Honoring the Past, Advancing the Future: Express Funeral Funding Acquires Ford Acceptance

EFF proudly carries forward Ford Acceptance’s 55-year legacy while expanding its commitment to innovation, compassion and service excellence.

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN – (For Release 10.13.25) Express Funeral Funding (EFF), the nation’s FASTEST. EASIEST. at-need insurance assignment funding company, is proud to announce its acquisition of Ford Acceptance, a trusted name in funeral funding known for exceptional service and strong client relationships since 1969.

This strategic move enhances EFF’s national presence and furthers its mission to deliver compassionate support, unmatched service, and innovative funding solutions to funeral professionals and the families they serve.

“With a shared commitment to integrity and customer care, Ford Acceptance was a natural fit for EFF,” said Andy Buckman, president of Express Funeral Funding. “We’re honored to carry forward their legacy and deliver even greater value through expanded resources, advanced technology, and our unwavering dedication to service.”

Owners David LeVine and Alan LeVine, expressed confidence in EFF’s ability to continue serving their clients with excellence:

“EFF was the clear choice when considering the future of our clients,” said the LeVines. “They share our values and commitment to customer care. We know our clients will be in the best of hands.”

Ford Acceptance clients will now benefit from a seamless transition to EFF’s comprehensive suite of services, including faster claims processing, personalized support from an experienced team, and access to intuitive, user-friendly technology designed to streamline the funding process.

This acquisition marks another milestone in EFF’s continued growth and reflects its deep commitment to empowering funeral professionals with the tools, technology and support they need to serve families with excellence and care.

For more information on EFF, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com, email sales@expff.com, call or text 415.949.2428. EFF has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide with the ultimate funding experience since 2002. EFF eliminates the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment, and advancing complete policy funds. 

In the last couple of weeks I’ve noticed articles that truly point to Death Care as being at a nexus, or intersection, of technology and tradition.  Today’s Funeral Director Daily article brings you information and links to articles that truly show that Death Care is changing.

There is one article that shows evolution of a company to be able to meet the needs of today’s consumer.  It’s an article from a company with its roots in the casket business that has changed over the years to become what they term “The Cremation Solutions Leader”.

There is also an article that shows how some investors see enormous potential in the technology of Death Care and how the business can be coupled with health care, grief, and insurance to bring big changes to how consumers might interact with those business silos with greater ease and savings.

Finally, we bring you an article where an ethnic group is partnering with their federal government to keep funerals traditional for them in what indicates a growing sense of cultural niche services in Death Care.  Cultural options, much in line with the old “Catholic vs. Protestant” funeral homes of the past, is something that may be making a comeback on the horizon.  I can also see opportunties and envision certain Death Care companies making “compacts or agreements” with these groups to operate, or manage, such facilities as was done early on in the gaming world and is being done today as senior care centers of certain sizes look for contracted management outside of their walls to reduce costs.

It’s probably a good point to note that “change” is difficult for many, however the thought process of not looking at what North American consumers seem to be wanting in future Death Care may be detrimental to your business.  These business groups seem to have made decisions, and investments, based on a future of technology, cremation, and tradition. . . . and all, based on their investments, believe that there is a market for them to succeed in today’s Death Care business environment.

Folowing are the three articles mentioned above that we have linked for your convenience:

Acquisition —  Starmark Cremation products acquires Chateau Urns.  

Additional Starmark information — Starmark website

Equity Funding —  Exclusive:  Empathy raises $72 million Series C to tackle the agonizing logistics of death.  Yahoo Finance

Additional Empathy information —  Empathy announces $72 million Series C and unveils Empathy Alliance.  BusinessWire

Additional Empathy information —  Empathy website

New Funeral Homes —  Peepeekisis Cree Nation breaks ground for new funeral home.  Government of Canada news release

Additional Peepeekisis Cree Nation information — Peepeekisis First Nation plans to open funeral home that meets cultural needs.  CBC Canada

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Last week I attended a Blue Ocean Tour seminar planned and produced by Alan Creedy and Danny Jefferson.  It was my first time on one of these events and it was an incredible learning experience including tours of Death Care facilities, a National Cemetery, discussons, learning experiences, and simple brainstorming of ideas with a group that included funeral home owners, retired funeral home owners, non-funeral director funeral home business executives, and funeral home supply company executives.

