Batesville Casket Testing Vault Sales after Very Bad Revenue Year-YourFuneralGuy

Batesville Casket  has been testing the sale of Funeral Vaults.  Reasons are revealed here on Why Families do not need  a Batesville Golden casket or any other coffin from the company. Batesville  Financial Reports  have been the worst in recent memory another indication of Funeral Industry Decline.

Reasons are Revealed Here Why You Do Not Need a Michael Jackson Golden Casket or any other "Batesville"

Snippet Batesville 3rd Quarter Results  From RTT:

Revenue came down to $496.0 million from $519.3 million in the same period (9 month) last year.

As I have stated in other corners of the web.

“Batesville and SCI have no choice but to acquire to survive. With Financial numbers and net revenues for the year down in the 10s of millions,you cannot just keep cutting expenses to be profitable….

Batesville is the Largest casket supplier in the United States of America. The official Company Name is Hillenbrand INC(HI). Astute Funeral Industry Observers have known about the Batesville Vault Beta Test.

Detail from  Goria Vault Corporation Web Page-

“Goria Vault Corporation”My purpose in writing today is to advise you of a change in our business. Effective November 16, 2009. Goria sold the molds and intellectual property rights on which our vaults are produced. Goria has closed its burial vault business and have ceased all manufacturing operations and will no longer be a supplier of burial vaults. For a number of reasons, we felt the time was appropriate and are confident we made the right decision in choosing the reputable organization we sold too.”

Connecting directors.com is reporting that Batesville has purchased  a portion of  Goria Vault  and that the Goria Vault Beta Test is extending into 2010.

A Casket is much more reasonable at Walmart Online.

It is my opinion that  a Family should not purchase the high end Batesville Casket, because you do not need to pay up to and  $25,000 dollars for a golden casket like  the Michael Jackson Family!

THE FUNERAL CONSUMERS ALLIANCE MAY HAVE LOST THEIR ANTI TRUST LAWSUITS AGANST BATESVILLE AND SCI-but  it appears they may be winning the war as these funeral giants experience massive financial and other difficulties.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy

Michael Jackson Golden Casket pic from flickr under under the creative commons license from

DianthusMoon’s photostream

UPDATE ON THE CONNECTING DIRECTORS SIDE OF THIS STORY
UPDATE ON THE BATESVILLE SIDE OF THE STORY.

Celebrity Funeral Director Lawsuit discarded-YourFuneralGuy

The funeral director turned poet has had his lawsuit thrown out of court.

Thomas Lynch the traditional funeral director turned poet has  had his Lawsuit against Lisa Carlson, and the FCA (Funeral Consumers Alliance)thrown in the wastebasket. This was a libel suit for $75.000.oo USD.  The US District Court of Eastern Michigan stated that there was no defamation or libel.

The court also found that some of the statements that were cited as libel were indeed true.

Thomas Lynch is the defender of the traditional funeral and the role of the traditional funeral director. These points of view have come under fire due to scandal and the economy.

Funeral Industry Funeral Blog By Your Funeral Guy.

Source: FCA

Your Funeral Guy: Five Unconventional ways to lower funeral cost.

In this blog I have mentioned many ways to lower funeral cost. Here are some not so common ways: 1 Sell your Burial Plot and pursue cremation 2. Go to your county for assistance. 3. Join a consumer alliance  4. Prevent theft of personal property. 5.Do a Home Funeral with the help of the of a Funeral Director who specializes in home funerals.

1 Sell your Burial Plot and pursue cremation. With the economic downturn some folks are taking to selling their burial plots and turning  to cremation.  For some this works. This can be especially useful if you have burial plots you plan not to use.

2. Go to your county for assistance. Many counties provide funeral and burial assistance. Some counties are not so upfront about this. Yes you may have to persistently ask questions. Others are quite forthright.

3. Join a consumer alliance - Join a chapter of the Funeral Consumers Alliance. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) offers excellent funeral cost savings information. Most importantly, less expensive does not mean less honor, less loved, or less service to your loved one. Check out FCA  info it helps.

4. Prevent theft of personal property. This happens more often than you might be aware. A current example is here. This is addressed in Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral. Be sure to keep track of your loved ones personal effects, rings. watches, cash, credit cards.

5.Do a Home Funeral with the help of the of a Funeral Director who specializes in home funerals.Some traditional funeral directors oppose home funerals. They say that most families do not have the strength to do this themselves.  If you have a director who has experience in the home funeral it can be accomplished without much difficulty.

These are Five off main street steps to lower funeral costs and funeral expenses. These will help you come in under the average cost of a  traditional funeral which is a $8,000.00 USD in 2008.

Your Funeral Guy.

Your Funeral Guy: Funeral Cost-Options Caskets up to 1/2 off

According to a recent Funeral Cost ( Newsweek and the FCA) article Caskets can be obtained for 1/2 off from an alternate source or on the internet. According to Newsweek and the FCA:

“The funeral-home defendants are charging about double for caskets that are identical to what you can get elsewhere,” says Gordon Schnell, an attorney representing the class-action defendants. “You can buy caskets privately, on the Internet, at Costco—we want to get the word out that consumers have options.”

