With two reform bills (HB 2469 and HB 2594) already introduced into the legislature, and two substitute proposals in the works, Missouri legislators and regulators are committed to fixing a law that allowed NPS to exploit consumers and funeral homes. However, consumers and the death care industry are both having difficulty analyzing the specifics of
April 2008
Getting it Right: Missouri’s Right of Sepulcher
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Supulcher/Preference Laws
While Missouri has had a right of sepulcher law for five years, there has been disagreement whether the law allowed an individual to override the preferences of his/her next-of-kin. The ambiguities of the original law left funeral directors in a quandary about following the instructions of designated agents. This led to confusion for many Missourians who thought…
Does anyone have the name of a good lawyer?
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in Funeral
A few months ago I stumbled across the FuneralAdvice.com website when searching the net for some information on embalming. Google found a post on the site that was somewhat helpful, but did not provide the answer I was looking for. I bookmarked the site, and by coincidence, visited the site again today.
The site’s current post asks…
NPS and an uncertain world
By Bill Stalter on
Posted in NPS/Lincoln, Preneed
Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Benjamin Franklin
The “collapse” of National Prearrangement Services comes as a shock to both the company’s clients and competitors. For the seventeen states in which NPS transacted business, regulators are scrambling to get their arms around the magnitude of the problem. NPS’ adversarial reputation will cause…
Accountability and the Master Trust
By Bill Stalter on
A bank client recently asked that I provide some standard of accountability for administration provided to a master preneed trust. As I struggle to provide the client a concise answer, I can’t help but to think that the issue will also become a crucial concern to consumers and funeral directors alike. As news reports reach consumers about…
NPS throws in the towel
By Bill Stalter on