During one of our brainstorming discussions the group touched on what I call “funeral poverty”.  That being the fact that sometimes at the time of an unexpected death families are simply strapped for cash and do not have savings in place or the ability to secure credit in such a short time period.

The discussion led to the thought of crowdfunding vehicles as a way to bring in some money to pay for services.  At least one funeral director in the group said that he has had clients who do crowdfunding but the funeral home received none of the proceeds and he was still left with a really tough to collect receivable.

That’s when I mentioned that a friend of mine in funeral service, Jimmy Altmeyer, had created a program that can crowdfund for funeral expenses but is much more than that.  It is a funding device created by funeral directors for funeral directors that can help funeral homes assist members of their community for projects of all types.

I wasn’t familiar enough with the concept to speak in any great capacity at the Blue Ocean Tour about it but the discussion led me to reach out to Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding) to get more information and pass that information on to the readers of Funeral Director Daily.

The following is an article I received from the good people at TMC Funding for publication in today’s FDD.  I hope you enjoy it and learn about another product that may be able to help your business.

Many funeral homes have experience with a  young child passing away in their community. 

 

The family  inquires about services after this sudden, tragic death of a loved one.  Many funeral homes offer to donate goods and services, but the funeral home still needs to cover cash advance items like published obituaries, cemetery open and close, death certificate filing, and more. Then the family and friends, with good intentions, set up a fundraiser using an online crowdfunding platform. 

 

A genuine action to help the family  inadvertently begins to reflect negatively on your funeral home, making it appear as if you didn’t help them out at all. All this, while the real story is that the funeral services have been donated.  The general public most likely doesn’t know this and doesn’t consider what is happening behind the scene.

 

“When a community is coming together to help a family in need, that’s good.   However, they should consider all needs of the family, not just the cost of the funeral”,  shared Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home and Founder of Treasured Memories.

 

Similar scenarios encouraged Jimmy and his team to create Treasured Memories Community Funding (TMC Funding): an online fundraising platform created for funeral professionals, by funeral professionals. TMC Funding allows funeral homes to bring crowdfunding in-house while securing funds for families in need to better serve their communities. 

 

Ultimately, this demonstrates your commitment to providing exceptional care while enhancing your firm’s public image.

 

Other community funding platforms exist by taking a portion of the funds raised. Treasured Memories has a 0% platform fee and we provide our services through donor tips.   100% of the donations will go to the family or charity of choice.

 

Treasured Memories Community funding not only helps a family pay for their loved one’s services, it can also be used to raise money for memorial donations, charitable events, sponsorships and other community organizations. 

 

“When we built the platform, we were focused on families in need,” explained Jimmy. “What we actually found out is that only 30% of the fundraisers are for families in need. 70% of the funds raised are for successful community outreach and memorial donations.” Crowdfunding can help funeral providers with all types of fundraisers:

 

Family Support – Funds can be raised for families in need of assistance with funeral, medical and other unexpected expenses.

Memorial Donations – Charities and organizations in someone’s name or in support a family.

Charitable Events – Raise funds for a specific event happening in your community.

Community Fundraisers – For a local organization in need of support.

Support for Veterans – Raise funds for Veterans’ medical assistance, housing or other necessities.

Loving Pets and Animals – Raise money towards furry friends that require medical assistance, shelter or other efforts.

 

Community fundraising  opens the door for many funeral homes to support their communities.  When a fundraiser is created, the funeral home has the opportunity to help share the family’s story. 

 

Both the family and funeral home can begin sharing the fundraiser on social media.  Once the fundraiser is complete, the funeral director can present the check to the family or the organization of their choice.  

