Revealed Embalming Fluid|only for the dead! -Your Funeral Guy.

Embalming Fluid has one use Embalming. As a Street drug it is highly toxic

While  a funeral director in the Washington DC area, I was approached several times by people on the of smoking embalming fluid. Some Folks do this to get high. My response was, if you try it you will die. Embalming fluid is one of the most dangerous materials around.

It is best not to be exposed to this liquid.  Funeral Directors and Embalmers are instructed not to have contact with the chemical. They are required to have full personal protection on when working with the dead and embalming fluid-formaldehyde. It should be noted that embalming fluid has been known to cause cancer.

The substance is so toxic that environmentalists question whether it should even be allowed to accompany dead folks in the ground.

In spite of all this some young folks have taken to smoking embalming fluid in Texas.

“We’ve got a special report this morning on a topic that many parents will find shocking. It concerns a new trend among teen drug abusers. It’s embalming fluid, mostly formaldehyde. Of course funeral homes need to have it on hand, but teenagers need to stay away from it…….in Corpus Christi, are risking their lives and smoking embalming fluid to get high.”It makes your body feel like you are made out of rubber and makes you feel bullet proof,” said the addict.

“I have seen a spike recently in the younger kids,” said Chemical Dependency Counselor Renee Lovett. On the streets here, it’s called wet, sherm or dip.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Source: kiitytv.com

IFDA Trust Founder “Eric Trimble” Speaks to Press-YourFuneralGuy

IFDA leaders and Eric Trimble are keeping folks in the dark on the IFDA Preneed Trust. Please do not prepay or participate in Funeral Preneed. This Scandal is a stern warning.

Eric Trimble, has spoken to the Press on the alleged IFDA Preneed Trust ponzi scheme. Like most IFDA insiders and ex-presidents he has refused to share the details or admit wrongdoing.

Trimble is named in the six funeral director lawsuit against th IFDA, “Calvert et al”, the two women Class Action Compaint as well as the insurers lawsuit that  can be viewed at this location on the web. Trimble and Trimble Funeral Homes hail from the quad city area along the Mississippi River.

Remarkably “Erik R Trimble” was involved in the creation of The Ponzi Scheme in 1979 and contributed to the licensing of the Scam under current  Illinois Senator Roland Burris reign as Illinois Comptroller (from1980 till Burris became  IL attorney general in 1992.)

Trimble spoke to the press just short of 3o years after his time as IFDA Trust President and the founding of the IFDA Preneed Trust(1979). The article appeared on March 15th 2009.

“Our attorneys are launching a vigorous defense, and we think we’ll have a positive outcome,” Mr Trimble said. He declined additional comment.”

The fact that Trimble is making no additional comments shows he is keeping, Illinois and Quad city residents in the dark as to what went on at the IFDA.

Funeral Industry| Funeral Costs Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Source qconline.

Eric R Trimble is mentioned here because he is Recently mentioned in the Press  and on Web, is an EX-IFDA President and  named a defendant  in all three IFDA Lawsuits. He is a public figure in this Scandal. Eric Trimble  currently serves on THE IFDA TRUST COMITTEE AT THE IFDA.

Clergyman Finds: Folks Go to Cremation Site,Skip Funeral Home-yourfuneralguy

To save money on a Funeral You can skip the funeral home and go right to the cremation facility

One strategy folks have been following to come in under the average cost of a funeral is to skip the funeral home and go right to the crematory. Money wise people who find themselves faced with a funeral are choosing cremation. But some are taking it further, letting go of the funeral home altogether and going right to the cremation site.

One Clergyman had a discussion with a funeral director in this:

“Having asked why there seemed to have been so few funerals in the period since Christmas (genuinely, because it seems to have been unusually quiet), I was told that not least because of the current economic circumstances, people were by-passing Funeral Directors and Clergy and taking their relatives directly to the crematorium to keep costs down.”

This is a significant low cost funeral tool. Skip the funeral home and go to the crematory.

Watch out however for a funeral home that has a crematory. Remember the processing cost for a cremation is $400.00 USD in the USA. The funeral home is entitled to make money on their services.

But what is fair is up for you to decide.