Funeral home defendants described here are: the major Funeral Home Corporations and the major casket corporation.These are the major funeral corporations in America.

Unfortunately family funeral homes also employ this tactic Some Funeral Home leaders mentioned on this blog do this( Hultrgen Funeral Home, Calvert Funeral Homes and Trimble Funeral Homes). Just to be clear half off is an estimate and does not apply to all areas of the country

The full Funeral article including the bit on funeral corporations in Newsweek can be viewed here:

http://www.newsweek.com/id/144482/page/2

Paying less for a funeral and Caskets promotes the broad prosperity and better future for all.

More information on lowering the information on lowering the average cost of a funeral can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

Be sure to let me know how you achieved low funeral cost

Your Funeral Guy: Newsweek article creates Funeral, Cost, FCA controversy.

On July 3rd 2008, Newsweek did an article creating a funeral, funeral cost and FCA- Funeral Consumer Alliance stir. The picture of the biodegradable casket gives you a look at future funeral cost. Joshua Slocum of the Funeral Consumers Alliance also did a great Job handling comments after the article appeared. Slocum is a true Funeral Futurist. The article is Called “A Serious Undertaking.”

Quoting from the Newsweek Article:

“the annual conference of the Funeral Consumers Alliance, a watchdog group for the death-care industry that advocates simple, personalized and environmentally sound alternatives to the typical American burial.”

Joshua Slocum is exactly correct when the article quotes him:

“I want people to be shocked,” Slocum says, “that in some states, the body belongs to the mortuary by state law. And once a funeral director has got a body in the door, it’s over.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/144482

As stated in the Book Rest in Peace Insiders Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral Once the Funeral Director puts your loved one on the mortuary cot, The funeral cost clock starts running.

Two books can help here with the average cost of a funeral.

Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial by Mark Harris

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

Be sure to let me know how you achieved low funeral cost.

Your Funeral Guy:Funeral Cost too High in the USA!(last 2 weeks)

Your Funeral Guy:Funeral Cost too High in the USA!(last 2 weeks). Funerals always cost too much in any situation because a person is involved. But the death of these folks is too much funeral cost to the  world. May they all rest in peace. All three.

First there was the Tim Russert  Wake and Memorial Service:
The funeral cost to the nation was too great.
Maria Shriver read the poem….The Little Ship in Washington DC. Bruce Springsteen was front and center.
It would be wrong not to repeat it. It is one of the best funeral poems ever written.

The Wife of the Actor and  California governor “Arnold” gave a great funeral poem.

“The Little Ship”

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea. The setting sun tinted his white sails with a golden light, and as he disappeared from sight a voice at my side whispered, “He is gone”.

“But the sea was a narrow one. On the farther shore a little band of friends had gathered to watch and wait in happy expectation. Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and, at the very moment when my companion had whispered, “He is gone” a glad shout went up in joyous welcome, “Here he comes!”

A Good post on this is here:
http://www.tellinitlikeitis.net/2008/06/maria-shriver-poem-at-tim-russerts-funeral-service.html

Then there was the  funeral song “over the rainbow”. People walked out of his memorial service to this Rainbow. Was this a blessing from the man upstairs(apologies to atheists if this does not make you a believer nothing will)

If you do not cry during this Video! You are not human. Barack Obama and John McCain sat together at this event. If you ever click on a Your Funeral Guy, funeral cost link click on this one!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBddo1RGiJU

Then there was the Tasha Tudor death: The great literary illustrator original  green lady died.
Kids will miss her. Even guys read “The Secret Garden.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/22/AR2008062202026.html”

As if this was not enough we also lost to funeral cost, George Carlin the modern Free Speech almost pornographic comedian. The famous 7 words guy.

Even Jerry Seinfeld is coming back to honor him.

In the 2 weeks Funeral Cost has been too high in the USA!
May all Rest in Peace.
Now there is more funeral story and history in Rest in Peace.

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak

Your Funeral Guy:Funeral Directors Raise Funeral Cost-The apprentice

The Funeral Cost of a Funeral Director is about 20 to 26 USD a hour in 2008. It is a large factor in the average cost of a funeral.

The funeral home owner cost is much more. If you use the traditional funeral home engage the funeral owner’s (or manager )services—- you certainly are paying for the service. Here are two of the Tricks funeral home owners employ is to raise funeral cost.

1. use apprentices to lower their cost

demand a licensed person!

2. limit the time that funeral directors spend with you without lowering your cost.

take as much time as you need!

A simple tip to lower funeral cost is to ask for a green funeral, green burial and information on the average cost of a funeral. Remember it is best to be your own funeral advocate.

More information on what is involved with a funeral and Average Funeral Cost here in two books.

Two books have contributed to the Funeral cost reduction situation.

Mark Harris’s “Grave Matters”:

Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial by Mark Harris

And “Rest in Peace” by R. Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak.

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak

Both these books creatively examine the issues around green funerals and burials and funeral costs.

