mentioned in press ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION LAWSUIT-your funeral guy

Posted by special request. We will name names here in reference to the two Scandals Illinois Funeral Directors  Association Trust Scandal(IFDA). and the National Prearranged Services Scandal.(NPS)In the last week significant statistics, names and other  information has been mentioned in the press.

Names will be named here if they have been mentioned in the Press. This applies to IFDA (Illinois Funeral Directors Association) members/directors/employees  as well as long as they are named in newspapers, online publications or other national media.

If you are a politician and are in county government, State, local, or federal office I may name you at my privately owned sites if I have direct evidence connecting you to the scandals. This will go for IFDA leaders who have made comments on my blogs as well. Both the IFDA and the NPS disasters have gone on for too long and hurt too many people. Current IFDA Employees/members/officials/ board members who Have E-mailed me may also be named at sites I own.

Some of the information I need to release so funeral directors and consumers will not be damaged again in the future as the have by NPS and the IFDA.

Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Statistics ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION LAWSUITS by Your Funeral Guy

Any time anyone misapplies trust funds the members suffer. In the Funeral preneed/industry this is compounded by the fact that funeral directors have to cover expenses by raising prices. Funeral Cost is raised.

Here are numbers  on the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Lawsuits. These come from articles in the Springfield paper the State Journal Register, and the Chicago Tribune.  These articles appeared on February 4th 2009. If statistics come from yourfuneralguy it will be noted.

Illinois Funeral Directors Association Statistics:

From the Tribune Article:

IFDA Preneed trust Fund Value before mark down $300 Million

Six Funeral Directors plaintiffs in one lawsuit.

Two Preneed contract holders in another lawsuit that seeks class action.

IFDA told the Tribune February 3rd that it wrote down the Fund by $50 Million USD+.

$190 Million was applied to 300 Key Guy insurance Policies for Funeral Directors around the State (from Your Funeral Guy)

49,000 Illinois residents participate in the trust fund.

Average individual contract is $6,000 USD.

In a Five Year time frame the Illinois Funeral Directors Association took 8.5 million USD in excessive management fees.

From the  and the State Journal Register Article February4th.

Since 2006 The IFDA Fund deficit has grown by 20 Million USD.

Quoting from the article:

” Since 1996, the IFDA and its political action committee have contributed nearly $263,500 to politicians and political parties. Nearly $98,000 of those contributions took place after June 2006, when the comptroller’s office sent the warning letter to the IFDA.”

IFDA’s latest  tax return shows.

$24,600 for board meetings,

$68,000 on automobiles,

$22,000 for lobbyists.

Actual figure of the IFDA Preneed Trust write down last fall is 59 Million.

Quoting from the Article.

“House Speaker Michael Madigan has been among the group’s biggest beneficiaries, collecting $16,000 in contributions, twice what he collected from the IFDA and its political action committee during the previous decade.”

The IFDA has not opened it’s books to anyone but the Comptroller of the State of Illinois. They were ordered to do that. The question remains How much was Senator Burris paid by the IFDA?

Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Politicians-Illinois Funeral Directors Association Lawsuit by Your Funeral Guy

Politicians are involved in the Illinois Funeral Directors Scandal. This should come as no surprise. Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Illinois Senator Roland Burris have been named in recent news articles. Madigan in a State -Journal- Register Article, a Springfield, Illinois newspaper.

Burris and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes have been named in most all the News articles on the Subject. World Net Daily a conservative internet publication was the first to break the story on these two.

It is my opinion that Senator Burris is a culprit in this story. I also believe that Dan Hynes has a white hat on here. Hynes came in second behind Barack Obama in Obama’s  Illinois Senate race.

Everyone from US Senators,Illinois State House Representatives, Illinois State Senators, County Coroners are all involved. Some of these locals are named here.

It should be noted that all funeral directors are required to be politicians. If one works at a funeral home one is required to be involved with a community organization,politics my friend. Funeral Directors in general have a political connection to newspapers and media because they generally control obituaries a key elenent in any news business.

So the Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA) board members, members,  lawsuit participants and funeral homes  involved with  the IFDA  Preneed Trust  are all politicians.

Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Your Funeral Guy: Funeral Films Coming Soon.

There are several Funeral Films coming to a theater near you. These are comedies. Comedy about Funerals can get you to think and plan your lower cost funeral.

