Soon Plastic Caskets|Your Funeral Guy

First there were plastic Burial Vaults, soon there will be plastic caskets. An Auto parts manufacturer  in Michigan saw the writing on the wall and soon there will be plastic caskets available. Very cost friendly 30-40% less than the Traditional Casket.  If funeral directors behave in good faith the cost savings should be passed onto the Consumer.

All this will go along way to lowering funeral costs and expenses,something the public is demanding. It all should begin on June 1st 2010.

Click to View a short video on Plastic Caskets here.

The company is Clarion Technologies, the casket brand will be Commemorative Casket USA.

A Greenville auto parts supplier has found an interesting way to survive the economy. Clarion Technologies Inc., a company specializing in manufacturing plastics for cars and home appliances, is now building caskets.

“It is truly a departure,” said John Brownlow, Chief Operating Officer for the company.

For more than a decade, Clarion Technologies was known for producing parts primarily for the automotive industry. Brownlow says a few years ago it became clear companies like his had to adapt or die.

“Absolutely. I think you have to change your mindset. I mean literally, get out the box. Who would have ever thought of this 2 years ago?” he said. “We knew with what was happening in the marketplace we needed to look at different markets. We actually teamed up with a partner who actually developed the product out of Mexico. We were in Mexico at the time. We’ve since closed that facility. We thought it was a good endeavor for expansion and also gave us a product that was truly a manufacturing complete product.”

via www.wzzm13.com

A Video can be viewed on this here.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Sex, Death,Sell High End Caskets and Calender at Connecting Directors.com|Your Funeral Guy

2004 Calender Cover from Cisa Company website

About 2 years ago I wrote a blog post about how Merchants of Death are using sex and death to sell casket and warned about Cisa Caskets and their Calender.

Here is a snippet from the original 2007 post.

“They have thinly clad females standing, next to, leaning on and wrapping themselves around caskets The caskets are quite pricey, They even have a pinup calender with girls next to casket on a by the month casket.

This is an indication of how far Merchants and Merchants of death will go to promote their overpriced products. When shopping for anything, and especially for a funeral its best to go for lower price. Please make the choice of lower funeral cost. Anytime we can fall for the sex sells trick .I find it is always good to move my eyes somewhere else.” READ MORE-via www.progressiveu.org

It is very sexist and not wise to promote almost pornographic pictures and such high expensive CASKETS  at a website for FUNERAL PROFESSIONALS.

MORE ON THE SITUATION AT CONNECTING DIRECTORS!

2010 calender at the connecting directors store

The Casket calender here is the sexist promotion at the Connecting directors store.

All this is unsettling , unprofessional

Let’s use some common sense:What is the hardly dressed scantily clad woman going to do with the handcrafted casket?

Or the person in the casket? View Some Monthly Pics You see the pictures be the Judge Click HERE

WHAT IS BEING DONE is more than unprofessional.

Promoting this type of product is degrading to  women, the dead ‘ the Funeral Process and the Funeral Profession.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News| Funeral blog by Your Funeral guy

material from the ProgressiveU under the creative commons license

This post is a reccomendation not to use CISA caskets or connecting directors.

Your  Funeral Guy is no longer  a member of Connecting directors.com  because of the CISA  calender and other recent actions of the webmaster.

Remember the caskets in that calender are expensive just like Batesville and will not help you come in under the average cost of a funeral.

The calender comes from an Italian company-Their site here: http://www.cofanifunebri.it/

You can Make it easily through a funeral without…-yourfuneralguy

Yes, you can make it through a Funeral without the full  use of a Funeral Direct0r, and expensive casket. In many cases however it is still best to hire a funeral director but not for all of his services. You do not have to get a Casket from the traditional funeral directors- Aurora, Batesville, or York Casket Company.

In fact if you are informed, some of the services of a funeral director can be done, by your friends, church members, clergy and others. In actuality you can do some of it before you die.

To some this may seem radical but it is quite simple.

From Rest in Peace Insiders tips to the Low cost Less Stress Funeral.

“The everyday role of the funeral director has been changing
over time. Some of the funeral director’s functions are not
as necessary as they once were. The reality is that today the
average person can plan a funeral that reduces the role
of the funeral director.” Copyrighted Material  from R.Brian Burkhardt

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Your Funeral Guy: Average Cost of a Funeral 2009

This blog is dedicated to giving you information on Funeral Cost and the Funeral Industry. In 2008 I declared the average cost of a funeral  to be $8,000,00 plus USD+ for a traditional funeral.  In 2009 I am declaring the average cost of a traditional funeral at $8500.00 USD +.

