American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services

What American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services does

American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services (AFCTS) is a privately held, Oregon-based trust administration company that provides preneed and endowment care master trust services to the U.S. death-care industry. The firm serves funeral homes, cemeteries, cremation providers, state funeral associations, and financial institutions, operating from its headquarters in Tigard, Oregon. Its core product portfolio includes the AFCTS Preneed Master Trust, the wholly owned American Prepaid Cremation Service (APCS) subsidiary targeting cremation providers, the National Cemetery Endowment Care Trust Services (NCECTS) for cemetery endowment funds, and a Third Party Administration (TPA) offering for providers that retain their own custodians. Supporting products include the Worldwide Travel Protection Plan (a lifetime membership for transport of mortal remains) and consumer-facing payment tools.

The company's technology platform centers on the proprietary Truschek instant claims system, which enables full payment from preneed trust funds on the same day services are rendered via a single toll-free phone call, and the Trust-O-Matic automated payment plan for recurring preneed contributions. These tools are layered on a master trust administration platform that provides online account access, monthly and ad hoc reporting, automated billing, cash management, and state-report and tax-filing assistance. Authorize.net is integrated for credit card payment processing with a consumer-borne convenience fee.

AFCTS generates revenue through recurring, all-inclusive subscription fees that bundle qualified trustee and depository services, professional investment management, and administrative expenses into a single monthly bill, with no trade association membership or dues required. The go-to-market is direct B2B sales to death-care providers nationwide, supported by a website, LinkedIn/Facebook/Twitter presence under the "Essential Planning Group" brand, and downloadable forms and brochures. Leadership comprises Craig Martin (President/CFO) and Krista Kaysner (Vice President). The company is privately held with no disclosed ownership, funding, revenue, or AUA figures.

Name

American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services

Legal name

American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services

Website

https://afcts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFCTS is a privately held, Tigard, Oregon-based trust administrator providing preneed and endowment care master trust services to U.S. funeral homes, cemeteries, cremation providers, state funeral associations, and financial institutions via a proprietary platform with same-day claims processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Preneed and Endowment Care Trust Administration

NAICS

Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAAANAA

Personal & Family Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

Keywords

• Preneed trust administration
• Endowment care trust
• Master trust services
• Death care financial services
• Funeral trust management

Headquarters

HQ city

Tigard

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Master Trust Administration Services: AFCTS provides full-service preneed and endowment care master trust programs offering qualified trustee and depository, professional investment management, and experienced master trust administration for one competitive, all-inclusive fee covering trustee fees, investment management fees, and administrative expenses
2. Worldwide Travel Protection Plan: Lifetime membership payment plan for travelers providing transport of mortal remains services, offered as standalone program or part of comprehensive preneed plan

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services (AFCTS) provides full-service preneed and endowment care master trust programs for funeral homes, cemeteries, and cremation providers. Its core offering combines qualified trustee and depository services, professional investment management, and experienced master trust administration under one all-inclusive fee. The company also offers third-party administration for providers using their own custodians, endowment care trust funds, and a Worldwide Travel Protection Plan for transport of mortal remains.

Product overview

American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services offers a suite of preneed and endowment care trust management services. The core portfolio includes two primary master trust programs: AFCTS (American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services) for funeral homes and cemeteries, and APCS (American Prepaid Cremation Service) for cremation providers. These are supplemented by NCECTS for cemeteries seeking alternative investments, Third Party Administration services for providers using their own trustees, and the Worldwide Travel Protection Plan for travel-related death care arrangements. Supporting proprietary tools include Truschek for same-day claims processing and Trust-O-Matic for automated billing. All services are designed for death care providers (funeral homes, cemeteries, cremation providers), state associations, and financial institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• American Prepaid Cremation Service (APCS): Full-service preneed and endowment care master trust program for funeral homes, cemeteries, and cremation providers
• National Cemetery Endowment Care Trust Services (NCECTS)
• Worldwide Travel Protection Plan
• Third Party Administration (TPA)
• Trust-O-Matic Payment Plan
• Truschek

Products and services

• Preneed Master Trust (AFCTS/APCS)
• Endowment Care Master Trust (including NCECTS)
• Third Party Administration (TPA)
• Worldwide Travel Protection Plan

Quantifiable outcome

• Same-day claims payment processing

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• StoneMor Partners: A cemetery operator and preneed trust issuer with significant trust fund assets under management. Comparable to AFCTS in the cemetery trust and preneed funding space, though StoneMor is an operator-issuer rather than a third-party administrator.
• Security National Life Insurance Company: A multi-line insurer with a dedicated preneed funeral division (Memorial Funeral Planning) offering trust and insurance products to funeral homes. Comparable to AFCTS in providing preneed trust and funding infrastructure to death care providers.
• Service Corporation International (SCI): The largest U.S. death care operator with significant in-house preneed trust assets. Comparable to AFCTS in the preneed trust administration space, but SCI is a vertically integrated operator rather than a standalone trust administrator.
• Forethought Financial Group (Global Atlantic): A leading preneed insurance and trust services provider (now part of Global Atlantic), offering bundled preneed funding solutions to funeral homes. Comparable to AFCTS in serving the preneed trust/funding needs of death care providers, but with insurance underwriting as a core capability AFCTS does not have.

Direct peers

• Homesteaders Life Company: A mutual insurance company focused exclusively on preneed funeral funding, offering trust products and services to funeral homes. Closely comparable to AFCTS in targeting the same death care customer base with preneed trust and funding solutions.
• Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company: A preneed insurance and trust services provider serving funeral directors nationwide. Directly comparable to AFCTS as a specialty provider of preneed funding and trust administration to the death care industry.
• Columbian Financial Group: A preneed insurance and trust services provider focused on funeral and cemetery funding. Directly comparable to AFCTS in delivering preneed trust and insurance solutions to the death care market.

Regional players

• Foundation Partners Group: A large, PE-backed operator of funeral homes and cemeteries that also manages trust assets for its own locations and partners. Comparable to AFCTS as a buyer of trust administration services and operator within the death care ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Precoa (Pre-Need Company of America): A preneed marketing and funding organization that partners with funeral homes to grow preneed contract origination. Comparable to AFCTS in serving the preneed needs of funeral providers, though it is more marketing-led and less focused on trust administration.

Others

• International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICCFA): The leading U.S. trade association for the cemetery, funeral, and cremation industry. Comparable to AFCTS as a key ecosystem participant serving the same death care provider customer base, though as an industry association rather than a trust services competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Essenplangroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/The-Essential-Planning-Group/151816921506465
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-essential-planning-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about American Funeral & Cemetery Trust Services