Certain Digital Assets need a plan, upon your death. It used to be when someone died a friend or relative would go into the deceased’s house and find all the important papers, and do the right thing.
Today the situation is a little bit more complex. One needs to go into their computer and retrieve important information. This is far more difficult when those who come behind you do not have the appropriate passwords or login information.
Passwords and logins are needed for websites, blogs, online financial information, business records kept on line, e-mail accounts etc.
In many cases a digital executor needs to appointed in advance.When dealing with this information one needs to consider password strength and password privilege.
There are 4 types of Digital Information that need to be dealt with and handled.
1.Innocent information may be photos you have purchased online, family photos on your computer, archived articles and video you may have collected that is essentially non-private information. One usually wants to pass on this unsecured information
2.Specific information that you want to be used at your funeral such as your funeral plan, obituary information, videos for the funeral etc. Generally this information should be immediately accessible and not be subject to data, security arrangements.
3. Secure information such as E-mail, Social Media, financial accounts, bank, passwords etc
4. Information you do not want others to see, to be destroyed
Funeral Industry|Funeral News|Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Funeral Industry leaders discussed the Funeral Home numbers
Recently some funeral industry folks were featured in a panel. They were A.J. Daoud, President of Daoud Holdings, Dan Isard, President and Founder of Foresight Analysts, and Thomas A. Parmalee, Executive Editor of Funeral Service Insider,
TWST: Would you start by painting a portrait of today’s typical funeral home in the United States?
Mr. Isard: The average funeral home services about 116 families a year. A service in funeral industry is referred to as a call, dating back to when the phone would ring, it was a call to service. So when you hear someone say a funeral home does 116 calls, that means they serve 116 families in a typical year. The average funeral home is one location. It typically employs four people. The owner-manager is oftentimes the licensed responsible party. They may have one other licensed person, then they’ll have an administrative person and then there will be a bunch of part-time help.Typically we see two licensed or arranger responsible people for the first 125 services or calls, and then they tend to add one full-time person for every 60 to 100 calls thereafter, depending upon the complexity of the call.
TWST: What are the biggest expenditures for the average funeral home?
Mr. Parmalee: Obviously, staffing is a big expense for funeral homes. Benefits is also a big one, especially depending on what sort of benefits they provide. Medical insurance is going up. Cars are a big expense, but you’re seeing a lot of funeral homes reducing their car fleets now because of the increase in cremation and they don’t need as many. Our newsletter just completed a compensation survey. The average salary for the typical owner is in the range of $100,000 to $150,000.
TWST: What’s the average profit margin nowadays?
Mr. Isard: In 1998, it was just under 9% and in 1982, it was almost 14%. So the profit margin as Federated recognizes it has continued to fall. It’s rebounded over the last two years, but it did get as low as 5.5% in 2005. It’s a problematic issue.There are a few reasons why profit margins have changed. I think that we can focus on overhead, which is certainly an issue.
We can focus on the fact that consumers are spending more, 5% more. To me, the problem is the owner-operator is very unsophisticated analytically and, therefore, they’re not setting their prices intellectually. Anytime you have increasing consumer spending and you don’t get it to match your increasing overhead, that’s more the operator’s problem than it is a consumer rebellion.
TWST: Do you find that same problem applies to corporate-owned funeral homes?
Mr. Daoud: ….. Tom is correct in that there is a big emphasis on cost cutting and cost management. What I have seen on the corporate side is basically a real efficient, business-like acumen, where you are focused on not only business expense, but also on how to generate your maximum revenue. There’s a big effort in collections and making sure your dollars come in, and running it like a business. Where they lack in the communities is sometimes they lose the public relation factor; they lose the contact with the community and the customer, as well as the ability to maintain good service. It may be related to a cutback in personnel, or maybe there’s no money in their budget for advertising, but that’s what you run into under the corporate model funeral homes.
The independents are the other way around. They emphasize service and spending a lot of money on advertising. Sometimes it’s wasted, sometimes it’s good.
