If life we will experience life and death, often times they bring families together. Life or a new baby is hope for the future, death is the ending of one life and celebration of the life. Death also involves doing something with the body and funeral homes. Many years ago, the ceremony revolved around the church, now many funerals are held at the funeral home for people can gather and then move to another room to meet and greet. The funeral home does not do this as merely service, there is a cost to it and it is a business. In the past, people were buried in a casket and went into the family plot or area of the cemetery; now that families live near and far, cremation is a option for the family. For the funeral home, one brings in more revenue than the other. It is with this in mind, the book Curtains – Adventures of an Undertaker-in-Training by Tom Jokinen published by Random House, Toronto, 2010 was read. Mr. Jokinen is a radio producer who was interested in the funeral business and spent a few months learning the industry and wrote the book.

Funerals tell us about changing families, changing attitudes and economics of the person. Many people really do not spend a great deal of time thinking about their funeral, for much of our lives are spent on living it. When a spouse or friends begin to die, people will have a general idea, although if your are thinking about your funeral also think about your will – have one. The funeral industry – the pick up of the body from the hospital, the dressing of the person, the getting to know the person, the obituaries that are a mainstay of newspapers, to what type of funeral makes the industry an interesting one that is constantly changing.

Linking to dividend stocks, for many years the preconceived notion of burial was in a casket which lead to funeral homes providing that service for a fee. The funeral business got used to it and was a good business to be in, with more cremations that is a lower revenue product, the funeral industry needs to change or adapt to those who want the caskets. No industry ever remains the same, however change affects all – if they are making easy money who wants to change to work for it? No matter what type of stock you own, how your industry adapts to change will be a constant theme in the years ahead.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.