Last week, North America’s biggest funeral company, Service Corporation, ate up Stewart Enterprises last week for $1.4-billion. The firm is now valued at $4 billion, proving “death care” is big business.
Much of Service Corp.’s revenue comes from customers buying their own funeral preparations and cemetery plots ahead of time. Sounds morbid but it’s a practical way for clients to tidy up their affairs without adding more stress to loved ones left behind.
Guide clients through end-of-life matters with these helpful links:
Advisors must help clients plan their deaths
When and how to discuss post-life planning with your client.
Why prepay the funeral?
Funerals may cost more than your clients think.
Death and taxes: what you need to know
Dead clients still need to pay their income taxes. Read up on rollovers, exemptions and taxes on trusts.
When there’s not a will
A parent dies and children suddenly go Mr. Hyde on one another. A proper will can help keep the family together.
Kids need life insurance, too
If a child dies, life insurance helps with unforeseen financial and emotional costs.
Prepare clients for the worst before travelling
What kind of coverage do clients need if they die abroad?