Illinois Cemetery Oversight Board comes into existence-Your Funeral Guy

Parts of the Illinois  Cemetery Oversight Act  take effect today. To sum up The Cemetery Oversight Board comes into existence today. This is part  the Legislation that the Illinois Governor Quinn signed into law before the election in February.

The cemetery Oversight Task Force was set up in response to the Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal of  July 2009. The center of the legislation is to move cemetery regulation into the Illinois Department of  Financial and Professional Regulation, and the Cemetery Oversight Board.

This new board is an integral part of a wider, more comprehensive regulatory framework enacted to protect families in their dealings with cemeteries, funeral directors, and embalmers,” IDFPR Secretary Brent E. Adams said.

The creation of a nine-member Cemetery Oversight Board was a major component of the law that resulted from the many reforms and recommendations of the Cemetery Oversight Task Force.

via cbs2chicago.com

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

Burr Oak Cemetery Scandal 9,000 Graves beyond capacity-YourFuneralGuy

Burr Oak Cemetery: Illegal grave stacking has this scandal ridden site beyond capacity

The Burr Oak Cemetery is 9,000 graves beyond capacity. This according to Cook County Sheriff  Tom Dart. The Burr oak cemetery Scandal was one of the top funeral scandals in 2009 and the past decade. In July 2009,  4 people were arrested  and  over three hundred graves were found desecrated.

The legal impact on the owners of the company, Perpetua, Inc has  not been revealed. How could the owners not have know?. How could the executives at this neglectful company not be aware? Mismanagement definitely. Fraud Maybe. What will be the effect of this information on the many Burr Oak Cemetery Lawsuits?

Snippet:

CHICAGO — Law enforcement officials say a new study shows thousands more people may be buried at a suburban ChicagoCemetery than the land is supposed to hold.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart says the study suggests the practice of stacking caskets on top of each other or simply discarding remains was far more common at Burr Oak Cemetery than they suspected.

via www.forbes.com

Sheriff Dart has handled this scandal well. But their appears to be no relief for those families who are victims of this national tragedy

The lesson for the funeral consumer here is to to research information on the funeral  or cemetery provider you do business with.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your funeral Guy Funeral Director, Illinois, Virginia

Average cost of A Funeral-$7,622 per Year-NFDA|by yourfuneralguy

Average cost of the funeral is $7,622.00-National Funeral Directors Association

The National Funeral Directors Association has declared the Average Cost Of a Funeral to be $7,622.00 per year. The previous figure listed for average  funeral cost at the NFDA website was $7,323.00 per year. This figure does not include cemetery costs but does include a casket and a vault. Most Industry experts put the average cost of a funeral in the United States at $10,000 in 2009.

Snippet from the  Daily Journal .com in Kankakee,Illinois.

“According to the Wisconsin-based National Funeral Directors Association, our nation’s sluggish economy is taking a toll on the funeral industry.

The group reports that the average cost for adult funerals in Illinois that include a casket and vault is $7,622. Yet, some families are spending less than that by choosing cheaper caskets and urns, reducing services and events — for instance, shorter visitation hours, or foregoing a graveside service — and purchasing fewer flower memorials.”

The average cost of a funeral has been trending downward. Cremation has been on the rise. Still the National Funeral Directors Association Lists a  higher average for funeral expenses.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Historical Casket At AA Rayner and Son-YourFuneralguy

The historical Emmet Till Casket is at the AA Rayner & Son Funeral Home in Chicago. This is where the civil rights, martyrs casket is now located. There the casket will be restored and moved to a new location.

The family chose this funeral home partially because that is where the slain teenager lied in state after he was murdered in 1955.

The current owners of Burr oak cemetery were the casket was left to rot are directly responsible for this act of disrespect to the black community. The corporation is Perpetua Inc.

Charles Childs Jr is the co owner of the Funeral Home AA Rayner and Son.

The fact that his funeral home holds this historical relic should not bring Mr. Childs immunity from investigation in the IFDA Preneed Trust Ponzi Scheme. (see previous post).

Charles Childs Jr, was president of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Trust Fund tanked in 2006 and 2007.

Reports now are that the fund, has now lost 100 million dollars.

Funeral Industry|FuneralBlog by YourFuneralGuy.

ponzi tidbits graphic from Ponzi Website.

Emmit Till

From Source Wikepedia

“In July 2009, while his gravesite appeared undisturbed, his original casket, in which his battered body was famously displayed, was found rusting in a run-down shack on the [Burr Oak]cemetery grounds.”

