Your Funeral Guy: Exposing the Funeral Cost Scam-by World Famous Author

In March  a Creative work exposing the Funeral Industry and your funeral cost will be published by a world famous author. The story is a creative mystery and it addresses problems in the funeral industry.

‘The Undertakers Tale” will Rock the Funeral Industry with humor and creativity and expose charlatan behaviors. I have not read the story but because of the author’s world wide status it will be good. This author is very creative so I do not believe that the current Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA)Scandal-Alleged Ponzi  scheme or the National Prearranged Services (NPS) scandal  will be addressed. There are rumors of another  eastern exposure of these recent events.

The best selling author has a large number books published and was at one time the most popular author in the United States of America. I am the author of a book on the funeral industry and will never be as  famous as the “Undertaker Tale” guy. Neither will anyone else alive today.

You see the famous author is Mark Twain.

Funeral Cost/Funeral Industry Blog- Your Funeral Guy.-R.Brian Burkhardt
funeral cost

Information on the upcoming story is here.

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: #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: Lower Cost Funeral Blog Featured at Funeral Wire.com

This funeral cost blog has been featured in funeral wire.com This is a website for funeral directors and people seeking information on funerals.

here is the link:

http://www.funeralwire.com/external_news.php?linkId=2199

The main point of the blog post mentioned here is that the NFDA- national funeral directors has issued a rise in the average cost of a funeral for 2006 to….

$7,323

Here is the full blog post.

http://yourfuneralguy.wordpress.com/2008/11/05/your-funeral-guy-nfda-no-lower-cost-funeral/

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

Be sure to watch for a future blog that shows how funeral cost is going up and down at the same time as we move into 2009.

Your Funeral Guy: Medicaid and Funeral Cost.

Your Funeral Guy: Medicaid does not cover Funeral Cost.

Insurance and Pre need counselors often say that no matter how poor you are, you need to buy a life insurance policy or pre need policy covering your funeral.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_medicaid_cover_funeral_expenses

This is not necessarily the case.  If you put a little money aside and plan a lower cost funeral as outlined below that may be all you need to do. This funeral book will help.

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.This is your funeral cost book.

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

Your Funeral Guy: Green Burials =Lower cost Funeral

Your Funeral Guy: Green Funerals  are the same as the lower cost funeral. This Reuters video from last month from across the pond does a great job explaining what a green funerals and the lower cost funeral and a better quality funeral service. Here is a link:

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=92649&videoChannel=74

Here is a quote from the article at the above link.

“The popularity of green funerals and woodland burials grow as environmental concerns rise.

London-based funeral directors, Green Endings offer a variety of burial caskets made of natural, biodegradable materials.”

Unless you consider yourself an egyptian pharoh, need a pyramid or an above ground  burial please do not consider a green funeral or a lower cost funeral.

The low cost funeral cemetery is a green cemetery.

Green cemeteries are already mentioned on the History Channel.

CSI, Donation to Science, Organ Donor, Green Funeral, Cremation, but not Funeral Cost–TV. Modern Marvels:Corpse Tech.
This was a very informative television program. From the decomposing of bodies, to the traditional funeral business. There was even a look inside cremation ovens.

The cemetery of the future was addressed. The focus was on the San Francisco Area. The Green Cemetery and the green funeral.
Funeral Cost that can be saved in cremation and green was not addressed,
The good news is that the series Modern Marvels: Corpse Tech continues to shown on the History channel.

The shows how the dead help the living.
Organ donation, tissue donation and research.
The newest and best cremation machines were featured.
Good Stuff.

The statistics given in the show were not entirely accurate coming from 2006.
Cremation rates are up. Funeral Cost is down.

More info with average Funeral Cost 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 funeral book.

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

Your Funeral Guy:SLAICO and SCI Form High Funeral Cost Alliance Partnership

Your Funeral Guy: Service Corporation International-SCI-Forms High Funeral Cost Alliance Partnership. SCI along Stewart Enterprises are the high cost funeral corporations. They are the high end. They Charge the most $$$$.

Whole life insurance (SLAICO)is not the best in any type of final expense insurance. What is acceptable and wise is term life insurance which is more cost efficient. This situation is not good for the folks and does not permit the lower cost funeral.

This according to the Press Release on Fox News.

“Service Corporation International, through its Dignity Memorial network is North America’s largest provider of funeral, cremation and cemetery services, including a network of funeral homes and cemeteries in 43 states, eight Canadian Provinces and Puerto Rico.

Standard Life and Accident Insurance Company has been a leader in the insurance industry since 1948 and is part of the American National family of companies. They have been assigned a rating of A+ (Strong) from Standard and Poor’s, and rating of A (Excellent) from A.M. Best Company.”