 

“Treasured Memories Community Funding has helped us build relationships in our community.  It has given the funeral home an opportunity to show how families impact the charities in their loved one’s memory,” shared Craig Roe, Vice President and General Manager for Michigan Memorial Funeral Home in Flat Rock, MI.

 

The increased  publicity will impact your funeral home’s reputation in a positive way .

 

Treasured Memories Community Funding presents opportunities to follow up with charitable organizations creating community engagement.  Outreach events have the potential to create a cycle of education, community involvement and positive attention for your funeral home.

 

You can learn more by looking at the Treasured Memories Community Funding website here.

 

For more information regarding community fundraising or getting started on the TMC Funding platform, you can click here. 

 

A Little About the Founder of Treasured Memories Community Funding:

Jimmy Altmeyer

Jimmy Altmeyer, President of Altmeyer Funeral Home & Founder of Treasured Memories, graduated from Villanova University (BA, 1988) and Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science (Associate’s, 1989). He and his wife, Jocelyn C. Altmeyer, have three children: Simon Cameron, James Elijah, and Justine Virginia.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We are happy to provide information on another “tool in the toolbox” for those that work to satisfy Death Care clients’ needs.  This type of platform, controlled by the funeral home, is a much needed addition to what is presently available to funeral homes.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Last week it seemed that every time I turned around I heard a news story about debt. . . . Here’s one that’s titled “Over nine million student loan borrowers could see their credit scores tank as delinquencies are poised to hit record highs“.  Or this one from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York titled “Household debt balances continue steady increase; Delinquency transition rates remain elevated for auto and credit cards”. 

Even our nation’s financial well being is in the news — here’s a story about that titled “U.S. could run short of money to pay its bills by August without a debt limit deal, CBO says.”

Any way that you look at it I think you will find a certain portion of our society living in a world where one missed paycheck or one bad incident could spiral their financial well-being down.  And, according to this article from Great Britain, it’s a problem in Death Care there — that is families not having enough resources to fully pay a loved one’s funeral bill.

If you are operating a funeral home there are times when compassion reigns and you have to make the decision to provide services without a guarantee of payment.  It may not be the best business practice but it just is the way that most Death Care practitioners are wired.

However, if you are not getting paid what you deserve for conducting funeral services the long-term consequences over time are not good.  Here’s an article titled “Is continuous accounts receivable a problem?”  I suggest you read it just for a little reminder that growing accounts receivables can sink a great business.

So, I think it behooves every funeral home and cemetery to have many tools in their toolbox for helping clients pay for the services that they are provided.  Those tools should include pre-arrangments with financial arrangements tied to them, down-payments, the use of credit cards, the acceptance of insurance funding, and more.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

And, in the world we live in today, one option for families to pay their obligations may be through community funding — most often referred to as “crowdfunding”.  When you think about it, online community funding today is not so much different than what happened for decades when friends, relatives, and acquaintances stuffed cash or checks into memorial cards to be used by the family.

For sure, many of these donations were for “memorials” and expected to be used “in memorium” of the deceased.  But, I conducted enough funerals over the years where friends and relatives hoped that the money they put forward would go towards the family paying a funeral bill that might have been out of their current reach without help.

I recently became aware of a community funding product that can be used for this purpose.  Take a look at what Treasured Memories Community Funding has been able to do for people by clicking here.  They can help families collect funding for “Memorial” projects or other uses.

As a matter of fact, Treasured Memories Community Funding can be used by funeral homes and aligned with others in their communities to raise funds for a variety of uses — memorials, family help, charitable events, community fundraisers, and more.

Take a look at this page on their website and you will see some stories where Treasured Memories Community Funding helped children whose mother passed away, helped start an education fund for children whose father passed away, and, yes, even helped families raise money to pay for funeral costs.  You will also find a “Memorial Fund” music foundation started to raise money in memory of a person who loved the arts.