Born	Emmett Louis Till July 25, 1941(1941-07-25) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	August 28, 1955 (aged 14) Money, Mississippi, U.S.

Colorado Fines “Neptune Society” 1.2 Million-YourFuneralGuy

Colarado has Fined The Neptune Society

Funeral and  Cemetery Preneed Corruption is not limited to Illinois. Recently the State of  Colorado fined the Neptune Society for violating Preneed Law.

The Neptune Society agreed to pay 1.2 Million for violations of Colorado Insurance Law. This is according to the Colorado Division of Insurance.

Neptune did not not place 75 percent of the prearranged funds (preneed funds) into the appropriate trust.

In the last several blog posts we have seen many of the problems that Funeral Preneed creates, from grave desecration to the taking of people’s money

According to the Claims Journal.com:

“Consumers purchase pre-need funeral contracts to provide peace of mind for themselves and their family members,” said Insurance Commissioner Marcy Morrison. “It is our responsibility to be sure consumers’ interests are protected into the future. This agreement spells out our expectations for Neptune’s business practices to be sure the money is available when it is time for consumers to use the services.”

THE BEST PEACE OF MIND IS NOT TO DO FUNERAL OR CEMETERY PRENEED.

Funeral industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Batesville Revenue points to Funeral industry Decline-YourFuneralGuy

Batesville Casket Had a 17.1% decline in net income, a bad sign for the funeral business.

The largest casket maker in the United States has posted a 17.1% decline in net income in their 2nd Quarter of 2009. This is another indication of  more decline in the funeral business. (Numbers here do not include litigation costs and spin off adjustments)

Hillenbrand Inc- Batesville Casket Co.

“Kenneth Camp, president and chief executive officer of Hillenbrand, Inc said, “The funeral services industry has experienced a decline in burials that is largely consistent with a mild influenza and pneumonia season, combined with an increase in cremations that may be more pronounced in the current economic environment. There also has been more intense competition in both the casket and cremation businesses.-(rttnews.com)

Excluding costs, net income was $28.6 million, down 17.1% from $34.5 million in the prior yearquarter.-(rttnews.com)

Batesville casket  did post a profit due to the reduction of operations-but operations cannot be reduced forever. A 17.1 decline in net income paints a steep decline in the casket end of the US  funeral industry. Not only was  there more cremation and  less burial , there was a significant  threat to the US funeral industry in the rise of high quality Chinese Casket imports.

That is  part of the rise in more intense competition.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Source(rttnews.com)

post updated at 12:54 Am on May13th 2009 due to inaccurate info fron 1st source.( revenue decline was 10.8% not 22%)

NYSE:SCI Midwest Cemetery Mistreats Veteran’s Family-yourfuneralguy.

The World's Largest Cemetery Corporation ripped Memorials from a Veterans grave site without notifying the family.

“A Evansville Indiana Veterans  family has been mistreated by Service Corporation International(SCI). SCI is the World’s Largest  Funeral and Cemetery Corporation. Twice in one month SCI has been  exposed disrespecting the dead. Soldiers who die in  Military Conflict deserve a sacred honor.

It is hard to take. This time SCI removed sacred memorials attached to a grave stone of a soldier who died in Iraq. This all happened at Alexander Memorial Park in Evansville, Indiana. The article appeared at the courierpress.com.

It seems that SCI does not find it hard to mistreat Veterans Families. Earlier the month SCI was caught abusing Veterans Corpses at the Falls Church, Virginia National Funeral Home. This all went down in the midwest  in Evansville, Indiana. The title of the article in Evansville, Indiana’s Courier & Press sums what the SCI Cemetery did. “Mementos stripped from Grave“ In fact an IRAQ veteran’s mother’s memories were actually ripped from the grave site.

Snippet From the Article: Peggy “Hammond  vowed to turn the grave at Alexander Memorial Park on Evansville’s West Side into a welcoming refuge where family and friends could escape their grief: She set up small flags, placed a few personal mementos nearby and attached decals by Pfender’s name.

For more than three years, it worked, with friends, family and Hammond visiting frequently and finding comfort there, she said.”

But about two weeks ago, she arrived to find all of the items gone…..”

The Sad thing is that Peggy Hammond had spent &45,000 Dollars on the Grave Site Memorial.

