THANOS magazine 3/2025 (111)
 

Dear FIAT-IFTA Members,

As I write this article, I’m preparing to attend my national convention and expo in Chicago, Illinois in just a few days. A year from now, I’ll be welcoming the world - and especially the members of FIAT-IFTA - to next year’s Expo and Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Given the size of our country, NFDA rotates its convention across different cities and regions. This allows more members to attend, especially those who may only be able to leave their business for a day but still want to experience a large national expo with excellent educational opportunities. We’ve found that a decent number of attendees drive to the meeting rather than fly in from afar.

Please mark your calendars for October 25–28, 2026, if you plan to attend FIAT-IFTA’s next General Assembly. I hope to see you there next year, and I’ll share more details in future articles.

One question I’m occasionally asked is about the regulation of funeral services. Almost every state in the United States has some form of regulation - some more than others. Most states also require licensing, though educational requirements vary widely.

In my opinion, the sole purpose of regulation should be to protect the public. However, I’ve seen regulations go overboard. In some states, it seems the rules are designed more to limit competition than to safeguard consumers, which can drive up prices and hurt families.

I currently serve on the regulatory board in my home state of Ohio. We have the highest educational requirements for licensing and some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country. That said, I’m not suggesting our model would work everywhere. Enforcing high educational standards can limit your pool of potential employees.

Regulation often arises in response to a scandal that makes headlines. Legislators quickly ask, “Why did this happen, and what can be done?” That’s exactly what happened in Colorado. After eliminating their regulations, a few bad actors created a scandalous situation, and the state reinstated oversight.

Another challenge with regulation is determining who oversees and enforces it. Ideally, you want people who understand the profession - not bureaucrats unfamiliar with the work we do.

One possible solution is for national funeral associations to play a role through professional conduct policies. FIAT-IFTA has adopted such a policy for its members. My association, NFDA, has one as well, along with a committee to handle consumer complaints and mediate solutions. I served as Chairman of that committee for six years. The biggest limitation was our lack of authority to shut down bad actors unlike the authority a government regulatory board has. One thing I noticed was most consumer complaints arose from poor communication. The second was family discord putting the funeral director in the middle.

Fortunately, most professionals in our field are good people doing their best to serve families. Problems are rare. But when they do arise, and your association isn’t prepared to address them, the government will step in - and you may not like the solution they come up with.

William C. Wappner
FIAT-IFTA President