It's 12:46 on Friday September 3, 2010

The wrinkles only go where the smiles have been.

Looking Ahead As A Generation Ages

The Associated Press has a piece about how the aging baby boomer generation will affect the funeral industry. Experts say the average funeral home could see over a 30 percent increase in their call volume over the next two to three decades, until the death rate settles again in about 2040.

Though dipping slightly over the last several years, and expected to be stagnant for several more, the death rate of about 8.1 per 1,000 people is expected to inch significantly upward sometime in the next decade and eventually go as high as 10.9. The exact dates are tough to pinpoint because of the size of the generation and medical advances.

Source

I found the “event planner” comment interesting. I know funeral directors have occasionally crossed over from the hospitality industry; one director I used to work with was a Red Lobster manager. How about it? Are funeral homes finding more employees with event planning or hospitality backgrounds?

Death and the Economy

The funeral industry isn’t being overly affected by the current US economic issues. Forbes reports that given the aging baby boomer population, the industry is actually looking at a slight upswing.
“People don’t borrow from the 401k to buy groceries or gas. This is a major life event, like a wedding, so people are willing to borrow from their 401k or cash in that life insurance,” said NFDA spokeperson Jessica Koth.

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