TWST: Looking ahead five years or so, what do you see for funeral services, both for funeral homes on an individual level, as well as for the public funeral service companies?
Mr. Isard: I’d say that from the public companies, the investors, first and foremost, have to change their perspective. People have for years been saying, “When the Baby Boomers start dying, the public death care-oriented stocks are going to be great investments.” They’re not. The reality is they are more akin to a utility than they are an operating growth-oriented business. It’s a service business that’s going through changes on how to provide services, what services they’re providing and what the profitability is on those
services. The independent is sitting at a very serious crossroads where, going from 40 years ago when people bought funeral homes so that they’d have a job for life. Today people are recognizing that these are businesses, and they have to operate them as businesses. If you don’t have the entrepreneurial mentality, maybe you’re best off working for someone else than trying to buy your own place.
The funeral arrangements for Ted Kennedy have been updated. Here are the Latest updates from the Kennedy Family. Please note there are significant time changes from Earlier reports.
August 27th Thursday Evening:
6 p.m.-11 p.m. – The Senator will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. (public invited.)
The Senator will be joined throughout the day and night by a civilian honor guard of family, friends, and current and former staff.
He will also be joined by a military honor guard.
This is event is pool press and open to the public.
On Friday, August 28th, 2009
Lie in Repose at John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
8 a.m.-3 p.m. – Senator Kennedy will lie in repose at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum. (Public Viewing)
This event is pool press and open to the public.
Friday Evening, August 28th 2009
Celebration of Life Memorial Service
7 p.m.-9 p.m. – There will be a Celebration of Life Memorial Service at the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Presidential Library.
This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.
Saturday, August 29, 2009 Funeral Mass for Edward Kennedy
10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Senator Kennedy’s funeral mass will take place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica in Boston, Massachusetts.
This event is closed to the public and press will be pooled.
Saturday Evening August 30th 2009.ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
A burial service for Senator Kennedy will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.
THE ARLINGTON SERVICE WILL TAKE PLACE AT 5:30 pm Saturday.
It is closed to the public and pooled press.
Funeral Industry| Funeral Blog by Your Funeral Guy
The Location of Senator Ted Kennedy wake: JFK Presidential Library
Ted “Edward” Kennedy Funeral | full plans-Arrangements- The United States of America will have some days of unity ahead after a most divisive August, 2009. In the middle of divided health care America the driving personality behind universal health care died.
Public Wakes:
Thursday Afternoon after the a arrival of the Motorcade at The JFK Presidential Library and Museum.
10 a.m. to4 p.m. on Friday on August 28th, 2009 at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.
Private Memorial Service:
7 to 9 p.m. on Friday, a private memorial service will be held at the J.F.K. Library on August 29th 2009
Vice President Joseph R. Biden and Senators John Kerry and John McCain will be some of the speakers.
President Obama will share remarks at the mass.
Private funeral: INVITATION ONLY
Saturday August 30th 2009.
Location:
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica near Boston
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Basilica
1545 Tremont St
Roxbury, MA 02120
A Parish of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston MA
Senator Kennedy will then be carried by plane to Virginia
Senator Ted kennedy will be buried South of President John F Kennedy’s Grave
Private Burial:
5 p.m. at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, VA., next to President Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is no regularly open on Saturday.
Revealed here is the written statement by President Barack Obama on Senator Ted Kennedy”s death and funeral. Senator Kennedy was an Icon of the United States Senate. Funeral Arrangements have not been made public yet.
“An important chapter in our history has come to an end. Our country has lost a great leader, who picked up the torch of his fallen brothers and became the greatest United States senator of our time,”
“For five decades, virtually every major piece of legislation to advance the civil rights, health and economic well being of the American people bore his name and resulted from his efforts,”
Funeral Industry|Funeral Industry Blog by Your Funeral Guy
Private funeral: INVITATION ONLY
Senator Ted kennedy will be buried South of President John F Kennedy’s Grave
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