FD Talks

Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC) recently finalized the acquisition of American Life & Annuity Company (ALAC) in Hot Springs, Arkansas. President and CEO of FDLIC Kris Seale and ALAC President Claude Holloway join FD Talks host Rob Davidson for a conversation about the acquisition process, including how it came to be and what's next for both companies.

According to a report by the National Funeral Directors Association, one of the most common funeral home needs is an increase in staff. Many funeral directors believe that finding the right people will be their greatest challenge over the next five years. As a result, the Journey to Serve campaign was created to help funeral homes recruit veterans and lead them from one selfless position of service to another.On the latest installment of FD Talks, host Rob Davidson speaks with Lee Wiensch, CFRE and Executive Director at Funeral Service Foundation, and Jim Price, President of ICCFA Educational Foundation. The three discuss:What makes veterans a great fit for the funeral professionHow Journey to Serve was created and how it's being received in the funeral professionHow funeral homes can use these tools to welcome veterans to their staffAnd more!

Livestreaming has been available to funeral homes for years, but few funeral professionals understood its importance. It wasn't until the pandemic that many funeral homes saw the need to livestream funerals so that all families could virtually attend, despite a world of social distancing. In our first episode of 2022, FD Talks host Rob Davidson and Ron Clyde, Director of Special Projects at Funeral Directors Life, talk about why livestreaming is important to families. They also discuss Encore, a new livestreaming service from Funeral Directors Life, and how any funeral home can use this technology.Learn more about Encore 

Though most people may be unfamiliar with their local hospice organizations, these caregivers provide meaningful end-of-life-care for families and their loved ones. Families also benefit from a strong relationship between funeral homes and hospice facilities.The latest episode of FD Talks continues the conversation on the partnership between funeral homes and hospice. Host Rob Davidson speaks with Melissa Luton, the Community Outreach Manager for Hendrick Hospice Care. Melissa shares about the wide-ranging services hospice provides, her positive experiences working with funeral homes, and the key to maintaining a strong relationship with hospice organizations.Watch Part 1 Learn More About Hospice Care

Funeral home owners want to improve efficiency, funeral professionals want reliable technology, and families want to collaborate online. This change has led many funeral homes to adapt, stay the same, or reject the movement altogether.This episode features host Rob Davidson and Josh McQueen, Vice President of Product at Passare, and their discussion on technology in the funeral profession. McQueen explains Passare's drive to help funeral professionals, the industry's changing landscape, and the work that went into Passare's award-winning Pennsylvania electronic death registration system integration.Learn More About Passare (https://www.passare.com)Download FREE New Funeral Consumer eBook (https://resources.passare.com/nfc-ebook-download)

Creating a positive workplace culture and being a heart-led leader are two important assets to any business, even your funeral home! This year, our REIGNITE Summit discussed both aspects, but if you didn't attend, you may be wondering what you may have missed. In this FD Talks episode, host Rob Davidson recaps the REIGNITE Summit with Kris Seale, President and CEO of Funeral Directors Life. They discuss the messages of John O'Leary and Tommy Spaulding, how to lead from the heart, and other lessons!

While funeral homes and hospice facilities each play a key — but very separate — role in a loved one's end-of-life journey, the two value serving families at the highest level. One important factor in achieving that goal is the relationship between hospice social workers and funeral directors. When the two utilize and establish a strong relationship, it often leads to better care for families during some of the worst days of their lives.In part one of this two-part series, host Rob Davidson sits down with Peggy Shepherd, a licensed clinical social worker at Hendrick Hospice Care. They discuss how families benefit the most when Hospice and funeral homes provide care, support, and answers by working together to put families first.

As a funeral professional, do you find yourself spending more time on getting through each day's to-do list rather than focusing on your leadership, passion, and workplace culture? Whether you're experienced or new to the industry, your leadership matters and deserves to grow.In the latest installment of FD Talks, host Rob Davidson speaks with Kris Seale, President and CEO of Funeral Directors Life, about the new and upcoming funeral service leadership summit, REIGNITE. Kris touches on applicable lessons from the summit's speakers – John O'Leary and Tommy Spaulding – and emphasizes the need for every funeral professional to hear these important messages of creating a positive atmosphere and being a heart-led leader. Sign up for the REIGNITE summit and rediscover your spark to be a passionate leader.

Shrinking margins are every business owner's worst nightmare, especially in the funeral profession. If raising your prices or cutting costs is out of the question, how can you ensure the success of your business and the satisfaction of your families?This episode of FD Talks is all about preneed! Special guest John Harrington, Regional Sales Vice President with Funeral Directors Life, and our host Rob Davidson discuss factors that have impacted the funeral market, the importance of an effective preneed program, and why more families are requesting the option to preplan.So, what is the value of having one more funeral?

Between meeting with families and keeping your funeral home running smoothly, you have a lot on your plate as a funeral professional. And while you likely spend most of your days focused on your immediate responsibilities, are you spending as much energy thinking about your funeral home's finances? In this episode, host Rob Davidson sits down with Jason Gazaille, Vice President of Finance for Directors Business Solutions, which provides accounting services to funeral homes. The two discuss how many funeral homes struggle to keep their finances updated, which is where Directors Business Solutions can help!The bottom line is that you didn't go to mortuary school to be an accountant, so let Directors Business Solutions handle your funeral home's bottom line and other financial needs.

What are the expectations and experiences of new mortuary science graduates as they enter funeral service? Better yet, how can funeral homes help them adjust to this new work environment and be receptive to their needs as employees?  On today's podcast, our host Rob Davidson and Dr. Michael LuBrant, the Director of University of Minnesota's Mortuary Science Program, continue their discussion about what mortuary science graduates are experiencing as they enter the workforce. Dr. LuBrant also addresses how current funeral directors and management staff can help bridge the gap between their funeral homes and mortuary science programs and lists ways that funeral homes can recruit graduates.

