A Funeral Preneed Conference where you prepay for your funeral.
If you avoid prepaying a funeral you may be avoiding funeral preneed fraud. Instances of funeral preneed fraud have occurred in Missouri and there is strong evidence that it recently occurred in Illinois.
National Prearranged Services (NPS)was the culprit in Missouri, in Illinois the Illinois Funeral Directors Association (IFDA)continues to be deceptive on its withdrawals from the IFDA Preneed Trust Fund.
Recently a a former state senator in Missouri (Jerry Howard),spoke to Columbia Media outlet about his early efforts to deal with and regulate the preneed industry in the 1990’s.
“For five years in the 1990s, Howard had attempted to stiffen state authority over a system in which people paid an insurance company, a funeral home or some third party an advance payment to cover their funeral expenses.
The system has delivered recurring scandals in Missouri since the 1970s, with some of those in charge of the money sometimes disappearing with it.
“The problem is there is a bunch of damn crooks in there in that outfit,” Howard said. “It’s part of the moral decay of the corporate structure in this country.”
One reason to avoid prepaying a funeral is you avoid the risk of funeral fraud and have an excellent chance at coming in under the average cost of a funeral.”
Funeral Industry|Funeral Costs Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
In Illinois the State Senate President has called National Senator Roland Burris to honesty in a (IFDA)Preneed Funeral Scam.
In Illinois one State Senator is calling upon a National Senator To Be Honest about the lobbying he did for the Illinois Funeral Directors Association and their alleged ponzi trust fund the IFDA Preneed trust. The President of the State Senate in Illinois,John J. Cullerton (D-Chicago), called for US Senator Roland Burris(D-IL) to be honest about his IFDA involvement.
From The State Journal Register:
“Cullerton also said U.S. Sen. Roland Burris should respond to inquiries from The State Journal-Register about his involvement with a financially troubled pre-need funeral fund.
When Burris was state comptroller in 1980, he granted the Illinois Funeral Directors Association a license to manage the fund. More than two decades later, the IFDA hired Burris to lobbyComptroller Dan Hynes’ office, which regulates the funeral industry.
Burris, a Chicago Democrat, hasn’t answered the SJR’s questions on the matter.”
Senator Burris needs to let the people of Illinois and the Nation know about his involvement with the funeral preneed mess in Illinois.
Funeral Industry| Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
Funeral Costs in USA trending downward due to Rise in Cremations.
Forbes.com put out some interesting figures recently on the average cost of a funeral in the United States. Funeral Costs in the United States differ by region,and there is some disagreement on the numbers.
One thing is certain the average cost of a funeral overall is going south. I have declared the average cost of a funeral in 2009 to be $8,500.00 per year. It does not include a burial. That number has been in decline in the first quarter of 2009 and may have to be revised.
Forbes: The typical bill for a burial ranges from $8,000 to $12,000; this includes the thousands of dollars that go toward a cemetery plot, opening a grave, a gravestone and the burial. Cremation costs between $4,000 and $8,000.”
Comment: Funeral + burial numbers are close to the general reality. Cremation costs numbers (including burial)seem somewhat high .
Forbes: “The actual process costs about $400, which is added to the cost of an urn, a service and possibly a niche or burial plot for the ashes.”
Comment:The crematory’s cost of cremation process is about “$400.oo USD”. That is accurate. I thank Forbes for printing that, because funeral insiders overall keep that number from the public.
Forbes: on Cremation Rates:
In 2009 if there is a Funeral, Consider Cremation and Watch Your Dollars and cents
Arizona (60%)
Florida (53%),
Hawaii (66%)
Washington (64%)
Comment: The numbers on the cremation rates in these States are quite accurate. Although “Many Sources”put Washington State at a 75% cremation rate.
Funeral Industry|Funeral Cost Blog by Your Funeral Guy.
Source: 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
Be sure to negotiate your funeral costs and come in under rhe average cost of a Funeral.
Illinois Senator Roland Burris has some national company in the Funeral preneed Ponzi Scheme. The Trail now leads
Your Illinois Funeral Ponzi Senator Burris, has a New National NFDA Guy. (Picture of Senator Burris from World Net Daily)
to the National Funeral Director’s Association.
The IFDA, Illinois Funeral Directors Association lost $ 59 Million in their Scandal. One of the major players in the Preneed Scam is Illinois Senator Roland Burris who created the fund( as IL comptroller Burris gave the IFDA their license to manage the fund) in 1980.
Burris was a lobbyist on behalf of the fund in 2007. The current IL comptroller took the license to manage the fund away from the IFDA.
A current Executive at the National Funeral Directors Association is also connected to the mess.
Randall L Earl is Secretary of the NFDA and Director of the “Illinois Funeral Directors Association Museum of Funeral Customs” He is also a past President 0f the IFDA.
This museum has received $250,000 dollars of Diverted IFDA funds according to a Springfield, IL State Journal Register Article. Articles on the Museum of Funeral Customs which Earl directs have been featured at the New York Times, the Springfield Il, SJR and United Press International.
Randall L Earl is a lightning bolt connection between the National Funeral Directors Association and the Illinois
Randall L. Earl is a lightning bolt connect between the National Funeral Directors Association- and the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Scandal.There seen to be quite a few strange connections here.
Funeral Directors Association Ponzi Scam.
Randall Earl besides the IFDA /President/Museum Connect is named in all three IFDA Lawsuits.
Move over Senator Roland Burris You have some southern Illinois Company!
According to the National Funeral Directors Association Website here is Some information on Randal L Earl.
State Experience (Illinois Funeral Directors Association)
President, Illinois Funeral Directors Association
Vice President, Illinois Funeral Directors Association
Secretary, Illinois Funeral Directors Association
Randall L Earl’s State of Illinois Experience presents a lightning connect to the Illinois Funeral Directors Association Preneed Ponzi scheme.
Funeral Industry|Funeral Costs Blog by your Funeral Guy.
Burris and Earl are the only national figures i know of connected to the IFDA Funeral Scam.
The Illinois Funeral Preneed Ponzi trails to the NFDA.
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.
Be sure to get a General Price List every time you walk into a Funeral Home. This will help you come in under the average cost of a funeral.
One simple way to come in under the average cost of a funeral is this: every time you walk in to a funeral home obtain a general price list. If you go to a funeral home for a visitation, funeral service, or a field trip ask a funeral director for a General price List or GPL. You will in a short period of time understand how funerals are priced.
When I was in Mortuary School I was told that one good way to learn about Funerals is get a hold of a number of general price list. That is how I got a quick education on the pricing of funerals. It was shocking. They are very expensive. Once you get a reading on how funerals are priced, you will be more familiar on how the pricing relates to the services.
If you ask for a price list by law the funeral director has to give you one. If you are shopping for funeral services or negotiating a funeral contract, the funeral director has to give you a price list it is a requirement of the funeral rule
It may come as a shock, but as of last year 1 in 4 funeral homes did not follow the law in 2008 – the Funeral Rule and give out General Price Lists when they were suppose to. Check it out here.
Funeral Costs|Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy-R Brian Burkhardt your funeral guy
I have declared the average cost of a funeral in 2009 to be $8,500.00 per year- It is trending downward due to the economy and the rise in cremations.
your funeral guy
Bill on 
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