I’m in the Baby Boomer generation and our generation has grown philanthropical giving.  Generally, we give to organized causes, especially those we can get a tax deduction from.  It’s how we grew up.

However, if we look to the Millenial generation (born between 1980 and 1999) who are between 25 and 45 years of age at this time, we see that they are already making their mark in charitable giving.  According to this article from Foundation Source over 85% of Millenials give charitably.  In addition, they are tech savvy and probably more likely to give to causes through social media campaigns, such as those that can be offered by Treasured Memories Community Funding, than other generations.

If I still ran my funeral home I would look into how Treasured Memories Community Funding could become a part of it. . .not only to help my client families but my community as well.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Express Funeral Funding Refreshes Logo

JEFFERSONVILLE IN – Express Funeral Funding (EFF), the FASTEST. EASIEST. at-need insurance assignment funding company is excited to announce a refresh of its logo, brand colors, and style guide, marking a milestone in the company’s growth and commitment to excellence. The update features warmer tones and a sleek design that reflect EFF’s focus on delivering exceptional customer experiences through integrity, quality, innovation, and teamwork.

This refreshed logo symbolizes EFF’s dedication to innovation while staying true to its core values of quality and customer satisfaction. The choice of warmer colors highlights EFF’s commitment to building lasting relationships and leading with forward-thinking technology.

Michael Wilson, co-founder and vice president of operations, shared, “Our new logo captures who we are today and where we’re headed, focusing on innovation, technology, and customer-centric solutions.” 

This change reinforces EFF’s commitment to evolving in the marketplace while providing meaningful services that enhance customers’ lives. EFF remains focused on leveraging cutting-edge technology, streamlined solutions, and an unmatched customer service experience to be the industry leader. The new logo is a symbol of this ongoing journey.

To mark the occasion, EFF will announce a New Swag Giveaway starting April 1st, winners will receive new EFF exclusive apparel and promotional items. For entry, text EFFSwag to 415.949.2428.

For more information on EFF, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com, email clientrelations@expff.com, text 415.949.2428, or call 812.949.9011.EFF has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide with the ultimate funding experience since 2002. EFF eliminates the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment, and advancing complete policy funds.

Funeral Safe announced last week that they had received almost $US 9 million in additional funding to expand their funeral-based consumer finance company.  In business since 2016, the latest round of capital investment by Black Lion Ventures will give Black Lion Ventures a controlling interest in the company.

Funeral Safe is a United Kingdom-based consumer-facing finance company designed to help consumers with death care payments.  According to a recent article in the British publication Funeral Service Times the company is described as “A consumer credit provider that specialises in tailored funeral finance, which allows individuals to spread the cost with monthly payments.  Funeral Safe works with more than 2,000 funeral homes and legal firms nationwide”. 

The article in Funeral Services Times is behind a pay wall, but Funeral Director Daily found this short article that explains more on the transaction.

Here’s what Robin Hyde-Chambers, founder and CEO of Funeral Safe said in the Funeral Service Times article, “This significant funding marks a major milestone in our journey, enabling us to accelerate our growth and innovation in the UK market. This investment underscores the confidence our investors have in our vision, our team, and the future of the firm.”

Service needed as United Kingdom faces growing “funeral poverty” —   According to this The Guardian article from earlier in 2024, Great Britain faces a growing trend that they refer to as “funeral poverty”.  The article states that a recent survey indicates that “. . . a growing number of grieving families are having to sell belongings, raid their savings or borrow from friends to cover the cost of a loved one’s funeral”.

The article from The Guardian also states that “One in five families experience “notable financial concerns” when paying for a funeral” and that “There has also been an increase in the number of “public health funerals”, formerly known as pauper’s funerals, which are arranged by the local council for someone who has died without relatives, and with no way of paying”.

Finally, it is surmised that this issue of cost is one of the leading reasons that “Direct Cremations with No Services” has grown to a 20% market share of dispositions in the United Kingdom.