Recruiting new funeral professionals or graduates is a challenge some funeral homes face. From internships and job shadowing opportunities to networking events, positive work experiences with your funeral home are important when recruiting prospective individuals to a career in funeral service. Just ask Dr. Michael LuBrant, the Director of University of Minnesota's Mortuary Science Program for nearly 20 years.  In this episode of FD Talks, our host Rob Davidson meets with Dr. Michael LuBrant to discuss how funeral homes can work together with mortuary science programs to recruit the next generation of funeral directors. They share some practical tips and insights that you won't want to miss!

As a funeral professional, you've worked hard to establish your business and set fair prices for your services and offerings. But recently, inflation has caused price increases for oil, lumber, and other basic commodities, leading you to wonder how this situation will affect your business and what you can do about it.  In this riveting episode, host Rob Davidson and Tom Anderson, CEO and Editor of Funeral Director Daily, break down inflation in the funeral profession, solutions around raising prices vs. watching costs, and trusting your intuition!  Another way to combat inflation and rising prices is by introducing an additional stream of revenue, such as an active preneed program or an online planning and funding tool. 

Families gather to celebrate all kinds of special life events, including births, weddings, graduations, and retirements, but what happens when a death occurs and not all family members can attend the ceremony, even if they really want to be there? In this special episode of FD Talks, Kris Seale, President and CEO of Funeral Directors Life, hosts a live Q&A session where he shares his experience with planning a funeral and the ideas he has to involve dispersed members of his family who can't attend the ceremony. From livestreaming to two-way video conferencing, the ideas addressed in this topical discussion reveal how technology can actually augment human interaction, enhance a family's experience, and empower funeral directors. 

When the pandemic brought unprecedented change and life-changing loss, funeral professionals stepped in to care for families and navigate new challenges of their own: overwhelming stress, demand, and change.   Since May is Mental Health Awareness Month, there has never been a better time to talk about the critical importance of self-care. In this episode, renowned author and grief expert Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt describes symptoms of stress, discusses self-care practices, and provides inspiring words of wisdom! Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt is the author of numerous books about grief for adults, children and teens, and caregivers and funeral professionals. For more information, visit https://www.centerforloss.com/.

Managing your preneed trust is hard work. Most funeral homes sacrifice a lot of time and effort, only to experience low return and growth, strict regulation and audits, and 1099s.There's a better way.In this episode, Mark Owen, Regional Sales Vice President at Funeral Directors Life, discusses how you can stop dealing with the regulatory and administrative burdens of managing trusts and start seeing real growth by converting your trust to insurance or annuity! If you're in Texas, Mississippi, or Oklahoma, you won't want to miss this episode!

Consumers today prefer to shop and research online to see their options before they complete their purchase, whether that's online or in person. Funeral planners are no different. How can you ensure that families in your community avoid low-cost, online cremation providers and partner with you instead? In this episode, Rob Davidson meets with Drew Seale, Vice President of Sales Operations at Funeral Directors Life, to discuss online planning misconceptions and realities, the value of a customizable, online planning and funding tool, and the successes that funeral homes have had Funeral Directors Life's tool, the Arrangement Guide™. 

In this episode, your host Rob Davidson sits down with Paul Lovelace, Executive Vice President of Corporate Development at Funeral Directors Life, who shares insights on how to grow the value of your funeral business with an active preneed program. Most funeral homes are barely scratching the surface of the potential for preneed sales in their communities. By following a few simple keys to success, Paul and his team have helped hundreds of funeral homes to jumpstart their active preneed programs – without sacrificing the quality of service to their families. 

In this episode of FD Talks, Rob Davidson sits down with Nadene Smith, Director of Business Services for CLAIMCHECK, a life insurance assignment services company that offers expedited payments on verified life insurance policies. Nadene's personal experience with loss gave her a renewed perspective and appreciation for what funeral directors do every day. Now she is dedicated to helping funeral homes and the families they serve access their life insurance benefits quickly and easily so they can stop worrying about how to pay for the funeral and instead focus on creating a healing and meaningful ceremony to honor the one they love. 

There is a lot of excitement and energy among funeral professionals going into 2021 with so many new tools available to serve families. In this episode, Kris Seale, President and CEO of Funeral Directors Life, joins Rob Davidson in the studio to discuss what's ahead for funeral service in 2021 and how funeral directors can leverage the technology and resources available today to enhance their service to families. 

So much has changed in the marketing space in just the last five years. More and more funeral homes are realizing the power of digital marketing for reaching families in their communities, but many are missing out on opportunities because the don't have the time or expertise to put together a full digital marketing plan. Today, we are joined by Mitchell McLean, Director of Digital Marketing with Funeral Directors Life, to talk to us about the options available to funeral homes for marketing online, best practices, and results that he has seen with the company's social media management clients.

When a preneed family loses a loved one away from home, no one wants to have to tell that family that there will be unexpected out-of-pocket costs that are not covered by their plan. Whether you are a funeral home owner, director, or preneed sales professional, you want to offer your preneed families a complete solution that protects the family AND the value of the funeral they have planned, no matter where the loss occurs. That is why Todd Carlson, EVP and Chief Sales Officer with Funeral Directors Life is joining us in the studio today to talk about a new option now available for families who are planning ahead: On the Go Protection. Learn how it works, how to position this valuable coverage with families, and how families are responding to this new protection plan.