Q3 eNewsletter 

  

What a difference a few months makes! In our last quarter e-newsletter, I wrote about the optimism surrounding our country’s recovery from the pandemic. These days, COVID-19 cases are plummeting and a return to normalcy is well underway.
 
As a result, funeral directors and cemeterians are meeting in-person with families again and providing the added level of care and attention they deserve. Our industry is also becoming more active and taking part in state meetings and national conferences. In fact, our team will have a booth at the NFDA International Convention & Expo in Nashville this October, where we will be showcasing the latest enhancements to PRISM, our online trust recordkeeping and administration services platform. Stop by and say hello. We’d love to see you!
 
Many people believe 2021 is a year of transition for our profession. I couldn’t agree more. The lessons we learned by adopting new technology – from holding virtual meetings to using online digital tools – will forever (and positively) shape how we interact and serve our families. I encourage you to read some of the latest articles we wrote about the benefits of leveraging new technology. And please check out the spotlight on our Information Technology department in this newsletter. This team is the “brains” behind the technology that helps our clients be more efficient, as well as providing them with an unprecedented level of access to client records, 24/7.
 
We are halfway through 2021 and on the road to recovery – physically, mentally and economically. And, as a team, we are honored to serve an incredible group of professionals who have diligently worked in the best interests of their families and communities during their times of need.

One year ago, I wrote in this e-newsletter that our team was “confident we will come out of [the pandemic] better and stronger than ever.” I believe we will. And it is all due to the dedication and perseverance of professionals in our industry – especially you, the funeral directors and cemeterians, the “Final Responders” who were there to serve the thousands of families impacted by the pandemic every day. The positive and lasting impact you’ve made on them, the profession and our team at FSI is too significant to measure.
 
As we continue our journey in 2021, please stay safe and we look forward to meeting in person again soon.

Sincerely,

Deathcare professionals should be aware of a recently passed Florida Senate amendment that changed how preneed contract proceeds should be deposited into trust. The amendment, which took affect July 1, takes into account a scenario in which a contract is purchased when a beneficiary’s death is imminent. The new law enables licensees in Florida to hold preneed contract proceeds in their business checking account without depositing the funds into trust if the contract is expected to be fulfilled quickly. Read the full amendment and more details here. 

If you are attending the conference,
please stop by our booth (#1638).
 

Utilizing FSI’s Tools To Prepare for Regulatory Audits & Inspections
 

Deathcare professionals can expect more audits and inspections this year as the industry slowly, but surely gets back to business as the impact of the pandemic lessens. In the May issue of ICCFA's magazine, Memento Mori, Bill Williams and WRW Legal’s Wendy Russell Wiener provide insight into how improving your internal controls and procedures can enhance administrative and financial operations. Learn more here.

FSI Department Spotlight: 

                     Information Technology (IT)