Citrin Cooperman Launches 2011 Funeral Home Survey

NEW YORK, NY, June 30, 2011 (Press-News.org) Citrin Cooperman, a leading accounting and business consulting firm, announced the launch of its 2011 survey of funeral home owners and directors as part of its annual Funeral Directors Survey. Citrin Cooperman has produced this survey for more a decade.

The survey can be filled out online at http://www.citrincooperman.com/funeralsurvey, or through Citrin Cooperman at 973-218-0500. Results of the survey - typically published in a 70-plus page booklet - will be provided free of charge to participants, and should be available by Nov. 1, 2011. The deadline for participation is July 30.

Citrin Cooperman's survey of funeral home owners and directors has provided a yearly update on the "state of the industry," based on responses from funeral homes, primarily located in the Northeast, for more than a decade.

The Funeral Directors Survey covers a number of areas including mergers and acquisitions, pricing, payments and financial issues, technology, value of services, the expansion of services, and insight into specific revenue generators such as caskets and pre-need planning.

"Funeral home owners and directors have come to rely on our annual survey as a yearly snapshot for the industry," said Ed Horton, partner-in-charge of the Funeral Industry Services practice at Citrin Cooperman. "As more and more funeral home owners and directors have participated each year, the quality and depth of information we provide to funeral home executives has improved. The results allow funeral home executives to analyze their business within the context of the entire industry, and make decisions accordingly."

Past surveys have identified trends in pricing, pre-need financing and casket sales, among others. Last year for example, Citrin Cooperman's survey showed that prices for basic funeral home services in the Northeast remained flat, and that few homes offered new or innovative services. Previous surveys pointed out issues in the growth of green and alternative burials and the impact of big box stores, such as Costco, on casket sales.

A majority of 2010 survey respondents are located in the greater New York area - New York, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania - but a growing number came from outside the region over the past several years. While Citrin Cooperman has offices throughout the New York metropolitan area, and in Philadelphia, the survey is open to funeral home directors throughout the United States.

"Based on responses from outside the Northeast, it's fair to say that funeral home directors around the country face a similar set of challenges," said Horton. "Surveys have shown that no matter where funeral homes are located, directors and owners are concerned with pricing, profitability, and changing burial customs, among others."

Funeral home directors interested in more information on this year's survey or copies of previous years' results can contact Horton at 973-218-0500.

About Citrin Cooperman
Citrin Cooperman (www.citrincooperman.com) is a full-service accounting firm, providing attest and assurance, tax, business advisory services and valuation and forensic services to clients in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Citrin Cooperman has deep experience in a number of industries and areas including funeral, professional services firms, restaurants, real estate, entertainment, staffing and executive search. The firm, founded in 1979, is an independent firm associated with Moore Stephens.