Abusing the Dead | Funeral Directors Licence Removed-YourFuneralGuy

South Carolina Funeral Director has license removed for corpse abuse

A  South Carolina Funeral Director has had his licensed revoked for abusing the dead. The  Funeral Director in question cut off the legs of a Man 6 feet 7 inches tall so he would fit into casket. The Funeral Director is Michael Cave. The funeral home is Cave Funeral Services . The place is Allendale, South Carolina.

“Ever since preacher and funk musician James Hines died in 2004, his family had wondered how his 6-foot-7, 300-pound body fit into the standard-sized casket they picked out.

At the funeral, only the top half of the lid was open, showing Hines from the chest up.”-USA Today

The Board of Funeral Service Of South Carolina Fined Mr. Cave as well.

THE LESSON HERE IS TO PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO WHAT YOUR FUNERAL DIRECTOR DOES.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

Your Funeral Guy: Three Funeral Cost Traditions

Funeral cost Traditions often are costing you funeral dollars. Research indicates the following. 1. The average funeral home has been around for 59 years.2. Most funeral homes are not on the internet. 3.  most multi-site funeral homes  practice redlining.

1. The average funeral home has been around for fifty nine years. The book :The Loved One” written over 40 years ago is still current. The internal dysfunction of funeral homes is basically still the same. The pet cemetery movement was born in “The Loved One” with the “Happy Hunting ground”  Fifty nine years means lots of tradition. Collectively in the Funeral Industry it means resistance to change. This is another reason why it it is sometimes difficult to come in under the average cost of a funeral.

2. Most Funeral Home owners have no internet exposure. The ones who do have often have not current or archaic websites. This all keeps the average cost of a funeral high because it is time consuming to shop around.

3. Most corporate and group  funeral homes practice redlining. That is they have different prices  and different names for items such as caskets and urns for different locations. This makes price shopping difficult and sends the average cost of a funeral up.

We will continuing blogging here until the Shopping for a Funeral series is complete. Funeral payoffs in the United States Senate are quite common. Roland Burris is not the first guy in the Congress connected to the funeral industry.

All the heat here is high I am not yet prepared to cremate this blog. The blog will be moved in 2009.

Sometimes individuals and organizations need to be addressed when speaking about funeral cost.

Your funeral Guy, Author,

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

Your Funeral Guy: Folks asking for less than Average Funeral Cost

The economic downtown turn has more folks requesting low cost funeral options and green funerals.

The lack of cash, unemployment, and credit crunch is giving folks the courage  to ask to pay less for funerals. The average Funeral Cost is just too much. The NFDA has said the average cost of a funeral in 2006 was $7,323.00 USD.

I have estimated the average funeral cost in 2008 to be 8,000 USD. The Chicago Tribune has  stated in the States as far north as Minnesota folks are asking about the low cost Green Burial option.

Lower cost funerals are putting the squeeze on traditional funerals. Because of economic pressures and self regulation  there  has been two scandals The IFDA Preneed Trust Mismanagement Scandal,(40 million gone, Illinois Funeral Directors Association) and the National Prearranged Services theft (500 million gone).

Folks generally pay for funerals three ways, life insurance, preneed and credit cards.
The credit card option is slipping away. The preneed option is slipping away because of scandals.

Funeral Homes are having difficulty collecting funds for funerals. In response the National Funeral Directors Association partnered with a national collection company,CCR America making the service available to member funeral homes at a lower fee.

Main Street is finding the courage to negotiate low cost funeral options because of a lack of cash. Funeral homes that adjust by offering lower cost funerals will do well.
Those that do not adjust will fail.

Be sure to find a successful low cost funeral home. Check out more information on low funeral expenses and costs:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral

Your Funeral Guy, R. Brian Burkhardt, Funeral Director.

Your Funeral Guy: The Average Funeral Cost of Traditional Funeral is over $8000.00 USD

The Average Cost of a Funeral in 2008 was $8000.00 USD +and maybe more. This year the NFDA  raised the average funeral cost in 2006 to $7,323.00 Dollars. This has been mentioned at this blog. Now how can this happen? The National Funeral Directors Association.collects statistics from funeral homes and funeral directors around the United States. If they receive more information they change the numbers.

Cost for traditional Funerals has been trending upward.  but at the same time lower cost funerals such as green funerals, cremation and direct burial are also growing to  the broad prosperity of all. This also has sent the traditional funeral cost upward. It has cut into funeral home profits.

So after much research I am lowballing the average cost of a funeral in 2008 to be $8000.00 USD.

The Over 50 Website declares the same average funeral cost. “the average US funeral costs over $8,000 as far as I can deduce from the sparse information that is published, and it seems very easy for funerals to cost from $10,000 to $20,000 or more!”