The SCI Cemetery removed the memorials from the grave without no notice or Explanation to the Family!

It is no wonder that Service Corporations Cemetery operations were down 59% in the the last quarter of the year!

If you own NYSE: SCI stock you have a moral obligation to dump their stock!

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A FUNERAL HOME NEVER CHOOSE AN SCI FUNERAL HOME NO MATTER WHAT!

There is a strong case for grave desecration here.

Funeral industry| Funeral Costs Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

How to Stay Below Average Funeral Cost-Rent The Casket-Your Funeral Guy

One way to stay under the average cost of a funeral and have a low cost funeral is to rent the casket. This is an option that folks have employed in good times and bad to have  lower funeral cost.

Your Funeral Guy has some experience with this- most excellent caskets run well above $2000 USD. Even in expensive funeral homes a casket can be rented for a funeral traditional  for $1000.00 USD.

Renting a casket in most cases means there is a cremation afterwards. A traditional service does not have to be had at a funeral home when had at a funeral home. In fact you can have the service at church or a community center.

In this case you  cutting out the cemetery and having a funeral service. It is the opposit of the low cost option of having the service at the cemetery and cutting out the funeral service.

The strategy employed here will require the purchase of an urn.

Funeral Industry -Funeral Cost Blog by your Funeral Guy.

If you want more information on coming under the average cost of a funeral visit yourfuneralguy.com

Source-the life and funeral experience of Your Funeral Guy

Service Corp Inc sales drop, Average Cost of a Funeral Down-yourfuneralguy

According to SCI (Service Corporation International) It’s Cemetery operation Sales were down 59% in the Fourth Quarter. This means the Average Cost of a Funeral is going down. Service Corporation International is the largest funeral corporation in the world.

Quoting from the Press Release:

“Cemetery operations were more susceptible to economic and financial market conditions, with comparable gross profit decreasing $28.4 million or 59%, driven by lower preneed sales, lower trust fund income recognized and less cemetery property construction revenue.”

They stated that there was a  a reduction in preneed cemetery sales. Translation-folks just are not buying burial property.

This statement coupled with the continued rise in cremation as reported in media sources means the average cost of a funeral is going down!

In Cremation Vs Burial the lower cost cremation option appears to be the winner in the bad economy.

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

Funeral Cost/Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Source finance.yahoo.com
average cost of a funeral
preneed

YOUR FUNERAL GUY:funeral industry guys on legality of Illinois Funeral Directors Association Lawsuits

Funeral Industry leaders have commented on the legality of the issues of the IFDA lawsuit(s). Some of these comments were made a year ago but they are significant none the less.

For example this from;

Daniel Isard, president of The Foresight Companies in Phoenix, Ariz. This is a preneed expert? Funeral Industry Consultant?

“I don’t think there’s anything illegal,” Isard said. “I don’t think there’s anything immoral about the practice. Certainly, on the surface, it sounds negative. We don’t see it in a lot of other trusts because most other trusts are not that large.”

Then there is the Former IFDA President Charles Childs who was IFDA prez during the early part of the scandal.

“None of us funeral directors have the time or the expertise to manage a trust of this magnitude.” Then why did the IFDA keep a tight grip on the fund and the 300 key guy insurance policies?

Isard , Childs and Slocum’s statement to follow were from reporter Bruce Rushton  in a State- Journal-Register Article, Springfield, Il about a year ago.(Article no longer on the Net available from the newspaper)

And this from Joshua Slocum who sounded prophetic.

“This is a perilous business practice,” said Slocum, who keeps tabs on funeral trust funds across the nation. “It sounds like something you’d hear in a bad mafia movie. You’re taking a gamble that your guys are going to die soon enough.”

Joshua Slocum’s Organization the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) has been sued by the Funeral Poet and  Traditionalist, Thomas Lynch. His family holds NFDA executive positions.

A Cemetery Expert said this less than a year ago on one of my blogs.

“The IFDA is the “fox watching the henhouse”.
I have written a book on this, from a cemetery and crematory aspect, viewable at: http://stores.lulu.com/cemops2007
I also have a website: http://www.cemops.com“

You can check out his full comment at this Blog in the post from February 25th 2008.

“Your Funeral Guy: Comment Made on the IFDA TRUST SCANDAL#1(Funeral Cost)”

It seems that Charles Childs and Daniel Isard need to investigate the spelling of Ponzi. Repeat after me guys: Ponzi Scheme

Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy.