Chicago Tribune presents cremation as a viable alternative|YourFuneralGuy

The Chicago Tribune has done a piece on cremation presenting  it as a viable alternative to the Traditional Funeral. This is a very good thing as in the past weeks the Funeral Consumer has been under assault by the Traditional Funeral Industry. Thomas Lynch, the brother of The NFDA(National Funeral Directors Association President Elect) has written a venomous attack  on consumers in all of places the Christian Century.

A Snippet on Lynch’s attack on cremation, as a low cost funeral alternative, and consumers who make that choice is here. What seems to be the heart of the issue for Lynch is the survival of the traditional funeral home, and making sure that his tradition controls the consumer choice. This leads to another key question WHO OWNS OR CONTROLS A FUNERAL?

In assaulting the consumer for  pursuing the Lower cost cremation alternative in this economy is unacceptable. And Connecting Directors.com posting this article shows that the traditional funeral industry is positioning itself against the  American Family, their very clients.

Funeral Industry|Funeral News|funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

New Funeral Home Software, integrates all-YourFuneralGuy

This Week New Funeral Software as revealed for Funeral Directors that integrates everything, except the funeral itself. No You Cannot have Your Funeral Online Yet. With new software everything is integrated, the funeral home website, the customers memorial sites, obituary sites and all vendors.  Funeral arrangements and funerals just got simpler.

“The ability for funeral directors to manage cases online while integrating products from all the major vendors just became a reality with today’s introduction of the FI Open Manager by Funeral Innovations, a leading provider of web-based software solutions for the funeral industry.via www.prweb.com

Pricing was not revealed in the press release. Not yet happening cremations funerals and burials online But as I predicted in my book  “Rest In Peace, Insiders Tips  to the Low Cost Less Stress Funeral” that will come.

Funeral Innovations is the nane of the company.

Funeral industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy

PIC-via www.prweb.com

NFDA Confirms it:Folks spending less on Funerals, Caskets-YourFuneralGuy

The sale of traditional funerfal goods and services are in decline says the National Funeral Directors Association

The  National Funeral Directors Association is stating that The Lower Cost Funeral and the  Lower Cost Casket are king. Consumers are spending less on Funeral  Goods and Services, specifically caskets. Cremation is on the rise. Folks are moving away from traditional caskets(Batesville,York Aurora). In fact  NOT focusing on lower cost caskets was  one reason for  the leading casket maker Batesville Casket Company Revenue decline in 2009.

If anything, the fiscal constraints families are experiencing have taught people to be more selective or cautious with the money they have, especially with regard to such things as funeral expenses, said Daniel Biggins, spokesman for the NFDA.

“I think the economy has forced people to be better consumers,” Biggins said.

via www.ivpressonline.com

The  Funeral Industry is having  a hard time accepting this. Your funeral Guy got the boot at a Funeral Industry Site for saying  comments like “ye old traditional funeral world is dissipating” and suggesting low cost funeral homes as a business model.

Your Funeral  Guy began advocating  the low cost funeral in 2006, published a ground breaking book on the subject in 2008 and became a recognized Authority on Consumer Funeral Cost and Funeral News  in 2009.

Your Funeral Guy Booted for Pro Family Lower Cost Funeral Comments.

Your Funeral Guy has been booted by Connecting Directors, an attempt to throw him under the funeral industry bus. 🙂

Your Funeral Guy has been booted from a  major Funeral Industry Website for comments promoting the Pro family low cost funeral options. My agenda is the presentation of the low cost funeral alternatives. For many Funeral Homes this works well.On the whole the funeral industry is vehemently opposed to presenting  the lower cost funeral  in the arrangement conference.

Keep In Mind that The WEBMASTER WHO KNOWS WHAT’s Good for Funeral Service has never worked in a Funeral Home!

Disabled Account

Dear Brian,

I have decided that your commentary on my website is not for the betterment of funeral service or for my members. Although debate is healthy, I feel you are using my site to further your personal agenda.

I have disabled your account and any new accounts created as an alais will be disabled as well.

Sincerely,

Ryan Thogmartin, CEO
Connecting Directors
P.O. Box 430
4300 West Pike
Zanesville, Ohio

Your funeral guy was with ConnectingDirectors.com for 2 years referring professionals to the site..But no more.  At one point  early on I donated copies of the Low cost funeral book “REST IN PEACE to the  First Connecting Directors store for sale to help this site..

Testimonial: Shay Wheat -YourFuneralGuy is a very kind soul, he is very professional and always willing to help others, especially in a time of need.-Naymz

---

Statement From Your Funeral Guy:

Your Funeral Guy debates fair and honestly on the web. My agenda has always been THE LOW COST Funeral options for families and the consumer. I have never set up an account with aliases. Who I am and what I represent is clear to all.

Unlike Connecting Directors.com I am not beholding to funeral industry Corporation Advertisers. I can speak freely.

My internet and personal agenda are always clear. I have  not  actively promoted  funeral homes ( but have mentioned a low cost funeral home example once)or businesses  at my sites only the lower cost funeral. There are no advertisers, nothing advertised, (at Your Funeral Guy Blogs)save amazon .com and the “Rest In Peace” book so folks can access low cost funeral options.