I have already mentioned the Chris Rock co-written American remake of the British 2007 Film Death at a Funeral.

Variety reports on the American version.

Now Bill Murray, Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek are getting into the funeral  act in a film called “Get Low” The Film recounts a story from 1938 where a guy staged his own Funeral.

Murray and Lucas Black play Funeral Home co-owners. Duvall plays the Guy who staged the Funeral.

Generally speaking staging a funeral is a luxury scenario available to the rich about learning how it feels to be at your own funeral.

MTV reported on this one.

Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Newsworthy-Illinois Funeral Directors Association Lawsuits-Your Funeral Guy.

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association Lawsuits are newsworthy on the average cost of a funeral. Every time a preneed trust fund misapplies your funeral money it costs you the consumer. Funeral Directors lose and they pass the cost on to you.

Recently News Articles, Feb.3,4 2009 have appeared.

These articles name more facts. -Chicago Tribune

• 6 Illinois funeral directors sue own trade group
• and Springfield,IL Newspaper the State Journal Register:
  

• Tax records: Funeral trust fund officials spent money on themselves

The Chicago Tribune Article names places,and  the Illinois Comptroller.

The Springfield Journal Register article names $$, who was paid out of the fund and who may have been paid out of the fund-Senator Roland Burris (D-IL)

There is also a years worth of backgound research available on the Illinois Funeral Directors Association at

http://www.lowercostfuneral.com/rbrianblog

I have declared the average cost of a funeral in 2009 to be $8,500 USD.

Check out my blogs for more information on this.

Your Funeral Guy.

News-ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION LAWSUITS-yourfuneralguy

Recently there have been a number of articles on The Alleged Ponzi Scam regarding  the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and their IFDA Preneed Trust fund.

Today it was reported on the Capitol Fax Blog.

http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/

This is a place for political insiders on the Hill in Illinois, the Illinois legislature. It requires a $350 a year subscription.

Yesterday the story was reported at Galesburg.com Like Springfield, IL where the IFDA is headquartered, Galesburg is a Central, IL town in (three articles.)

Articles- Titles at the online home of the Register Mail Newspaper.

“Funeral Home Lawsuit alleges Ponzi Scheme”

“Customers Sue over Funeral Home Investments”

“Funeral Homes required to cover Preneed Contracts”

If you missed the original story you can go here to read it.

“The IFDA was reported as an alleged  Ponzi SCAM in Lawsuit and the Press Sunday at an Illinois Newspaper. There are now 2 Lawsuits.”

http://www.sj-r.com/homepage/x966359914/Funeral-fund-is-focus-of-lawsuit-alleging-Ponzi-scheme

This blog on the funeral industry is by Your Funeral Guy, Author, funeral director, State of Illinois.

Revelations:ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS LAWSUIT-yourfuneralguy

New information has come out on the Funeral Industry/Funeral Cost /Preneed Scam of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association.

There are two Lawsuits. The Class Action one referred to in a previous post and a new one regarding six funeral homes. As midnight approached in Illinois  last night a State Journal Register (SJR )(Newspaper) reporter in Springfeild, IL broke the story.

The Newspaper reported it as a Ponzi Scam like the Madoff  situation on a smaller scale. The Senator Burris situation was addressed.

The 300 Key Guy Insurance issue was addressed. But we still do not know who these guys are?

Where is the money? Some of it is with Merrill Lynch and Bank of America. Where is the rest?

What IFDA board member received a loan out of the trust?

What was Senator Burris paid in 2007? Out of the IFDA Preneed Trust?

Will the IFDA board take the heat?

What politician will fall? Burris or the local State Senators and State Reps?

What about  the county coroners in the State of Illinois who knew about this?

Will Bank of America dump the IFDA Trust Agreement now?

Hec, I ‘m tired. Just Go read the article here.

Blog by Your Funeral guy

It all is just another reason why the average American should not involve oneself with preneed.

Your Funeral Guy: Real Sleeping Beauty Funeral TV.

On Feb.3rd 2008 the real sleeping beauty will be on Funeral TV. Yes there is a glass casket but to date there has been no prince charming. This sleeping beauty was buried before the Walt Disney character was born.

It is all going to happen on the National Geographic Channel,  9pm Check out the amazing pic  in advance below along with some of the story.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/01/090126-sicily-mummy.html

Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Funeral Industry folks will  find this especially interesting.