Funeral Cost | Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy

view the full clergyman’s post here

Pic from Dr.Mo’s photo stream on Flickr.

Forbes:Economy hurting the Funeral Business in USA-yourfuneralguy

Funeral Industry Downturn has folks negotiating Lower Cost Funerals

The economy has brought a downturn in the Funeral Industry across the United States. This is covered in the media almost daily. The average cost of a funeral is has headed  towards a bottom, just like the economy.

This trend is good for the consumer, but not for the funeral director. The Financial Magazine Forbes did an article on this. It is the first I have seen in that publication. The Funeral Industry is not “Recession proof” as was stated by the media when the effects of the recession became acute last fall.

Forbes quoted Funeral Director Peter Mahoney of  Mahoney Funeral Homes in New York:

“Given the economy today and the way people are watching their dollars and cents, people are more

Funeral Consumers watching dollars and cents

price conscious,” says Maloney. “Funeral services are not a luxury service.”

In fact funeral services are a must have service just like groceries. Just like groceries if you shop around you often can find the same item for lower cost. The same is true for Funerals.

The Funeral Industry needs to stand up and take notice of the trend to a lower cost funeral. Consumers are brushing up on their negotiating skills and bringing down the average cost of a funeral.

Funeral Industry|Funeral cost blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Pics from Istock photo

Source  Forbes article at forbes.com titled:

“Recession-Friendly Rites by
Lauren Streib, posted 03.24.09, 06:55 PM EDT,
The economy takes its toll on the funeral business”

Funeral Industry Struggling in USA, Washington State-Your Funeral Guy.

Choose cremation if you need to Lower Funeral Costs.

The Funeral Industry is having a tough time around the country, because  of the difficult economy. Every day there is more evidence for the downward spiral of the average cost of a  traditional funeral.

I have declared the average cost of a  traditional funeral to be $8,500+dollars in 2009. For the first quarter of 2009 that number is trending significantly downward.

This number has been recently confirmed by numbers in Washington State. More and more folks are requesting cremation there and in the the rest of the country. According to KXLY.COM in  Spokane,Washington-Heritage Funeral Home President Dennis Murphy said:

“An individual cremation, you’re looking at less than $1,000, and with the average full body burial with cemetery property you’re looking at $8,000 to $9,000

The bad economy equals more cremations this year.

“I’d say they’re up 25 percent,” Murphy said.

In Washington 75 percent of all funeral business is cremation, and Murphy says that number could reach 85 percent before the year is out.”

A similar article has been posted at the Seattle Times and carried in Parade Magazine, and the Boston Herald. It shared similar information to what has been presented here.

A Rise in Cremation has been documented across the United States of America.

Funeral Industry Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Preneed Fear,Confusion in Illinois-Your Funeral Guy.

Illinois seems to be in a panic over preneed funeral money. Thank the antics of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and their $59 million “Madoff  fund”. This is a classic case of attacking the messenger. There is “confused and frightened public.” said IFDA insider Chris Butler of Butler Funeral Homes and Cremation Tribute Center in Springfield,IL. The IFDA Preneed scam is what confused and frightened the public not a State Register Editorial and a series of articles as he claims.-your funeral guy.

Funeral Funding Fear in Illinois over "Madoff" like fund

News March 24th 2009 An article by an Illinois Funeral Directors Association Insider has been posted at the State Journal Register. There seems to be a frightened public, a panic in Illinois about their Preneed Funeral Policies. Chris Butler a local Funeral Director  in Illinois and former IFDA committee member said:

Snippet: “I feel an obligation to reply to the recent SJ-R editorial regarding the Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA) Trust and the many recent articles by writer Bruce Rushton. Area residents need to be reassured they will receive what they planned and paid for and that the concept of advance planning is a safe, secure and meaningful one.”

My Comment Here: Reassurance needs to take the form of Regulation and Investigation to  make sure misappropriation or fraud (?) in an Advance Planning preneed trust fund  does not happen again.

Snippet: “the SJ-R editorial has created a confused and frightened public”

My Comment: The SJR editorial, the reporter, the articles did not create a confused and frightened public. THE ACTIONS OF FUNERAL DIRECTORS and  the ILLINOIS FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION CREATED the whole mess.

For now here are some of my comments posted at the State Journal Register article March 24th 2009.

“This posting is sad. Butler has been active on IFDA committees over the years. He is an IFDA  insider. Although he speaks of ‘trusting the funeral home’ Trusting the funeral Home and the IFDA is what caused the problem in the first place.

A 59 Million dollar loss is at least a mismanagement maybe fraud. How can such a small group of Funeral Directors mismanage so much of the folks money? Butler’s committee activities make him a party to the mess.

Regulators did not do the deed of selling and mismanaging IFDA policies.Funeral Directors and the IFDA did.

Quote: ‘It is important also to note that under MOST pre-need contracts, it is the funeral home, not the consumer, who bears the risk of the funding options performance.‘

What happens to those  “folks”who are not most? The Question still remains. Who will notify IFDA non-guaranteed policy holders of their losses?.

In spite of all that is said above-preneed prepayment comes down to the funeral director gets the interest on your money. This other point of view is left out of THIS article.

It would be helpful if interested folks would be given the specifics of the news release mentioned above,
Who,what, why, and where.

Your Funeral Guy, Author, Funeral Director, State of Illinois and Commonwealth of Virginia”

Source State Journal Register-Springfield,IL

As mentioned before the  NFDA  Secretary is involved here.

NFDA Executive in On IFDA Ponzi Scheme-Your Funeral Guy.

{Pic Getty Images}NFDA Executive Randall L. Earl is in on the IFDA Ponzi Scheme.

The NFDA Executive  Secretary Randall L Earl appears to be  in on the Alleged IFDA Ponzi Scheme. This does not bode well for the National Funeral Directors Association.

The Illinois Funeral Directors loss of 59 Million dollars in a Preneed Trust now brings us to an executive at the NFDA. Randall L Earl. He is named in the six funeral director lawsuit against th IFDA, “Calvert et al” (Calvert Metzler Funeral Home) and the two women Class Action Compaint

He is also named in the IFDA’s Insurance Conpany’s Lawsuit against the IFDA.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association website at www.nfda.org, Randall L. Earl has significant current positions with the IFDA.

• “Board Chairman, Museum of Funeral Customs-Board Chairman, Funeral Service Credit Union”

Their have been articles with financial integrity questions on the Museum of Funeral Customs which is now closed. Articles on the Museum of Funeral Customs which Earl directs have been featured at the New York Times,  the Springfield Il, State Journal Register  and United Press International.

It is clear that the Museum of Funeral Customs received $250,000 dollars in 2006 and 2007 from 2 million in management fees that were  transferred out of the IFDA Preneed  Trust. An Article in Springfield, IL State Journal Register went into detail on the Ponzi dealings with the Museum of Funeral Customs.

The integrity of the IFDA has been destroyed. THE INTEGRITY OF THE NFDA, NATIONAL FUNERAL DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION NEEDS TO BE QUESTIONED NOW  AS WELL.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Randall L Earl  is mentioned here because he is a public figure as Secretary of the NFDA, Director of the Museum of Funeral Customs and an Ex President of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association.

Men at Dollar sign grave licensed at getty images.

A key to how IFDA “madoff” with the 59 Million-yourfuneralguy

Found on the Press and on the Web-A money key to the IFDA Ponzi Scheme, IFDA Capital Inc.

“Follow the money” said Watergate’s deep throat. The money was followed and the Scandal was revealed. The same is happening here with the  Illinois Funeral Directors Association, IFDA Ponzi Scheme. So How did a small elite group of Funeral Directors get away with 59 million dollars?

The press has revealed some of the answers. IFDA leaders have not been careful in what they have said to the Press. ” Loose Lips sink Ships”  There also has been a trail left on the web as well.

First the press:

A Key to the IFDA Ponzi Scheme has been found in the press.. In a Galesburg Register Mail Article in July 2007 it was stated that “Geoffrey Hurd (ex-IFDA President Now) of Hurd Hendricks Funeral Homes and Crematory has been elected President of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association…..Hurd also will serve on the board of the:( Illinois Funeral Service Foundation) Funeral Service Foundation  (IFDA), the Funeral Ethics Association (IFDA), and IFDA Capital Inc.

IFDA Capital, Inc was quietly removed from the 2008-2009 IFDA Yearbook. It was in the

The IFDA Ponzi Schemers saw their 49,000 policy crowd opportunity. They Got 59 Million.

2007-2008 yearbook published by( Geoffrey W. Hurd).  Hurd has  large pieces of the IFDA Money puzzle. Loans to Board members were covered in the first State Journal Register article in  February 2008.

Some of the Flow of money in the IFDA PONZI Scheme  went through IFDA Capital, Inc.

Funds from the trust went to IFDA Capital, IFDA Services and management fees.Details on IFDA Capital, Inc are sketchy IFDA Capital Inc was started in 1993 and gave loans to IFDA members and board members. Not much is known about this except David McReynolds the current IFDA Treasurer. received a $900,000 loan.

Second the Web, information was found on the Internet about IFDA Capital Inc, and according to the site you can still get a loan from the IFDA????? -sign me up!.

So a key to how the IFDA “Madoff” with the 59 million is IFDA CAPITAL  INC.

Again the lesson for the Consumer is not to be involved in Preneed.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

McReynolds-IFDA TREASURER,  is a public figure in the Sandal is mentioned on the Web and in Press.

Hurd-IFDA ExPresident is is a public figure in the Sandal is mentioned on the Web and in Press

Madoff Fraud illustration from hodadd’s66 photo stream at flickr.

Who Will Notify Working Stiffs of Lost Preneed$$?|Your Funeral Guy.

People are hurt when they do not get what they paid for in the death of a loved one.

When writing about Funeral $$ it becomes easy to forget that there are faces behind those funeral dollars. The bigger the numbers the more people are involved. So how will the folks be notified of losses in the funds they prepaid for funerals?

People are  terribly hurt at the time of death when they discover the prepaid  funds are not there.

“There must be an effort to notify individuals of their investment’s status and exactly what will happen when funeral bills arrive.“-the State Journal Register newspaper.

“A question was asked on a blog.“John Duggan has a point, and that’s what concerns regulators in Illinois, Missouri and Texas. Who will be blamed when the consumer does not get the benefit of their preneed contract?”

The Illinois Funeral Directors Association and the Comptroller in that State say that the Funeral Home must cover the losses. But what happens to those non guaranteed policies where the folks lost money?

Many Times  folks  in Illinois were told not to worry about the non guaranteed policies because the IFDA was paying a good interest on their policy. Well misappropriation and abuse  sent that out the window. Who will notify these folks of their losses?As reported here, in the State Journal Register and the Chicago Tribune Lynda Canger of Lake Zurich did not get notified.

Who will notify folks of their preneed losses before the time of death?

Funeral Industry Funeral Costs Blog by Your Funeral Guy

IFDA LEADERS LEGAL TROUBLE Multiples-YourFuneralGuy.

Lawsuits are multiplying against the IFDA in their Ponzi Scheme

Breaking News-March 19th 2009-The Chicago Tribune last evening posted an article on a new lawsuit against the Illinois Funeral Directors Association. This lawsuit came from it’s own insurer who do not want to cover fees and damages  for two lawsuits filed against the IFDA.

The IFDA mismanaged their preneed trust fund to the Ponzi Scheme tune of $59 Million USD causing harm to policy holders and member funeral directors alike.

According to the Chicago Tribune article:

‘If the court finds in favor of Federal Insurance, the association could be on the hook for any monetary damages that could result from the civil suits and the costs of defending itself. The insurer is represented by the Chicago law firm of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson.”

Problem is the  IFDA Services  has limited funds and cannot access the trust fund for it’s own purposes as it has in the past. The Cease and Desist order it has received from regulators  prevents the Illinois Funeral Directors Association  from keeping it’s own funeral museum open according to the New York Times.

That would mean a possible collapse of the IFDA and individual defense and damages would fall to the leaders.  Some leaders are listed individually in the six funeral directors lawsuit. Check out the listed defendants on the web. These are the folks that MADOFF with the money.

Lawsuits appear to be multiplying against the IFDA.  The Six Funeral Director Lawsuit  now available in internet pdf form. It is here

Funeral Industry|Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.