Funeral Industry| Funeral News Blog | by Your Funeral Guy

Nice present for the last day of 2009 and the end of a decade.

Your Funeral Guy Statement Original to this blog post

Sadly another funeral industry site says goodbye to alternative funerals, fair balanced and unafraid.

To make matters worse there are no forum|comment rules or guidelines at ConnecingDirectors.com

Your Funeral Guy Top 10 Blog Posts of The First Decade Of the 21st Century

Your Funeral Guys’s Top Ten Blog Post of the first decade of the 21st century.

1.What Will They Be Drinkin at Your Funeral

Top Funeral Blog Posts from Your Funeral Guy

2Average Cost of a Funeral-Average Funeral Home

3.Your Three Steps To Your Low Cost Funeral

4.How Yourfuneralguy’s experience came to help you do a lower cost funeral!

5. Who Shot Funeral Preneed?-Your Funeral Guy

6.How Michael Jackson looked in the Casket-

7.No Low Cost Funeral: Princess Di–Embalmed without permission

8.My First Bucket List was done in High School

9. Your Funeral Guy: Disney World The Secret Place to….

10. An honest “Funeral Director” will always offer a Low Cost Funeral.

These are the top ten blog posts from the first decade of the 21st century from Your Funeral Guy Blogs!

Funeral Industry Funeral blog by Your Funeral Guy

Rise of Indigent Funerals Sign of Funeral decline-YourFuneralGuy

Don't throw your money into the grave

The rise of indigent Funerals indicates a Funeral Industry decline. Many people simply cannot afford funerals or cremations according to ” indigent burials” from the  New York Times

Others can only afford a Lower Cost Funeral according to the AARP. The high cost of dying  is contributing to funeral directors turning themselves into low cost funeral providers.

The Bereaved Consumers Bill of Rights Act(AKA Bereaved Consumers Protection Act)  is moving the low cost funeral along.

Increasingly families are seeking to come in under the Average Cost of a Funeral and not through their money down the grave.

Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy.

Often It’s Best To Opt for below Average Funeral Cost-YourFuneralGuy

Many Times it is best to sign a contract for a low cost funeral rather than resent the high funeral costs later.

Many times it is best to come in under the average cost of a funeral. Grief Counselors and Social Workers often find that people resent the high funeral costs after the event.  The thought process goes something like this:

(Just let me sign this contract, with these prices I haven’t discussed much with anyone,and get it over with.Maybe it’ll come out of the insurance or the estate—-I can’t deal with this too. If this is what it costs,I loved____.)From-REST IN PEACE INSIDERS TIPS TO THE LOW COST LESS STRESS FUNERAL-copyrighted material from your funeral guy.

As you can see this kind of thinking can make you feel victimized later.

From Social Worker Nancy Adler- Jones

“Common themes in my practice are the high cost of funerals and the victimization people feel when arranging for burial/funeral services. Click here to read a Newsweek article that sheds light on the topic.”

A good funeral director will be sensitive to what you can pay and want to pay in funeral cost. He or she will make sure you do not resent what you paid for the funeral, now or weeks later. Be sure to come in under the average funeral cost of $8,500 per year.

Funeral Industry|Funeral Costs  blog by Your Funeral Guy

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”

How to Stay Below Average Funeral Cost-Rent The Casket-Your Funeral Guy

One way to stay under the average cost of a funeral and have a low cost funeral is to rent the casket. This is an option that folks have employed in good times and bad to have  lower funeral cost.

Your Funeral Guy has some experience with this- most excellent caskets run well above $2000 USD. Even in expensive funeral homes a casket can be rented for a funeral traditional  for $1000.00 USD.

Renting a casket in most cases means there is a cremation afterwards. A traditional service does not have to be had at a funeral home when had at a funeral home. In fact you can have the service at church or a community center.

In this case you  cutting out the cemetery and having a funeral service. It is the opposit of the low cost option of having the service at the cemetery and cutting out the funeral service.

The strategy employed here will require the purchase of an urn.

Funeral Industry -Funeral Cost Blog by your Funeral Guy.

If you want more information on coming under the average cost of a funeral visit yourfuneralguy.com

Source-the life and funeral experience of Your Funeral Guy

Batesville Casket gives Funeral cost Tip-YourFuneralGuy

Batesville Casket served up a low cost funeral tip. Hillenbrand  the owner of Batesville Casket Co. issued a positive statement on in it’s 1Q earnings. the tip is good for funeral directors, The numbers are not all that important  but the principle is:

They cut costs and showed a profit.

Funeral Home owners cut frills.

Example:D do not take the Funeral cadilac home at night. Drive your personal lower cost vehicle to and from work.

Funeral Consumer

Be  up front. When you walk in the door to the funeral  home say you can have my business if you negotiate lower funeral costs. Funeral home owners need your business these days. It’s the economy.

Funeral Cost/Funeral Industry Blog by Your funeral guy.