More information on how to lower average funeral cost can be found here:

Rest in Peace: Insider’s Tips to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral

Your Funeral Guy.

Your Funeral Guy: Last Nite on Fox News

Last nite on tv I was flipping through the News and on Fox, I heard a funeral guy say on Sheppard Smith”s show say that things  are going to stay good for the funeral industry because there will be more people with malnutrition  dying due to the economy!

What on the good earth is this?A professional stating publicly that folks dying  is good?

Plus these Funeral directors need to adjust to the fact that people are paying less and they will need realize the reality that funeral homes will be expected to do more low cost funeral deals!

With economic down turn folks are demanding more lower cost funerals.The National Funeral Directors Association is stating  the average cost of a funeral is $7,323 USD.

With burial costs this can come to over $10,000 USD.

FYI cremation expenses should come in between $800 and $1500 USD. Some Funeral homes charge up to $2800 for a cremation. Buyer  beware of the Funeral Directors take pride in their ability to raise the average cost of a cremation funeral.

Be sure to let me know how you lowered your funeral expenses.

Your Funeral Guy, Funeral Director, Author

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Funeral Guy: Corporate Funeral Homes, Funeral Flowers.

Corporate Funeral Homes are having  a tough time these days Adding extras expenses to a funeral is not all that popular in the economic downturn.

I have three basic points about corporate Funeral homes: Please be aware of them so you may accomplish a lower cost Funeral.

1. Corporate funeral homes are usually not a good choice for your lower cost funeral. They generally have experienced tough salespeople and negotiators. However you can negotiate a lower cost funeral.

2. Corporate Funeral Homes generally carry on a Family Name even though the are run by a corporation.

3. Family Funeral Homes can be Corporate. Some family funeral homes can have a corporate mentality. Family Funeral Guys can run funeral homes like a corporation and own multiple funeral homes, sometimes 30 to 100 funeral homes. Most often no lower cost funeral here.

Recently I answered  a couple of questions about corporate funeral homes and  funeral flowers.

Many of the large funeral home operators seem to be focusing on selling funeral related services.  Is this good or bad for consumers?

Generally large funeral home operators raise funeral expenses. These are not just the corporate guys. Families can be large funeral home operators as well. I have experienced both and they are not the friends of a lower cost funeral.

Do you think families should order flowers directly from funeral homes?

One should not do this if the family is looking to save on funeral cost. Often the funeral corporations come in with flowers at low funeral cost and then raise the cost of funeral flowers. After this sometimes they send free flowers to hospice and the family feels obligated to get the flowers from the corporate funeral home at higher cost. Sources tell me that funeral flower sales are down 25 %. On the internet or a discount flower shop is a better place to buy flowers. Please avoid funeral home flowers and lower your funeral expenses.

Your Funeral Guy

Your Funeral Guy: Low Cost Funeral Answer to Funeral Scandals.

Distrust of Funeral Directors is almost a universal problem in the United States.

Funeral Directors are  generally not happy about people coming  in under the average cost of a funeral. $7,323.00 USD.

Like all professions funeral directors are good and bad, and everything in between. The problem with funeral scandal is that it is almost incomprehensible, hurting folks in their hour of great need and emotional vulnerability. The answer to funeral scandal is to educate the general public on the Funeral Process and the peoples rights under the Law The Funeral Rule. If this happens the folks prefer as low cost Funeral.

Funeral home Scandals are everywhere.

This happens every month, some funeral professional, funeral home or funeral home is caught in some deceptive practice.One does not have to do much research to find a new one each month.

This year has been especially bad with the IFDA(Ilinois Funeral Directors Association) IFDA Preneed Trust Mismanagement Scandal and the National Prearranged Services scandal (NPS)that touched many States. The numbers here are quite unthinkable just like Wall Street. As in the Wall Street sandal answers are not forthcoming. There is a major paradigm shift in the funeral industry low cost funerals, green funerals and optimiistacly honesty.

Your solution to funeral scandal is happening as this is written.

There is an increase of blogs and books informing folks of the funeral process and funeral rule. The educated public will be able to force funeral directors to follow the rule, the funeral rule the law.Low cost and green funerals are coming from across the pond(UK) just like cremation did in the 1970′s.

The Wall Sreet crisis happened because they were self regulated and the same is true with the Funeral scandals.

Hopefully,and I should state because of the the economic down turn not so ethical funeral directors are being forced into changes(honesty) and non traditional funeral options because in this economic enviroment folks are short of cash.

Besure to let me know how you lowered your funeral expenses

Many people are showing up on the funeral home doorstep saying Mr.Funeral Director help me with this.

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