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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...
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,...
Todd Carlson, EVP and Chief Sales Officer at Funeral Directors Life, explains. Connecting with people who want to preplan online is difficult if you don't have a way to reach them. You need an option for them to start the preplanning process right from your website...
Funeral livestreaming isn’t going away anytime soon. In fact, 42% of people feel comfortable attending a funeral online - a 121% increase in 10 years. That’s why you need to offer a livestreaming option now. Tyler Ward, Digital Sales Manager with Encore Livestreaming,...
Arkansas Nurses Honor Guard is a nonprofit organization that recognizes and pays tribute to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the nursing profession. They pay tribute to these individuals upon their death at their funeral or memorial service with a...
When a beloved family member passes away, it is important to remember and honor them in the best way that we can. One of the most common ways to do this is through social media posts, as many people now use these platforms as their primary means of communication and...
LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — December 19, 2022 — Selected Independent Funeral Homes’ Educational Trust has announced two new recipients of the Second-Career Scholarship in the amount of $1,500 each. The winners are Alexis Garbrick and Kurtis Wilkinson. This cycle of the Trust’s...
As this column has been memorializing the key points of knowledge I have acquired and want to pass on to you, here’s another to remember: Nothing prevents problems better than writing things down. I have found that many life-changing matters can occur when business...
Nothing is worse for a columnist, especially one in the darkening days of his career, than to repeat himself or herself endlessly. If you do that, you become the print version of that elderly uncle who tells you for the seventh time in two days the same story from his...
I have seen many changes in the funeral service profession during my career. Some of these changes created challenges to the business plan with which funeral directors were indoctrinated, such as cremation and funerals without merchandise. Some involved operating...
In the unlikely event that you don’t make it to work tomorrow, do your co-owners and key employees know what to do to keep things running smoothly in your absence? If you are the type of business owner who is very hands-on and who does it all, consider the following...
The single largest cost of running a funeral home comprises salaries, benefits and employment taxes. Together, they make up employee compensation. In the 1980s, when some casket companies spent $250,000 on their NFDA booth build-out and another million dollars on an...
I got my start in the financial services world by selling life insurance across the kitchen table to young families. Once, as I met with a 20-something couple, the husband told me it was ironic we were meeting because they had just found out the day before that his...
It's officially budget seasonWhat do you really need in your budget for 2023? We put together a list of funeral home essentials to get you started.1. Plan ahead for conventionsThere are 2 things to think about when planning for your trips: which conventions to attend...
SFLIC completes its 62nd year of conducting business with a portfolio of final expense whole life and preneed insurance and service designed exclusively for the funeral profession. SFLIC-62nd-year-announcement-to-AFDA-10-2022Download
As I attempt to transfer the knowledge I’ve learned over five decades in funeral service, I find I must ask questions as often as I answer them. Read Full Article
In last month’s column, I outlined the questions you must address for preneed to serve as a positive part of your business and planning. As noted at the end of that article, I intend to answer those many questions in this month’s article, so please, read on. Read Full...
The first large-scale speech I gave at an NFDA convention was in Orlando in the 1980s. In the room next to me was an industry “expert” whose presentation denounced the use of funeral directors as salespeople and asserted that preneed was an inferior way of promoting...
Planning for the future is a critical task that all companies have to engage with, regardless of how new or old your company is.This series from Dan Isard at The Foresight Companies looks at practical steps and knowledge to help keep the ship stable long into the...
By Welton Hong Twitter recently mined its data, analyzing billions of tweets for the past two years, to discover what's on top when it comes to trends. In its Twitter Trends Report 2022, the social media platform revealed three important considerations for marketers:...
Read the next installment in our tactical series looking at how your funeral home can set up a comprehensive digital marketing plan.Content shared with permission from Funeral Directors Life. 05-VideoDownload
Read the next installment in our tactical series looking at how your funeral home can set up a comprehensive digital marketing plan.Content shared with permission from Funeral Directors Life. 04-Facebook-AdsDownload
Read the next installment in our tactical series looking at how your funeral home can set up a comprehensive digital marketing plan.Content shared with permission from Funeral Directors Life. 03-Google-AdsDownload
AFDA spokesperson Chad Gallagher released the following statement from the board regarding today’s disturbing news story about human remains: “The Arkansas Funeral Directors Association is horrified to learn of human body parts being brokered and sold, most assuredly...
Read the next installment in our tactical series looking at how your funeral home can set up a comprehensive digital marketing plan.Content shared with permission from Funeral Directors Life. 02-WebsiteDownload
Marketing in this day and age can be a mystery. Old tried and true solutions like the newspaper, the yellow pages, and the radio are losing prominence. In their place we have Facebook, Google Ads, and YouTube. If you are like most funeral directors, you are worried...
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. – July 25, 2022 — Selected Independent Funeral Homes will host its 104th Annual Meeting at the Grand Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC, on September 21-24, 2022. The theme for this year’s meeting is “Connect. Collaborate. Celebrate.” Throughout the...
