter of course. If this...
What Happens During the Loan Application Process?
By Live Oak Bank Small business owners often ask us about the loan application process. What is required to apply for financing and successfully complete the process? How long will it take to receive funds? Whether you need financing today or are hoping to gain...
Set Your Marketing Budget for Success, not Failure!
I talk to a fair number of funeral home, cemetery and B2B decision makers responsible for their firm’s marketing activities and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these same folks say: “We tried doing _(fill in the blank)______, and it doesn’t work.” Well, In...
Demystifying AI and Its Role in Funeral Service
Because artificial intelligence has a broad range of practical applications – from automation and data analysis to customer service and gaming – the topic often triggers different responses in different people. AI continues to advance and evolve, driving innovation in...
How could a Small Business Loan Help your Funeral Home?
If you have ever considered taking out a small loan, you are aware of the potential challenges and complexities that can befall you. To help guide you through this, read this breakdown of common loans and the preparation process for this. Live Oak Bank is an...
Death and Social Media
What the families you serve need to know.By Jessica A. Koth Since Elon Musk took the helm of the social media platform. Recently, he made headlines again, but this time, his actions may be impacting the families you serve. In May, Musk announced that Twitter would be...
Positive Business Leadership: Roles Of The Leader
Written by Live Oak BankSmall businesses with positive leadership roles are more likely to have effective management, rewarding cultures and productive teams. Although some individuals have natural talent and excellent leadership skills, all business owners and...
Fight Fire with Fire… Prevention!
Three steps — Let this be a guide in helping prevent a dangerous or deadly fire at your business. Take a look at the following to see how these action items could be applied today. 1. Educate your employees on the consequences of a potential fire at your business.The...
Your Winning Team: Hourly & Part-Timers As A Foundation
By Gabriel Ngo “Culture is defined and created from the top down, but it comes to life from the bottom up” – Mike Smith, former NFL head coach (Atlanta Falcons), 2008 Coach of the Year You are probably already thinking that this quotation is all well and good, but who...
2023 AFDA Convention
Guiding Through Grief: Practical Tips for Cleaning Out a Loved One’s Home
Cleaning out the home of a recently deceased loved one can be an emotionally challenging task. It involves navigating through a sea of memories and making tough decisions about what to keep and what to let go. However, with the right approach, it's possible to...
2023 Consumer Information and Preferences
Making a connection with consumers is key to sustainability for funeral directors. NFDA-StatisticsDownload
The Road to Recovery: Coping with the Loss of a Loved One to Overdose
Losing a friend or loved one to an overdose is a deeply painful experience, leaving you grappling with a storm of emotions. It's a unique form of grief that can be difficult to navigate, often compounded by stigma and judgement. The following strategies, courtesy of...
Protecting Your Funeral Home from Natural Disasters
When it comes to weather and climate disasters, the clock is ticking. As the likelihood of a major climate event impacting your business surges higher each year, disaster recovery planning is critical. Should a climate or weather disaster strike, your employees and...
Determining your Funeral Home’s Market Value
You’re ready to sell your business and use the proceeds to help finance your retirement or your next venture. There are a number of ways to determine the market value of your business. Tally the value of assets. Base it on revenue. Use earnings multiples. Do a...
Why We’ll Still Need Funeral Directors 100 Years from Now
Technology disrupts every industry, and we’ve all been witnesses to it — old GPS systems, replaced by Apple Maps and Google Maps. Production and fulfillment workers, replaced by robotic systems. Old cameras, replaced by iPhones. Blockbuster, replaced by streaming...
Grow Time: Make a Plan to Grow Your Business
We plan everything in our lives, and growing a business should be no different. Planning for smart growth can increase your chances of success. Humans have a natural tendency to focus on our strengths and what we enjoy, then avoid the rest. The business planning...
Grief Brief: Loneliness
Yesterday my brother came to dinner, and our topic of conversation drifted to his recent loss. During our conversation, he said he could handle the loneliness but couldn’t handle being without his wife. I thought our conversation would be an excellent introduction to...
4 Things You Need to Know About Planning Your Own Funeral
At the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association, we know that funeral planning is the last thing people want to do when grieving the loss of a loved one. As such, planning your own funeral is one of the best gifts you can give your loved ones. By planning your funeral...
Selected Leadership Academy Celebrates Graduating Class
2021-2023 Graduating Class Honored as New Participants Welcomed CHICAGO, Ill. – May 10, 2023 — Members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes’ Leadership Academy created another memorable Leadership Conference in Chicago, April 25-28. The event kicked off with...
Pushing Up Daisies: Videos v. Journaling
I often write about the healing power of journaling when it comes to grief recovery. When my grandson died, I found that writing and prayer were the most successful recovery techniques that I practiced. They not only brought me comfort, but they also helped me heal....
Dos and Don’ts of Funeral Surveys
When a family leaves your care, you want to know that you’ve served them well. You likely wonder: How would the family rate their experience with our staff? The building and equipment? The attention to detail? How did they hear about our funeral home? Would they...
Fire Hazard Safety Survey
You’ve worked hard to help make your business successful, but something as small as a frayed electrical cord could turn into a large fire and wind up costing your company millions of dollars. When was the last time you took a fire safety survey and asked yourself...
Key Employee Life Insurance?
As a business owner, you know that your employees are an important asset of your business. Each business has individuals with specialized skills, knowledge, and valuable customer relationships that are critical to its success. If your business relies heavily on key...
On a Scale from 1 to 10, What’s Your Burnout Level?
It's common as funeral service professionals to experience burnout. The nature of the job, including a demanding work schedule and being emotionally available to families, can create a cycle of constant stress and fatigue that expands beyond the workplace into every...
Making Best Impressions
Spring Course Begins April 3 What impression do you make? Do you provide consistently high-quality experiences that families and loved ones remember forever? Making the best impression is key. Making Best Impressions will provide many valuable skills and tips that...