View the whole Fox Business Report Here:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/retail/slaico-sci-form-partnership/

Service Corporation International and Standard Life and Accident life Insurance only contribute to raising your funeral cost. It does not contribute to the lower cost funeral as the funeral book does.

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.This is your funeral cost book.

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

Your Funeral Guy: AP article wrong on NFDA Convention and Funeral Cost.

Your Funeral Guy: AP article is wrong on NFDA (National Funeral Directors Association)Convention and Funeral Cost. The lower cost funeral option was left out. The Associated Press article was carried everywhere from Time, CNN to Fox News and many local news outlets.

Not only was the low cost funeral option left out the leader of– preneed companies “The Foresight Companies” almost made the death of loved ones totally insignificant by this statement.

Other than the fatality, what’s the difference between a wedding and a funeral?” he asked.This presents another strong reason why you should not prepay a funeral –purchasing preneed.  The statement is cold and shows disrespect for Grieving families.

Please investigate your lower cost funeral options. There are many blog posts here that help with this.

Perhaps the article should not be entitled:

“Baby boomers’ deaths may fuel funeral industry”

but instead titled:

“Baby boomers’ deaths fuel Lower Cost Funeral Movement.”

I am not prepared to write about this at this time but instead will blog in the future about the looming financial and corruption scandal in the funeral industry. This will be of Wall Street proportion.

You May View the full AP article here:

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/oct/16/baby-boomers-deaths-may-fuel-funeral-industry/

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

Your Funeral Guy: NFDA No Lower Cost Funeral

This is from the NFDA’s June Press Release.  These numbers show no lower cost funeral.

National Average Cost of an Adult Funeral: 2006 vs. 2004  from the NFDA

Regular adult funeral costs (for funeral with a viewing and ceremony) include the following general items. Costs do not include cemetery, monument or marker costs, or miscellaneous cash-advance charges, such as flowers or obituaries.

· Non-declinable basic services fee

· Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home

· Embalming

· Other preparation of the body

· Use of facilities/staff for viewing

· Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony

· Hearse

· Service car/van

· Basic memorial printed package

· Metal casket

Item	2006*	2004*
Non-declinable basic services fee	$1,595  (+8.46%)	$1,460
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home	$233  (+16.31%)	$195
Embalming	$550  (+9.45%)	$498
Other preparation of the body	$203  (+13.79%	$175
Use of facilities/staff for viewing	$406  (+16.50%)	$339
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony	$463  (+14.69%)	$395
Hearse	$251  (+10.36%)	$225
Service car/van	$120  (+16.67%)	$100
Basic memorial printed package	$119  (+20.17%)	$95
Subtotal without casket	$3,930  (+11.40%)	$3,482
Metal casket (average charge for most frequently purchased item)	$2,255  (+6.87%)	$2,100
National Average Cost of an Adult Funeral	$6,195  (+9.90%)	$5,582
Vault (Average charge for most frequently purchased item	$1,128  (+11.52%)	$998
Total with Vault	$7,323  (+10.15%)	$6,580

The details on how to lower your average costs of a funeral are in this funeral cost book. There is also lots of information on your lower cost funeral in

Rest in Peace Insiders Tip to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral.

“National Funeral Directors Association” -NFDA numbers -show no Lower cost Funeral. These numbers are on the low side of high. Low cost funerals are quite doable. Follow these 5 Steps to lowering the average cost of a funeral and then look at the funeral book that can help you on this matter.

5 Steps to lowering the average cost of a funeral.

Step 1: Choose Cremation and have the service somewhere other than the funeral home.

Step 2: Obtain your casket or urn from an alternative source. Suggestion Order it on the internet.

Step 3: Refuse Embalming- in most cases but not all you may do this.

Step 4: Do Everything at the church or at the cemetery as was the case with Walt Disney.

Step 5: Have a green burial.

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.This is your funeral cost book.

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

Your Funeral Guy: 7 steps to a low cost funeral

The average cost of a Funeral is now 8,000 to 10,000 USD. This according to my last blog post and frugalpigs.com

http://frugalpigs.com/2008/10/27/average-funeral-costs-in-the-us/

Step 1: Choose Cremation and have the service somewhere other than the funeral home.

Step 2: Obtain your casket from an alternative source. Suggestion Order it on the internet.

Step 3: Refuse Embalming- in most cases but not all you may do this

Step 4: Do Everything at the cemetery as was the case with Walt Disney

Step 5: Do as much as possible at church, not the funeral home.

Step 6: Do a home funeral

Step 7: Have a green burial.

A home funeral and a green burial may be not doable in certain parts of the USA today. They will become available to all in the near future.

The details on how to lower your average costs of a funeral are in this funeral book. There is also lots of information on your lower cost funeral 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. This book is published by  Morgan James Publishing.This is your funeral cost book.

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