More information on this can be found at the Funeral Consumer Alliance, Green Burial Council and the AARP

in this article:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/consumersmarts/archives/141653.asp

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Your Funeral Guy: Call Funeral Directors to honesty on Funeral Cost

Your Funeral Guy: Call Funeral Directors to honesty on Funeral Cost

Recently I thanked a Funeral Director on another blog for his honesty on Funeral Cost.

Here is what I said it is worth repeating here:

“Thank you for your honesty.

we share a trust level well short of that of mechanics, stockbrokers, real estate and insurance agents. This information should be a wake up call.

Only a few in our profession are this honest and candid. On another blog on this site I have mentioned & commented on some scandals. They are the result of the sins of more than a few. Let it be known that inspite of some blogs and comments that are tough, I have withheld information from the media on these events. Instead I have called on Leaders in the Funeral Industry to be honest. You sir are a part of the city set on the hill.

Your ethics are appreciated. I love helping families and for that reason I wrote a new book called Rest in Peace. In this work I declare that there are honest ethical funeral directors like yourself who are willing to embrace the changes that are to come!”

It is my hope that the ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION (IFDA )will embrace ethics and honesty.

Right now I just find myself too busy helping folks lower the cost of their funerals…to keep up with this.

The IFDA knows the changes that are coming.

To the IFDA I Wish you the best.

There will be blogs here from time to time as things become public on the IFDA Funeral cost issue and the “IFDA Preneed Trust.”

The IFDA has had it’s wake up call.

Earlier this year it came out that the IFDA- had mis managed 40 Million Dollars of the folks “IFDA Preneed Trust” money in Illinois.

Beware of organizations like the IFDA in keeping Funeral Directors Honest and keeping your lower cost funeral Specific State Senator Randall Hulfgren refused to take action on this along with hultgrenfh. Hultgren Funeral Home is not the only culprit. Trimble Funeral Homes www.trimblefuneralhomes.com had family on the IFDA committees and has refused comment on the IFDA Preneed Trust situation inspite of positve press from…Quad-City Dispatch

More information on keeping funeral directors honest can be found here including average funeral cost:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author Jason Oman also gave thumbs up to this book. This book is published by Morgan James Publishing.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois

Your Funeral Guy:Green Burial, Green Funeral –Lower Funeral Cost

Your Funeral Guy:Green Burial, Green Funeral does not always mean Lower Funeral Cost. Seattle, Maine, North Carolina, San Francisco all have places that are starting to become in this new trend.It has been happening in England. Just like any funeral you get what you pay for and you should pay less funeral cost and still get great service.

Two books have contributed to the Green Burial Situation.

Mark Harris’s “Grave Matters”:

Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial by Mark Harris

And “Rest in Peace” by R. Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak.

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak

Both these books creatively examine the issues around green funerals and burials.

More information on this can be found at the Funeral Consumer Alliance, Green Burial Council and the AARP

in this article:

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/consumersmarts/archives/141653.asp

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Your Funeral Guy: History Channel Special to run Cremation-Funeral Cost Special.-June 20th 2008

Do you want funeral cost lowered? Low cost cremation anyone? Green cremation anyone? Yes- the History Channel is to run a Funeral Cost Cremation -”Special on the TV show Modern Marvels on the History Channel- (June 20th 2008) If you miss it this it will be most likely re-aired.

It will also include information on medical organ donation.

Credit goes to The Funeral Insider Guys on this one:

“History Channel To Explore Death in Modern Marvels: Corpse Tech

“The History Channel will explore cremation, the role of the medical examiner, organ and tissue donation and more during a show to air at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 20th in MODERN MARVELS: CORPSE TECH.The show’s theme will be “Adventures of the Body After Life.”

In a news release, Facultatieve Technologies announced that a portion of the show would feature its cremation equipment.

Check your local listings to make sure you don’t miss the program.”

Here is a link to this quote:

http://www.katesboylston.com/fsx_jun13/fsxjun13b.html:

Here is a quote from the a company  featured in this special.

These below average  funeral cost options are addressed in

June 20th, 8.00 pm: Facultatieve Technologies on the History Channel
In America, the popular Modern Marvels programme is broadcast daily by the ‘History Channel’. Each programme deals with unusual stories behind a broad range of subjects; from simple tools and technical discoveries to human miracles. On 20 June 2008 (8.00 pm), it will dedicate an entire programme to cremation and its origins, with Facultatieve Technologies being invited as the expert opinion. This is to be expected, as Facultatieve Technologies leads the pack in the field of designing, constructing and maintaining cremation ovens, both in the US and across the globe. This international organisation has been active in the branch since 1908, endowing with it a vast repository of in-house experience and expertise. The programme meets the staff, and visits the main site with all its facilities. It will cover the history of cremation, but will chiefly focus on its future, discussing, for instance, the environmentally-friendly units made by Facultatieve Technologies in Medina. Would you like to know more, or watch previous Modern Marvels programmes? Then click here Here is the link:

http://www.facultatieve-technologies.com/webgen.aspx?p=992&o=7260

Your Funeral Guy gives credit where Credit is due.

More information can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral by R Brian Burkhardt and Matt Bacak. #1 International Best Selling Author Jason Oman also gave thumbs up to this book.

Your Funeral Guy, R Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director, Author, Blogger, State of Illinois