NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — While many Americans worry that the Social Security Administration won’t have enough money left to pay their benefits when they retire, the agency is doling out millions of dollars to people who aren’t even alive.
The Social Security inspector general estimates that the agency has made $40.3 million in erroneous payments to deceased beneficiaries — even though the administration had already recorded their deaths in its records. The estimate is based on a sample tested during its most recent audit in January 2008, the watchdog agency said.
One man told CNNMoney that he notified Social Security four years ago that his mother had passed away, but he still can’t get the agency to stop sending her checks every month.
Dennis Marvin, a Cleveland-based financial advisor, said several of his clients have grown frustrated by how long it took them to convince Social Security to stop sending payments to deceased family members.
OVERLAND PARK, KS – Suhor Industries, Inc. announced that its newest division, Signet Supply, has named Donald R. Robinson as President. In addition, Curt Shannon was appointed as Vice President of Sales and Ken Moore as Vice President of Marketing.
Signet Supply launched operations 18 months ago in response to the need for lower cost, high quality funeral products delivered with uncompromised service. Initially Signet Supply’s offering has been a targeted selection of high-volume, eye-appealing caskets. Signet Supply strives to fill the gap between cost and quality; creating value for funeral home customers and ultimately the families they serve.
Funeral Homes have a unique opportunity to engage consumers and customers through social media marketing. Many funeral directors are not sure what to do after they create a Facebook page for their funeral home, and we get emails all the time asking about engagement strategies for funeral homes. In this video Ryan Thogmartin, Founder of ConnectingDirectors.com and Disrupt Media Group, talks about 5 of the top engagement strategies for funeral homes embracing social media and specifically Facebook.
Funeral Homes have a unique opportunity to engage consumers and customers through social media marketing. Many funeral directors are not sure what to do after they create a Facebook page for their funeral home, and we get emails all the time asking about engagement strategies for funeral homes. In this video Ryan Thogmartin, Founder of ConnectingDirectors.com and Disrupt Media Group, talks about 5 of the top engagement strategies for funeral homes embracing social media and specifically Facebook.
The trajectory of Muneerah Warner’s career aspirations is a matter of life and death and life.
She wanted to be a doctor when she was growing up in North Philadelphia, until she learned that medicine couldn’t always stop people from dying. A couple of years later, she got a real-life lesson in that truth.
When she was 13, three of her relatives passed away within a few months, an uncle from violence and a grandfather and great-grandfather from natural causes. Employees at a funeral home helped soothe her sorrow.
So, by age 15, Warner had decided to become a funeral director. Now, the Northeast Philadelphia resident, 30, is in the vanguard of young women in a profession that long has been dominated by older men. Her businesses – none of which has made her rich – include a funeral service, Funerals Today magazine, and a social and support group she created called Funeral Divas. Its colors are black (not surprising) and hot pink (very surprising).
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Nobody wants to remember a deceased family member by the debt they left behind, but many creditors certainly make it difficult to forget.
Denise Townley was appalled when she received a letter from her mother’s credit card issuer less than two weeks after her mother passed away.
“We have recently learned that [your mother], a valued Discover Card customer, has passed away. Please accept our sincere apologies,” stated the letter from Discover, which Townley sent to CNNMoney.
It then offered her or another family member the “opportunity” to assume the balance on her mother’s credit card and offered a special introductory APR of 0% for the first six months (the APR would increase to 13.24% after that). If Townley wasn’t interested in taking over the account, then the bank wished to discuss how the estate planned to pay off her mother’s credit card balance.
The Neptune Society is announcing a new way to enroll in its prepaid cremation service through a new website. The idea behind the creation of the website is to allow for delicate cremation arrangements to be made at home, rather than in person. Many people have busy schedules and a meeting during business hours is not often possible.
“Traffic to our site has increased tremendously, so it is clear that this is a real need we are fulfilling,” said Dana Hanson, Neptune Society’s Website Manager.
It takes just minutes to make cremation arrangements from home. No personal information is required when a client enrolls online and all paperwork is sent through priority mail for signature. It is simple and no salesmen are involved.
It looks like an ordinary factory workshop – hundreds of containers full of metal are being processed. People are hard at work sorting out the mountains of metal. It only becomes odd when you hear what’s being said. “This is full of prosthetic human hips, and that one there has the burned remains of artificial knees.”
SANTA FE, NM – A new way of slowing decomposition in decedents is now available to funeral directors for use in green funerals.
Made from 100% nontoxic plant-derived cellulose, the Cooling Blanket, which was developed by the Green Burial Council (GBC), uses pre-cut cartridges of dry ice to provide easy handling and controlled placement of the cartridges, which can be ordered from almost any dry ice supplier.
Robert G. Horn to Provide Guidance to Genesis Board of Directors
Indianapolis, August 31, 2011: Casket manufacturer Genesis Casket Company today announced that Robert G. (Bob) Horn has accepted an appointment to the Genesis Casket Board of Directors as a special advisor. Horn began serving in this capacity at the Genesis August 30th board meeting.
“We are pleased and honored that Bob has accepted our invitation to serve and that he will be involved with our company,” stated Genesis President and Chief Executive Officer William Anthony (Tony) Colson. “I am personally looking forward to working with him and for Genesis Casket and all of funeral service to benefit from the wisdom and expertise he brings. His dedication to funeral service and stellar reputation will help Genesis address several of the issues facing funeral professionals today.”
A funeral director’s parlour in Waterford that has been in business for 255 years has launched what it believes is the world’s first dedicated app for funeral homes.
Robert Thompson Funeral Directors has been in business in Waterford since 1786. The business was originally established by Patrick Harrington, great great grandfather of John Thompson, the present proprietor.
The funeral arrangements of Edmund Ignatius Rice, the founder of the Christian Brothers, were made by Harringtonat his own expense, firstly as a tribute to Mr. Rice, and secondly because he feared the monks would not have the money to cover the expenses.
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