Articles

Enhancing the Sensory Funeral Experience

When my husband and I recently drove by the remains of the old Best Western Hotel, a desolate, condemned building that sits down the road from my funeral home on our way to church, I was hit with a...
By Darien B. Cain
In Articles
Wednesday, June 3, 2026

The Personal Touch: How Casket Personalization is Changing the Way Families Say Goodbye

When families gather for a viewing, visitation, or service, the casket is the centerpiece — not just physically, but emotionally. It is where people come together, where stories are shared, and whe...
By Jeremy Raver
In Articles
Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Is Your Selection Room Driving the Race to the Bottom?

When approximately one-third of funeral home revenue comes from casket merchandise, the selection room cannot simply function as a display. It must serve as a carefully managed, intentional represe...
By Craig Lahti
In Articles
Wednesday, June 3, 2026

When Waiting to Sell Gets Expensive

  “I’ll wait a couple of years.” It sounds reasonable. You’re not ready to retire. The business feels stable. Maybe even improving. And like most owners, you assume it will be worth more late...
By Todd Reich
In Articles
Saturday, May 9, 2026

Mergers & Acquisitions in Death Care

If you spend any time talking with funeral home owners today, one thing becomes clear quickly—this industry is changing, and it’s changing fast. At The Decain Group, we’re in conversations every da...
By Andy Rumph
In Articles
Saturday, May 9, 2026

How to Ensure the Best Price With the Smoothest Transition

When selling a funeral home business, owners are often in new and perhaps uncharted territory. There are legal factors, unknown tax implications due to the sale structure, negotiations, marketing, ...
By Jake Johnson
In Articles
Saturday, May 9, 2026

BEYOND THE PAW PRINT: The Evolving Landscape of Pet Aftercare

For many families today, a pet is not “just an animal.” A dog may have witnessed a child’s first steps. A cat may have offered steady companionship through seasons of loneliness. A horse, bird, or ...
By Darren Crouch
In Articles
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
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BEYOND THE PAW PRINT: The Evolving Landscape of Pet Aftercare

For many families today, a pet is not “just an animal.” A dog may have witnessed a child’s first steps. A cat may have offered steady companionship through seasons of loneliness. A horse, bird, or ...

MERCHANDISING IN PET LOSS: What Families are Choosing and How Professionals are Presenting It

Over the last several years, the way we approach pet loss memorialization has gradually shifted. Not overnight, and not in a way that made headlines, but steadily. What used to be a fairly straigh...

Building a More Flexible Preneed Program

If I could give funeral homes one advantage in today’s preneed market, it would not be a f lashy new pitch, a fancy brochure, or a script that sounds like it was written by someone who has never ac...

Companioning Those in Grief IS NO SMALL FEAT

I have been a licensed psychotherapist for many years now and own a private practice in Missouri. At one time, my business was affiliated with Baue Funeral Homes that provid ed aftercare for famili...

The Swiss Army Knife Approach to Aftercare: Why Funeral Homes Need More Than One Tool

“Funeral homes need a Swiss Army knife approach that provides different modalities for different grieving styles and needs.” One key doesn’t open every door. Yet when it comes to aftercare, many f...

Getting to YES with Interested Candidates

There has been much discussion within the Funeral Service profession about the future of the business. In my 30 years in the profession, I don’t recall a more challenging time. The pace of technolo...

Funeral Home Staffing and Training: A Human Resources Perspective

The funeral profession operates at the intersection of technical expertise, regulatory compliance, and compassionate care. Unlike many service industries, funeral homes must be staffed with individ...