Topic Related Articles:

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Nothing real surprising here.  Obviously Funeral Safe must be showing progess on its business plan to instill continuing confidence on the part of its equity partner.  And, in my opinion, the idea of the equity partner now becoming the lead partner shows a likelihood of continuing confidence in the Death Care sector by private equity.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Express Funeral Funding Promotes Andy Buckman to President and Deanna Wilkinson to Vice President of Sales & Marketing.

Jeffersonville, IN – Express Funeral Funding (EFF), the nation’s largest privately held, FASTEST and EASIEST at-need insurance assignment funding company is pleased to announce the promotion of Andy Buckman to president and Deanna Wilkinson to vice president of sales and marketing.

Joining EFF in 2013, Buckman brought a wealth of experience from the finance sector, specializing in healthcare cost containment services for several Fortune 500 companies and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Rubel School of Business at Bellarmine University. He brings a comprehensive understanding of EFF to this new role, having gained valuable experience across all departments during his 11-year tenure.

“Andy has been pivotal in the growth and success of EFF,” said Kevin Tkacz, CEO and president of The Messenger Company. “With a proven track record of leadership and a deep understanding of the company’s vision, he is well-positioned to lead the organization into its next phase of growth.”  

As president, Buckman will work closely with the executive team to ensure the continued success of EFF and will drive forward initiatives to enhance customer satisfaction, product development and market expansion.

“I am honored to take on this new role and lead such an exceptional team,” said Andy Buckman, president of EFF. “Together, we will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible and deliver outstanding value to our clients and stakeholders. I am deeply committed to furthering our mission and driving continued success for the company.”

With this transition, Deanna Wilkinson will assume Buckman’s previous role as vice president of sales and marketing.

Wilkinson brings a decade of extensive experience and understanding of the field to this role, having started her funeral service career in 2015 with one of the nation’s largest casket suppliers. Since her start at EFF in 2017, Wilkinson has been instrumental in developing and executing strategic sales and marketing initiatives designed to drive growth and enhance brand visibility among funeral and cemetery professionals nationwide.

“With the support of our shareholders, I am confident under these leadership changes, EFF will continue to thrive and maintain its position as the leader in insurance assignment funding,” said Kevin Tkacz.

Express Funeral Funding, a Messenger Family Company, has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide the ultimate funding experience since 2002. EFF eliminates the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment, and advancing complete policy funds. For more information on Express Funeral Funding, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com, email contact@expff.com or call 812.949.9011. 

Deathcare Startups Are Still Raising Millions in Funding

In a profession that many — ok, most — people deem traditional, startups seem to be clamoring to be the big disruptor — the business that finally shakes things up and changes “the way things have always been done.” Sometimes, they succeed; often, they don’t. However, it always helps when they’ve won the support and substantial financial backing of wealthy investors.

Crunchbase, a platform that gathers interesting information about all sorts of companies, recently compiled a list of those involved in “innovation and investment around death and end-of-life planning” which have raised significant amounts of funding over the past few years. This list includes companies that have received equity funding of just under $2 million all the way up to nearly $80 million.

The top 10

Here are the top 10 funded startups related to death and estate planning, according to Crunchbase, along with their funding amounts (in millions):

1. Better Place Forests ($79.8) – memorial spreading forests for cremated remains
2. Trust & Will ($48) – digital estate planning and probate platform
3. Wealth.com ($46) – digital estate planning platform for wealth management firms
4. Freewill ($30) – digital philanthropy and estate planning for donors and fundraisers
5. Inmemori ($21.3) – a “virtual time capsule”
6. After.com ($20) – direct cremation company serving six states in the western U.S.
7. Meanwhile ($19) – Bitcoin-dominated life insurance
8. OpusXenta ($13) – cemetery and crematory management software
9. Earth ($10) – provider of natural organic reduction 
10. Luminary ($9.5) – digital estate planning

If you’re noticing a theme here, you’re not alone. Crunchbase also recognized that eco-friendly disposition, online estate planning, and digital tools to simplify or streamline the business of deathcare dominated the top 10 this year. The next ten include companies with similar offerings, including GoodTrust, Safewill, and Willed (all digital estate planning tools), Eirene (direct cremation arranged by app), and Catrina, Aura, and The Farewell Guide (online platforms for end-of-life planning).