This article was originally published in ICCFA’s Memento Mori magazine and is reprinted here with permission. Welton Hong is the founder of Ring Ring Marketing and the author of Making Your Phone Ring with Internet Marketing for Funeral Homes. Learning the Ins and...
We are often asked about how long specific records should be kept. Discarding records that should be kept poses a wide range of potential tax and legal problems. Keeping reports too long wastes precious space and resources. But how long should the company’s files be...
By Tim Collison, CFSPCopyright: The Dodge CompanyReprinted with permission from the Dodge Magazine One of the basic truths of human existence is that we are all creatures of habit. We develop patterns in almost everything we do, and the longer we continue these...
By Dan Isard The Foresight CompaniesEarlier this year, I turned 68 years old. I mention this because I feel I bear a responsibility to this profession, one that has allowed me to build a company and serve more than 3,000 of its members during my career. While I have...
The Arkansas Department for Health has recently issued new training and guidance both for Funeral Directors and for Medical Certifiers, which walks through the entire process step-by-step. The resources are available as videos showing the actual steps on a computer,...
As families go through the mourning process, it provides a great opportunity for wider community to give wraparound support to the grieving family, for whom much is in turmoil. Here is a guide that can be shared with friends and family of practical ways to lend...
Starting from July 1, 2023 there will be new mileage rates as announced by the IRS.The Internal Revenue Service earlier this month announced an increase in the optional standard mileage rate for the final six months of 2022. Taxpayers may use the optional standard...
We were so glad to see those of you who were able to attend the AFDA Convention at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort. The strength and value of an association like ours is in the members coming together and working as one. Events like our convention and annual banquet...
Hot Springs, Arkansas -- This past weekend the Arkansas Funeral Directors Association held its annual convention at The Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Covid pandemic had prevented the last two annual conventions from taking place, and so it...
Greetings from Selected:Please find the attached Q2 Board Newsletter from Selected Independent Funeral Homes. Selected-Q2-2022-Board-NewsletterDownload
Registration is now open for our 2022 Annual AFDA Convention to be held at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on April 29. You may register online (click here) or use the attached form and mail to AFDA, 523 South Louisiana Street, Suite 222, Little...
LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — March 4, 2022 —Selected Independent Funeral Homes has announced the election of new Board Officers to lead the world’s oldest association of independently-owned funeral homes. Selected’s Board of Directors elected the new Officers who will be...
Lincolnshire, IL Selected Independent Funeral Homes would like to announce their 2022 calendar list of upcoming events. The list includes virtual and in-person meetings, Group Roundtables, and online classes....
Grief doesn’t just break your heart. Grief also causes real physical, mental, and emotional symptoms. In the weeks and months after a loss, you may have a hard time concentrating, sleep too much or too little, and struggle to find the motivation to complete daily...
Derrick McEachern is a Registered Counselling Therapist and a Canadian Certified Counsellor who has been practicing in Nova Scotia since 2006. He is the founder of Five Star Wellbeing Counselling and Mental Health and is the author of the Wellbeing Assessment. Derrick...
LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — January 11, 2022 — The Selected Educational Trust is pleased to announce the inaugural Chester T. French Memorial Scholarship, made possible thanks to a $150,000 endowment from French Funerals – Cremations. This annual scholarship will provide the...
When it comes to cyberattacks, everyone thinks they’re safe. You may think “Why would they want my information?” or “I have nothing to hide.” However, if a cyberattack happens to your funeral home, you’ll realize how detrimental it can be to your business. This guide...
Advice for your funeral home business as we move into the New Year. Read some of the best tips, advice and insights from around the web, to help your firm with all aspects of daily life - from the sublime to the mundane! How SMEs Can Help Employees Save for...
Filing tax returns can be a complex and confusing endeavor, particularly if your funeral home does not have anyone specifically trained in accounting and financial reporting. AFDA has compiled some best practices and tips to help your business stay compliant and...
The AFDA Convention is back!Save the Date for Friday, April 29, 2022 at Oaklawn Resort, Hot Springs for a full day of events, networking opportunities, and our annual Awards Banquet.Keep your eyes peeled for more information over the coming weeks.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Tracy Fetters – Marketing Manager318 East Seventh Street • Auburn IN 46706Phone: 800-827-5151 ext 230 • Fax: 800-747-0716www.messengerstationery.com For Immediate ReleaseRobert “Bob” Hoaglund Inducted into Messenger’s Hall of Fame AUBURN,...
If you’ve recently lost a loved one, you know that the holidays are especially difficult. Holidays are a time where everyone is supposed to be happy. You may feel like you have to put on a false smile and join in traditional celebrations even though you don’t feel...
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Tracy Fetters – Marketing Manager318 East Seventh Street • Auburn IN 46706Phone: 800-827-5151 ext 230 • Fax: 800-747-0716www.messengerstationery.com October 27, 2021For Immediate Release AUBURN, IN – Messenger, a leading provider in...
Selected Independent Funeral Homes is pleased to announce that John E. Keohane, Co-President of Keohane Funeral Home in Quincy, MA has joined the Board of Directors as the Group 1 representative. Read Full Press Release:...