Funeral Industry Sees Boom

All those boomers could fuel funeral industry

For thousands of professionals gathered here at the National Funeral Directors Association convention, the current economic slump does nothing to dampen longer-term hopes pinned to the projected rise of the U.S. death rate as the cohort born between 1946 and 1964 passes away.
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"It sounds kind of morbid, but they are looking at boom times," said Tara Olson, the owner of AllPoints Research, a marketing research firm that has worked with funeral homes to develop business plans. "They're just sort of waiting for the baby boomers to start dying off."
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Isard and others note cremations, which generally cost less than burials, and questions about what else boomers will want could mean the amount spent on each service goes down. And it's possible that some families may turn to event planners to take care of funeral arrangements and just use funeral directors for essentials such as transporting and embalming the body.

"Other than the fatality, what's the difference between a wedding and a funeral?" he asked.