It is that time of year to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions.

Having just returned from a trip to attend a funeral, I was shocked that it cost $795 to dig a hole . . . just two feet wide and two feet deep. Even with no crypt, a ceramic looking pot to hold the cremation urn cost $495. A grave marker was another $2,900 and the list goes on . . . did I mention the cost of funeral plot or body preparation?

Therefore, my 2023 resolution is to understand the economics of the funeral industry. My suspicion is that the regulatory process drives up the costs, due to some professional trade association that lobbies government to “protect the consumer”.

Stay tuned . . .