Most research shows the average cost of a  traditional funeral to be $10,000 USD. Information and facts on this subject are generally controlled by the funeral industry giant, the (NFDA) National Funeral Directors Association. There is other research available but it is hard to come by. Generally the NFDA only issues funeral cost information 2 years back.

This allows the public to be unaware of the real funeral cost. It also prevents a backlash of hostility.

In 2008 figures needed to be revised due to the wall street crisis and economic slowdown.

Factoring in the economic downturn the average cost of a funeral in 2009 is $8500.00 USD+.

My latest research shows more interesting facts on lower cost funerals in 2008:

Average Number of funerals per Funeral Home: 100(down from 112)

Funeral Industry income $15 Billion -up from  11 -12 billion

Average Amount of Income 1 Funeral Employee adds $100,000USD.

The Average Funeral Home makes 1 million in Revenue a year!

The average Funeral Home makes $3,000-$4000USD  per funeral!

Is not it time they shared some money with you?

Do a low cost funeral!

Blog by Your Funeral Guy, author

Sources for ths post are a Canadian National Post Article, Public information on the Funeral Industry, as well as conversations and e-mails with Funeral Industry advocates around the country.

Your Funeral Guy: Five More Tips-Your Lower Cost Funeral

Your Funeral Guy urges you to go out under the average cost of a funeral. There are actually thousands of way to lower funeral cost. Here are Five More Lower Cost Funeral Tips. 1.government benefits 2. air fare 3.web casts 4.fund raising 5) Digital options. Please plan a lower cost funeral, and spend all your money before you die. If you do not  want to spend the money give it to the living.

1 Save on your family funerals. check to see if your loved ones qualified for free funeral items from the government. Military veterans are eligible for free grave spaces and headstones. Be sure to check with the nearest national cemetery.You can search online for information about military benefits and national  cemeteries. Public aid is available for folks short on funds and on this program.  Most Counties have funeral aid  available  for people short of funds Most time you must  chase this one down

2.Air Fare discounts have been around for a long time. Bereavement fares are available A sales seat however often costs less. so ask about options. Airlines that offer bereavement fares will allow you to apply for a refund as within 90 days after completion of all flights. Verification required.

3. Pay no Air Fare Instead, View  your loved ones funeral by web cast. As as people grow used to living more and more of their daily life online, funeral directors  latest Internet tools to work.Funeral Directors who are web intelligent can do this. Of course there must be a  funeral home website for this to work

4. Fund raising for a funeral. This is often done by churches, community groups, employers and employee groups.Friends of a Indiana  woman who died in a carbon monoxide accident in Chile planned  a fund raising concert to help pay for her funeral.

5.Digital options have been embraced by  forward thinking funeral homes with online features.Online obituaries, memorials, funeral planning are  happening as we speak. Online funerals are happening via web cast.

These tips will help take you to a lower cost, funeral lower your expenses and bring you in under the average cost of a funeral.

Blog by your funeral guy, author

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: More reports of Lower Funeral Cost

The economic down turn is turning in lower cost funerals. This is happening mainly through the lower cost funeral option of Cremation. This is really nothing new. Cremation has been trending upward as a low cost funeral option. Americans are watching what they spend on everything even funerals. Pat Lynch Treasurer of the NFDA -National Funeral Directors Association  has recently contradicted Statements in the Press(-i.e. Fox News that the Funeral Industry is recession  proof.)

“Pat Lynch, treasurer for the National Funeral Directors Association — and a funeral home director in suburban Detroit, said there’s no truth to the belief that funeral homes are immune to economic downturns.” This according to Business Week.

It also has been reported that people are selling burial plots and opting for lower cost funerals. There is a place on the internet to help you with this.

According to Maura Judkis, a producer for US News and World Report states that the economic downturn is forcing folks into the lower cost funeral and maybe greener? Cremation option.

“Traditional burial is still the most common choice for the deceased, but that may change in this economic climate – families who have been affected by the downturn are finding that cremation is a less costly way to say farewell to their loved ones. It’s just another example of how the recession can unintentionally make us greener.”

Baltimore Sun newspaper reports a trend toward cremation in the last year, according to the government, the time the recession started.

There is a trend toward Green Funerals as mentioned often here. It is not main street but folks are asking for the green burial.  Some are doing full green funerals with no embalming , vault, traditional casket in a woodland.

Last but not least some Funeral Homes are discounting goods and  services. Funeral Homes are Discounting Services but most Funeral Directors do not admit to this practice. It just can affect profit margins too much.  An example has been  reported in the press at postcrescent.com.

