http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/west-texas-funeral-directors-association-names-fdlic-sales-company-of-the-year Midland, TX--Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC), based in Abilene, TX, was named as the Sales Company of the Year at the West Texas Funeral Directors Association (WTFDA) meeting. FDLIC President and CEO Kris Seale accepted the award on behalf of FDLIC's board of directors, officers, and staff. "FDLIC was nominated and selected because of the company's continued support of the West Texas region and all seven regions of the TFDA (Texas Funeral Directors Association)," stated Bill Vallie, general manager of Sunset Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home in Odessa Texas and previous President of the TFDA. "Normally this award goes to an individual Supplier of the Year. But this year, we have selected FDLIC as the Sales Company of the Year." Wed, 09 May 2012 19:41:19 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/west-texas-funeral-directors-association-names-fdlic-sales-company-of-the-year 2012-05-09T19:41:19Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/celebrating-national-day-of-prayer "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12 FDLIC celebrated the National Day of Prayer on May 4th with special prayers for government and business leaders; children, families, and education; the church; and arts and entertainment. We were also blessed by guests from the Minda Street Church of Christ choir, who sang three selections, ending with "God Bless America." Everyone who attended seemed to be touched in a special way. * "Having an annual set-aside time to pray and ask God to intervene in our lives, cities, and nation is so very powerful," said Nadene Smith, Executive Assistant. "I'd love to see us have a spontaneous time more often than just once a year to pray and worship God. We're so blessed to be a part of a company that encourages this freedom." "This is a great reminder that we should be praying continually for our nation and our leaders," said Ray Thompson, Special Projects Administrator. "We don't just take the rest of the 364 days off until next year." Mon, 07 May 2012 16:33:39 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/celebrating-national-day-of-prayer 2012-05-07T16:33:39Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/2012-dig-service-awards The annual Directors Investment Group (DIG) Shareholders Meeting in April was a wonderful opportunity to recognize employees of DIG's subsidiaries, FDLIC, Parkway Advisors, and Directors Air Corporation (DAC) for their many years of service. Employees were recognized for five, 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service. A member from each group spoke during the meeting and offered thoughts about how the company culture at DIG has impacted his or her life. * First to speak was Chad Hoes, Portfolio Manager with Parkway Advisors, who was recognized for five years of service. "I greatly appreciate the Christian culture and values our companies hold," said Chad. "I love being saturated in such a positive, encouraging atmosphere that doesn’t forget our priorities in the big picture. We're the same people at work that we are at church and at home. It is very important to me to be consistent and not put on a false self to fit in or to appeal to a particular audience. It's this culture that makes it a pleasure to come to work and conduct business. All in all, I just want to say thanks for letting me be a part of this incredible set of companies and experience a culture that very few corporate structures have." Along with Chad, Christy Nigro from Parkway Advisors was also acknowledged for five years of service. From FDLIC, Loren Tatom, John Harrington, Mark Childs, Karin Haynes, Shaun Gaffney, Jyl Lopez, Sunshine Andersland, and Terri Bannister were recognized. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:24:16 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/2012-dig-service-awards 2012-04-26T19:24:16Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dawson-rodriguez-makes-sure-fdlic-is-leadingedge By Sidney Levesque Courtesy of the Abilene Reporter News Dawson Rodriguez almost missed his call to move to Abilene. His phone rang one day in 1992 as he was trying to get a generator working at his Louisiana home after Hurricane Andrew hit. Once he finally heard the phone, he almost hung up on the woman at the other end because he thought she was trying to sell him insurance. Only she wasn't. Turns out, the Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC) based in Abilene wanted to interview Rodriguez for a job. Nineteen years later, he is still on the job, helping FDLIC stay close to the cutting edge of technology with innovative ways to serve customers and help life insurance agents sell their products. The company does not, as some wrongly assume, sell life insurance to funeral directors, said Rodriguez, FDLIC's executive vice president and chief information officer. Rather, the company sells products that help people arrange their own funeral before they need it--a pre-need funeral--thus taking the difficult burden off their family when death does occur. FDLIC actually works with funeral homes to give them a tool (life insurance) to assist their clients with paying for a pre-need funeral in advance of the need. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:22:53 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dawson-rodriguez-makes-sure-fdlic-is-leadingedge 2012-04-17T14:22:53Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/2011-sales-manager-of-the-year-announced FDLIC is proud to announce the recipient of our Sales Manager of the Year Award for 2011. FDLIC's Sales Manager of the Year award is presented to the sales manager who meets or exceeds performance goals for the year and exhibits the company's philosophy in the areas of attitude, acceptance and implementation of training, use of FDLIC tools and value-added services, use of lead generation resources, planning and organization, and managing accounts with integrity acting as a knowledgeable, trusted business advisor to our clients. For 2011, the recipient of the Sales Manager of the Year Award was Rex Miley, Market Center Manager for Mississippi. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:56:44 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/2011-sales-manager-of-the-year-announced 2012-01-09T14:56:44Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/fdlic-names-employees-of-the-year FDLIC is proud to announce the winners of the Bill Seale Memorial Employee of the Year Award. This award is presented to employees who go above and beyond in their everyday duties and who are exemplary in their attitude, character, and integrity. For 2011, FDLIC named three deserving individuals as the recipients of this prestigious award. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:53:40 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/fdlic-names-employees-of-the-year 2012-01-09T14:53:40Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dig-remembers-911 On Friday, September 9, 2011, FDLIC's parent company, DIG, took time to remember the events of 9/11, 10 years after we watched the shocking events of that day unfold. As employees of this wonderful family of companies, we are fortunate to have the opportunity to reflect on this very significant anniversary. Each and every one of us remembers the pain and uncertainty of that day, and we never will forget how heroes gave their lives and our nation rose from the ashes united, looking to God for help. We now welcome you, our friends, to share in our moment of remembrance. This program is less than an hour in length and includes touching memorial videos and a very special message from David McQueen, Senior Pastor of Beltway Park Baptist Church. It is our honor and privilege to share the insightful message that was presented to our employees and staff on our special day of remembrance. To view the program, click on the image above. Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:26:47 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dig-remembers-911 2011-09-16T18:26:47Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/who-is-your-preneed-partner-and-why In the last 12 months, our interest rate environment has been a topic under great scrutiny. FDLIC's CEO, Kris Seale wrote an article in April entitled, "What's the 'Low Down' on Interest Rates?" which discussed the extent and rationale behind the 10-year U.S. Treasury Bond fluctuations. Six months prior to that Mr. Seale wrote another article titled, "What's Up With Interest Rates?" addressing how interest rates were approaching all-time lows and how all Americans were having to adjust to these times often being referred to as the "new normal." Needless to say, since the financial crisis of 2008, there has been a great deal of volatility and uncertainty with not only the financial markets, but with the interest rate environment as well. And just as things appeared to be stabilizing, maybe even getting a little better, we have the market turmoil experienced the week of August 8th. I was enjoying some windshield time while listening to the news of the day on the radio. A financial news channel was discussing how the U.S. narrowly avoided defaulting on debt and raised the debt ceiling. The broadcaster said, "The wrestling match is over--at least temporarily" and in the midst of it all the stock market fluctuated wildly. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 14:47:55 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/who-is-your-preneed-partner-and-why 2011-08-29T14:47:55Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/the-pfda-recognizes-fdlic-for-10-years-of-service- Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company (FDLIC), Abilene, TX, was recently recognized by the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association (PFDA) for 10 years of service as the endorsed preneed insurance provider of the Association. The award was presented at the PFDA's annual officer installation meeting, held at the prestigious Hotel Hershey in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Ted Nielsen, Director of Marketing and Membership Development for PFDA's Unichoice division, and John Eirkson, who serves as the Executive Director of the PFDA, presented the award to Kris Seale (FDLIC's President and CEO) and Paul Lovelace (VP of Corporate Development). "We are extremely honored by this recognition," said Kris Seale. "But more meaningful than a plaque is what the plaque represents: 10 years of mutual trust, partnership and service to families. It is our desire to do what is right by our funeral home clients and the families they serve, and it is our common goals and vision that have united FDLIC and the PFDA through the years. We are deeply appreciative of the confidence and trust they have placed in us." "PFDA has had an outstanding relationship with FDLIC," said Ted Nielsen. "We appreciate their efforts with the operation of the company, the way they conduct their business and day-to-day affairs. Our partnership with FDLIC has been very good for us and for our member funeral homes." Since the relationship began between PFDA and FDLIC in 2001, nearly $100 million in preneed funeral plans have been written, translating to approximately 20,000 families and individuals served. Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:19:05 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/the-pfda-recognizes-fdlic-for-10-years-of-service- 2011-07-11T16:19:05Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/fdlic-applies-bonus-growth-to-new-business-in-the-1st-quarter During the first quarter of 2011, FDLIC posted returns on new investments that exceeded expectations. With better-than-anticipated yields, FDLIC has increased growth rates on policies sold during the first quarter of 2011 by an average of 12%. All Pinnacle, Paramount, and Active Series policies will receive an additional .25% annualized bonus growth factor on business written in the first quarter and in-force at the time the bonus growth is applied. "We really feel blessed to help our funeral homes in this way during these uncertain economic times," said Kris Seale, FDLIC's President and CEO. "In addition to maintaining our growth rates on existing policies written before 2011, we are now able to apply a bonus to growth on new business sold in the first quarter. We are pleased not only that our investments performed better than expected, but that our clients will benefit, too." FDLIC expects to apply the bonus growth to policies sometime in early May of 2011. The company will continue to monitor and assess the investment climate and actual investment results on a quarterly basis. FDLIC, rated A- (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company, is a legal reserve life insurance company which specializes in the sale of insurance-funded preneed funerals. Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:00:20 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/fdlic-applies-bonus-growth-to-new-business-in-the-1st-quarter 2011-04-13T17:00:20Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/students-from-different-walks-attracted-to-new-mortuary-program Several generations of students in Wichita Falls remember "Mrs. White" as their sixth grade language arts teacher, a woman passionate about passing on the skills necessary for writing everything from college essays to thank-you notes. However, in December, Gail White, a student in Amarillo College's mortuary science program, took off her teacher's hat to become a funeral director, a role she has wanted to assume all her life. "I began my teaching career as a special education aide, teaching children with special needs," White explained, “and after seven years, went to Midwestern State University, where I earned my teaching credentials." Two years ago, she retired from the sixth grade classroom after teaching language arts for more than two decades. White grew up in Olney, a rural community in north central Texas, about 100 miles west of Fort Worth. "From the time we were small, our parents took us to funeral services," White remembered. "They never shielded us from death. That's when I first noticed Mr. Lunn, our local funeral director, how professional he was and how much people in our community respected him." Luke Lunn, a third-generation funeral director, was also there when White's family experienced four deaths in five years. Tue, 05 Apr 2011 19:40:17 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/students-from-different-walks-attracted-to-new-mortuary-program 2011-04-05T19:40:17Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dr-rt-kendall-speaks-on-how-to-know-the-will-of-god FDLIC was honored to have Dr. R. T. Kendall come and speak to our group at our end-of-year employee meeting on December 16, 2010. Dr. Kendall spoke on "How to Know the Will of God," a message that has had a far-reaching ripple effect throughout our company. Now, we are very pleased to be able to share his message with you here on our website. Dr. Kendall is a well-known and respected author, speaker, and teacher who served for 25 years as minister at Westminster Chapel in London. Dr. Kendall's ministry has taken him all over the world, from war-torn Palestine to South Africa, Northern Ireland, the U.K, and all over the U.S. Dr. Kendall is also currently one of three ministers who tour the U.S. with the Word, Spirit, Power conference. He is the author of more than 50 books, including Thorn in the Flesh, Just Grace, In Pursuit of His Glory, The Sensitivity of the Spirit, Total Forgiveness, Pure Joy, Just Say Thanks! and When God Shows Up. Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:58:06 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/dr-rt-kendall-speaks-on-how-to-know-the-will-of-god 2011-01-12T20:58:06Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/having-an-attitude-of-gratitude-this-holiday-season "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." G.K. Chesterton * For Health and Happiness and Well-Being... Your mother probably told you to always "have an attitude of gratitude," but you probably didn't especially want to hear it at the time! Sometimes it takes a monumental effort to rise above the cloud of stress and obligation to think about what we're grateful for. However, as usual, mom is always right. According to Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, research in the field of psychology is finding that gratitude not only promotes more positive thoughts, optimistic thinking, and happiness, but that these positive emotions also are connected to better health, a general sense of well-being, and a heightened immune system. Tue, 07 Dec 2010 14:54:43 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/having-an-attitude-of-gratitude-this-holiday-season 2010-12-07T14:54:43Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation-through-seminars * Give Away the Business In a book entitled Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni, the author states that to truly and effectively serve our customers, we must not be afraid to "give away the business." The idea is to serve people before they're your customers. Then, when they need your product or service, you will be the chosen provider. Demonstrating a caring attitude now impresses on your community the level of care and concern you will deliver later -- further elevating your status as a trusted provider of valuable service within your community. Tue, 28 Sep 2010 13:33:29 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation-through-seminars Dawn Garrett 2010-09-28T13:33:29Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation-through-aftercare In Terri's last article, she spoke of transformations, and how small acts of kindness can lead to transformations in ourselves and others. One very significant way we can transform people's lives is by offering aftercare to families. It's been said that I have a passion for aftercare, which might be true. It's a passion that developed from my own experience with personal loss over the years. With little to no aftercare provided during the most difficult times in my life, I understood how a full aftercare program could help those who are grieving find a sense of connection and comfort during a time of loss. That is one of the main reasons I've worked so hard to put together a full aftercare program for our client funeral homes. Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:45:24 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation-through-aftercare DJ Jons 2010-08-09T19:45:24Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation Transformation is defined as a marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better. We have been talking a lot about transformation at FDLIC. Most of us have a fog surrounding us. This fog blocks the view of the world around us. It blocks us from seeing where we want to go, what we want to be, and what we want for others. Denali, Mt. McKinley, is the highest mountain on the North American continent at 20, 320 feet. Permanent snowfields cover more than 75% of the mountain. From the ground, the peak can only be viewed 20% of the time. Does this sound like your life? Do you want to see more "peaks" in your life? Let's go back to the definition of transformation. All of us want "betterment". . . to improve our character . . . to make a change in our life for the better. We may want to be more kind, caring or faithful or to be freed from something that is weighing on our heart or mind. Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:29:50 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/transformation Terri Bannister 2010-06-07T19:29:50Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/tap-into-the-new-webbased-rate-calculator In our continued effort to be the "Leading Provider of Service to the Funeral Industry," FDLIC is now offering a new, efficient way to calculate premiums during sales calls. Previously, the Palm Rate Calculator was used to make complex calculations; however, Palm technology is rapidly becoming obsolete with the advent of smart phone technology. We needed a universal solution that would cater to a variety of smart phones and computers. So, the MIS team at FDLIC developed a new mobile Web site whose main purpose is to allow access to FDLIC services/information via a mobile device. So, the new rate calculator can now be accessed from virtually any device with Internet capabilities! Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:28:28 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/tap-into-the-new-webbased-rate-calculator 2010-04-28T19:28:28Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/digicon-20-available-for-wide-release We are very proud to announce that DIGicon® 2.0, the latest version of FDLIC's ground-breaking digital sales system, was released on February 28th. DIGicon® is a powerful tool that replaces paper contracts with fast, innovative, and interactive computer software. After thorough testing in our largest markets, DIGicon® is now available for wide release. DIGicon® is an amazing tool that benefits sales professionals and funeral directors alike: * Saves Time Makes Life Easier Increases Productivity Makes Work Faster and More Accurate Allows for Easy and Intuitive Navigation Transmits to the Home Office Instantly Automates Many Time-Consuming Tasks Allows More Time to Focus on Families If you'd like to learn more about all that DIGicon® can do to make life simpler, give us a call at 1-800-692-8411 or contact your FDLIC sales manager to view a quick demonstration. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:17:14 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/digicon-20-available-for-wide-release 2010-02-23T15:17:14Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/minnesota-funeral-home-donates-to-good-cause Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home, a client of FDLIC's in Litchfield, Minnesota, has recently donated funds toward a chapel for Meeker Memorial Hospital serving the Litchfield area. "We recognize the spiritual aspect in the ministry of healing the whole person, body, mind, and soul," said Mr. Mike Boyle, Executive Director of the Meeker Memorial Hospital Foundation. "That is why we felt the need to include a chapel in our renovation project. Ann Konietzko, who was the president of the Litchfield Area Ministerial Association (LAMA) at the time, helped us with fundraising and put us into contact with Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home." "When we learned through Ann (Family Services Coordinator) that the hospital was raising funds for a chapel, we knew we wanted to be involved," said Ray Bartlett, funeral director and manager at Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home. "And then Shirley Klitzke (Pre-Arrangement Specialist) brought to our attention that FDLIC provided matching funds for charitable donations through your Helpers of People program. All the pieces were just falling into place." Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:31:55 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/minnesota-funeral-home-donates-to-good-cause 2009-12-30T22:31:55Z http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/why-is-the-funeral-ritual-important by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt "When words are inadequate, have a ritual." Anonymous Rituals are symbolic activities that help us, together with our families and friends, express our deepest thoughts and feelings about life's most important events. Baptism celebrates the birth of a child and that child's acceptance into the church family. Birthday parties honor the passing of another year in the life of someone we love. Weddings publicly affirm the private love shared by two people. The funeral ritual, too, is a public, traditional and symbolic means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings about the death of someone loved. Rich in history and rife with symbolism, the funeral ceremony helps us acknowledge the reality of the death, gives testimony to the life of the deceased, encourages the expression of grief in a way consistent with the culture's values, provides support to mourners, allows for the embracing of faith and beliefs about life and death, and offers continuity and hope for the living. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:51:18 GMT http://www.funeraldirectorslife.com/news/industry-news/why-is-the-funeral-ritual-important 2009-11-05T20:51:18Z