The only “outlier” in the top 20 best-funded companies seems to be Parting Stone, which transforms cremated remains into solidified form and, frankly, belongs in its own category. Also, along with Better Place, Earth, and Return Home, Parting Stone offers a tangible, non-digital, product or service. 

Top takeaways

If this list of companies in which wealthy investors have entrusted their cash is any indication, the future of deathcare is digital. Not only that, it’s focused on end-of-life and estate planning … which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. By simplifying the process of preparing for death, perhaps more people will take that step, and surely (hopefully) include their designation and perhaps prepayment of their funeral and/or disposition choices in their plan.

Crunchbase predicts that “many startups will struggle to penetrate a tradition-bound sector like the funeral industry, which isn’t known for speediness in adapting to change.” That could explain two interesting facts about these lists.

First, Eirene, the cremation app that claimed the #17 spot on the list, is now defunct, despite recently raising $3 million. The Toronto-based company virtually disappeared in July, shutting down its website and terminating its license with the Bereavement Authority of Ontario, leaving no signs that it was acquired or merged.

The second curiosity related to this list is found when comparing it to who made the list in 2020, which was the last time Crunchbase explored deathcare startups. Four years ago, Better Place Forests was also on top, followed by Aura, Farewill, Cake, and Eterneva. This year, Aura dropped out of the top 10, and Farewill (a digital will-writing service that has since expanded into funeral services) didn’t crack the top 20. Eterneva didn’t make the 2024 list — maybe because its 2021 funds infusion by Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban helped it become self-sufficient. Similarly, Cake, a successful and growing digital planning service, was just acquired by Foundation Partners.

If this four-year comparison is any indication, investors are still quite keen on cremation innovation, earth-friendly ideas, and digital planning tools — and they’ve attracted the attention of much bigger fish.

Express Funeral Funding Promotes Adam Setty to Client Operations Manager & Welcomes Rachel Schmelz as Customer Service Manager

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN – Release 9/23/24 – Express Funeral Funding (EFF), the the nation’s largest privately held, FASTEST and EASIEST at-need insurance assignment funding company is pleased to announce the promotion of Adam Setty from customer service manager to client operations manager and welcome Rachel Schmelz as customer service manager. 

Setty, an 18-year EFF veteran brings a wealth of knowledge and years of claims operation experience to this new role. As client operations manager Setty will oversee EFF’s core business relationships and ensure these customers receive the support and priority-attention needed to receive the ultimate funding experience, only EFF can provide. 

“Adam was one of the first employees we hired at EFF,” said Michael Wilson, co-founder and vp of operations. “He knows exactly what our customers’ needs are and I’m confident his leadership and invaluable skillset will provide an even greater experience for the funeral homes and cemeteries we serve nationwide.”

EFF is also pleased to welcome Rachel Schmelz as customer service manager, assuming Setty’s previous role.

Schmelz comes to EFF with over a decade of experience in business development management for engineering and law firms and possesses a background as a paralegal.

“With the addition of Rachel, we can now expand and further develop tailored processes and services to best serve our customers wants and needs,” said Adam Setty. “I am proud to have served our clients for nearly two decades and look forward to starting this new position and deepening my connections with our clients, who I truly consider family. 

EFF boasts a top rated customer service and USA-based concierge team dedicated to providing the ultimate funding experience. To reach Adam or Rachel directly contact; adam@expff.com, rachel.schmelz@expff.com or text 415.949.CHAT (2428) on your mobile device. 

Express Funeral Funding has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide the ultimate funding experience since 2002. EFF eliminates the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment, and advancing complete policy funds. For more information on Express Funeral Funding, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com, email contact@expff.com or call 812.949.9011.