Be sure to let me know how you lowered your funeral expenses. Remember it is quite possible to come in under the average cost of a Funeral. This is made clear from all the reports in the press. One must be persistent ask questions and negotiate.

Blog by Your Funeral Guy, Author, Funeral Director, State of Illinois

Your Funeral Guy: More Bloggers on Funeral Cost and the IFDA

More bloggers are putting out information on the  low cost funeral, including  funeral service experts, funeral directors, author’s, CPA’s and lawyers.

1.There has been a Funeral Service Insider Article on the IFDA-Preneed Trust. In this article the question of excessive fees to manage the trust was raised.

2. Another Funeral Director Author has begun blogging on the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Mismanagement Scandal

This person has actually copied one of my blogs and is putting out similar information. This is good for the Funeral Industry

3. A Preneed lawyer has blogged about the IFDA Preneed Trust and the National Arranged Services  Situation

This is all good news for honesty in the Funeral Industry!

Just a quick note on the IFDA Preneed Trust Management Debacle.

In the original Springfield Journal Register Article states the value of the IFDA fund to be 300 million USD, but the Illinois Funeral Directors Association has not stated the value since the Wall Street Crisis.

At the next post  we will resume the topic-five things you need to know before shopping for a funeral.

Your Funeral Guy.

Your Funeral Guy:#2 of Five Things to Know When Shopping For a Funeral

Before you shop for your low cost funeral hang on to your wallet by reading this.

Don't Let Your Funeral Cost into the Grave

There are 2 contracts at every Funeral, the emotional contract and the financial contract. Recently this was addressed in an article titled:

“Don’t throw money down the grave”

Make sure your family mourns you, not the cost of your funeral

This was in the  National Post of Canada. Your Funeral Guy was quoted from an interview.

In any other transaction this large, most people would try bargaining on the price. But when it comes to burying a friend or relative, no one wants to seem cheap. “That kind of thinking, however noble it might seem, is a mistake“, says R. Brian Burkhardt, author of  Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral.

“Quite frankly, the money should go for the living,” says Mr. Burkhardt. “Why should you put $15,000 in the ground for a funeral when the money can go to your grandkid’s education or to a relative?”

People shouldn’t be shy about opting for a low-cost funeral, especially in this economy, adds Mr. Burkhardt.

“If you take away all the emotion from the situation, it is a contract negotiation. Funeral directors will negotiate with you for a lower cost,” Mr. Burkhardt says.

For example, he says, you can opt not to have the body embalmed. “That is the best way to lower funeral costs,” he says. “It can save you at least $600 or $700.”

The emotional contract consists of trusting your emotions to the funeral director. Actually when hiring a funeral home– you trust you and your families emotions to all the staff at the funeral home.

The emotional contract  is just as important as the financial one you sign. It is very important that you consider your expectations with both these contracts before shopping fora funeral. As much as possible it is best to keep the emotional and financial expectations (contracts) separate.

In this post we have covered #2 of  5 things You need to know before shopping for a funeral. 1). The basics of the funeral process.2) The two contracts at every funeral. 3). The basics of the funeral rule. 4). The No Decline Basic Services Fee. 5. How to Read a General Price List (GPL)  Today we coverred#2.

This is a wise saying, make sure your family mourns you not the cost of your funeral.

Your Funeral Guy, Blogger, State of Illinois

Your Funeral Guy: #1 of Five Things to Know Before Shopping For A Low Cost Funeral

Here are 5 things You need to know before shopping for a funeral. 1). The basics of the funeral process.2) The two contracts at every funeral. 3). The basics of the funeral rule. 4). The No Decline Basic Services Fee. 5. How to Read a General Price List (GPL)  Today we are covering #1.

1. The basics of the funeral process. The best way to handle this is to call a friend or relative. It is usually best to just  have them talk you through their experience so you may a get a handle on the funeral process. It is helpful to talk to more than one friend or relative.

You may consider a funeral cost book and  funeral planner like the book:
Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral.This work is a helpful read and you can see the funeral process at a glance. You also may want to review blogs on the low cost funeral.

Another way to plan for your funeral is to go to one of two websites mywonderfullife .com or thefuneralsite.com These are free funeral planners on the web where you may record your plans and wishes for your friends and relatives. The funeralsite.com has created funeral guides that have low cost funeral homes listed. Right now they are have guides on the West Coast but theyare planning guides in every major metropolitan city in the United States.

To sum up begin planning to lower your funeral expenses and costs this way.

1. Talk to several friends or relatives about the funeral process.

2. Read about the low cost funeral process in blogs or a book.

3. Plan your funeral on the web. Use one of the free websites mentioned here.

Your Funeral Guy, Author, Funeral Director