Q4 eNewsletter

     The fall season is in full swing and so is our team at FSI. 
    
     In the last couple of months, we’ve attended two industry events and announced a new partnership that will offer a full-service solution for cemetery and perpetual care trust management. Read more about our experience at the Association of Trust Organizations and the Selected Independent Funeral Home annual meetings as well as our partnership with CemSites in this eNewsletter. While these two milestones are behind us, there is no sign of activity slowing down!  
 
     This month, we will exhibit at the National Funeral Directors Association Conference and Exposition in Indianapolis, Indiana and host a free webinar with Kates-Boylston Publication. October is a busy time, but also a month full of opportunities to connect with and learn from fellow death care professionals.
 
      As industry events slow down, planning for 2016 will ramp up. As you begin your planning, please remember that assistance with your preneed and perpetual care trust administration is only a phone call away. It is our goal to provide you with unparalleled customer service and personal support so that you can be confident that every aspect of your trust program is taken care of – we’ll focus on the trust so that you can focus on your business.

     You earned a family’s trust and have a new preneed contract in hand. The life of a preneed contract – from purchase to the actual funeral service – can be complicated and overwhelming.

     What’s next? Who’s in charge? Who is protecting trusted funds? Your client? Your program?
    
     To learn the answers to these and other questions, please join us for the free webinar “The Life of a Preneed Contract: Avoiding Roadblocks and Charting the Path to a Successful Preneed Trust Program” Thursday, Oct. 29 at 3 p.m. (ET).
 
     This hour-long webinar is hosted by FSI along with along with Infinity Management Advisors, LLC and Kates-Boylston Publications. It will focus on:

      Knowing how to evaluate your trust program will keep you from veering off course and will help you effectively navigate a successful preneed program.

Register today! [linked to registration page]

 

 New partnership streamlines
cemetery and perpetual care
trust management
 

                    
 

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FSI and CemSites, two companies both recognized for products and services that streamline business operations, teamed-up to provide a digital platform that offers users a one-stop shop for perpetual care trust and cemetery management.
 
Clients of both companies will benefit from enhanced access to customizable and full-service solutions that utilize the latest tools and technology for perpetual care trust and cemetery management.
 
FSI trust systems will automatically sync with CemSite’s AR Finance Module, part of the company’s secure cemetery customer relationship management software. The program will now streamline both the trust and receivables processes. The module will also feature contract automation, advanced customizable reporting and dispute management.
 
“FSI is committed to providing solutions that empower our clients to manage and grow their businesses while ensuring regulatory compliance,” said Bill Williams, president and CEO of FSI. “Whether developing or sourcing these tools, incorporating advanced technologies remains a critical tactic in offering value-added preneed and perpetual care trust services.”
 
Founded in 2012, CemSites provides customers with a full-service solution with a customizable user dashboard, which has more than 15 modules including online gravesite mapping, record keeping, website creation and cemetery management. Together, the companies’ respective technologies offer robust, forward-thinking solutions that benefit both death care professionals and their clients.
 
“With the partnership between our company and FSI, our clients will have access to seamless and innovative software to manage every aspect of a cemetery in one place,” said Scott McAfee, co-owner of CemSites. “This is one way our company embraces the values of heritage and perpetual care – values every community should expect from its cemetery.”
 
These services are now available to existing and new clients of FSI and CemSites. To learn more about this new feature, contact Scott McAfee, sales and marketing manager at scott@siteind.com or Michael Moore, senior business development manager at Michael@siteind.com.

    

Association of Trust Organizations (ATO) Annual Meeting

     Paul White, VP of Client Development and Marketing and Jim Atwood, FSI board member and the CEO and primary consultant at Infinity Management Advisors, LLC (IMA), attended the Association of Trust Organization’s Annual Meeting September 27-29 in Nashville, Tennessee. The meeting brings together hundreds of financial professionals who offer trust services for networking, educational seminars and other trust industry-related sessions.
 
     This year’s event was titled “The Power of Technology” – an area that aligns with FSI’s focus on being the “power inside” your preneed and perpetual care trust. New technologies in the areas of wealth management, investment management and trust services were the topic of several panel and breakout sessions. As a provider of trust administration technology for preneed and perpetual care, we are committed to continuously educating ourselves about the newest technologies, tools and methods available in trust services.
 
    In addition to discussions regarding technology, the annual meeting includes a regulatory roundtable. Roundtable members included attorneys, the assistant deputy comptroller from the office of the comptroller of the currency and a senior deputy director from the federal deposit insurance corporation. Our team will be sure to pass along new information that emerges from this conference and other events to FSI clients and fellow death care professionals.

Selected Independent Funeral Homes 97^th Annual Meeting
 

       FSI President and CEO Bill Williams served as a panelist for the presentation, “Perspectives on Preneed,” at the Selected Independent Funeral Homes 97th Annual Meeting in New Orleans on September 17-19.
 

     The panel discussed today’s consumer – a more informed customer looking for a unique, personalized  experience – and the opportunities and challenges this presents for preneed. The presentation took place Thursday, Sept. 17 from 1-2 p.m.

 

     We are excited to announce that we will be in attendance again at ICCFA’s Wide World of Sales program January 13-15, 2016 at the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This convention offers preneed sales professionals the opportunity to network with preneed sales leaders, hear great presentations and learn the best sales practices. We had a great experience last year learning fresh perspectives and insights from other death care professionals. We are eager to return to this event in January 2016.   https://www.iccfa.com/wws