By Thomas A. Parmalee
Jamie Meredith never imagined a future in funeral service.
Growing up in Urania, Louisiana — a small town of fewer than a thousand people — he learned the value of hard work from his father, a truck driver; and his mother, a beautician. “I went to a few funerals as a kid, but I never dreamed it could be a career,” he said.
At 14, his world turned upside down when his parents divorced. He describes himself in those years as “a wayward kid” — confused, unfocused, and uncertain about his future. “All I wanted to do was play football,” he said.
But when a devastating elbow injury ended that dream, he found himself drifting. After high school, his mother told him she was moving to Monroe, Louisiana, and suggested he could come along — or call his father in Alexandria. He chose the latter, moving in with his dad and stepmother and taking a job in a wood putty factory.
The work was grueling. “It was 120 degrees in the summer, cold in the winter, and monotonous every single day,” he said. “I was miserable and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.”
Then, one day, his older brother, Chris Meredith, who he didn’t know too well growing up because of their 13-year age gap — called and asked how things were going.
When Jamie admitted he was struggling, Chris invited him to ride along for a day and “see what I do.”
It was the invitation that changed everything.
“The Craziest Thing I’d Ever Seen”
Chris worked selling funeral and insurance plans, a concept Jamie admits he found “the weirdest thing” he’d ever encountered.
But that day on the road opened his eyes. The brothers met with people from every walk of life — an older woman drinking Jack Daniel’s straight from the bottle, an 80-year-old bishop, working families and retirees — all sharing stories about life, death and the things that mattered most.
“I’d never had a day like that in my life,” Jamie said. “People invited us into their homes, told us their stories, and opened up about their lives. I was hooked.”
When the day was done, his brother concluded that he earned about $1,200 for the day, which astounded Jamie given that it took him an entire month to make that type of money working at the factory.
“He told me that you don’t make that every day … but you can also make more,” Jamie said.
That first day changed his direction forever. By week’s end, Jamie had left the factory and enrolled in a three-day insurance school. “I passed with the lowest score possible,” he said, “but I passed — and I’ve been a licensed life insurance agent ever since.”
That was 1995. This year marks his 30th year in funeral service.
He started off working at a small regional company for 10 years before joining the Security National family in 2005, where he’s made his home ever since.
In 2007, Security National acquired C&J Financial, which at the time had only 10 employees, he said. Merging the company with its own insurance assignment operations, it decided to keep the C&J name, which had established better name recognition.
This year, C&J is on track to process more than $500 million in insurance assignment funding – the first year it will top a half-billion in funding, which is largely due to the relationships Jamie has built with funeral homes throughout the nation.
To this day, he’s grateful to his brother for taking him on that ride.
“I saw Chris more as a father figure in those early years than a brother … I’m not sure what he saw in me or why he introduced me to this profession, but I am so happy he did,” Jamie said.
A Calling, Not Just a Career
From those early days selling preneed plans to his current role as executive vice president at C&J Financial, Meredith’s motivation hasn’t wavered: serving others during their hardest moments.
“There’s nothing more difficult than losing a loved one,” he said. “You can lose your job, your home, your wealth — and all that can be replaced. But not a loved one. Funeral professionals walk families through that valley every single day. There’s no greater ministry than that.”
That belief — that funeral service is a ministry of care — has anchored his approach to leadership and to life. He’s quick to credit the people around him for C&J’s success. “Nothing in life is achieved by ourselves,” he insisted. “There’s no such thing as a self-made man. I’m only here because of the people who helped me along the way.”
That humility was top of mind recently when he stood on the stage at the Nasdaq exchange as C&J’s parent company – Security National Financial Corp. – rang the opening bell — a surreal moment for a man who once worked in a hot, dusty factory.
“It was incredibly humbling,” he said. “Standing there made me think about the last 30 years and all the people who helped get me here. That moment wasn’t mine — it belonged to all of them.”
To this day, he believes in his work, observing that the power of life insurance isn’t theoretical – it’s deeply personal.
Building Trust, One Family at a Time
Jamie remembers one letter from a woman in California whose mother had died unexpectedly.
“She’d lost both parents in a few years, was out of work, and didn’t know how she’d pay for the funeral,” he said. “When the funeral director mentioned our program and she realized her mom’s life insurance could be used, it lifted an enormous burden.”
Her gratitude reminded him why the work matters. “Most families don’t even know companies like ours exist,” he said. “But what we do helps make meaningful services possible — and that means everything.”
While he can share hundreds of similar stories, he observed that some funeral directors still don’t appreciate the real impact life insurance has on a family.
“It’s not just about paying a bill,” he said. “It’s about giving people the ability to honor their loved one the way they want to — without added stress or compromise.”
Jamie learned that lesson firsthand nearly two decades ago.
He was 19 when he first got into the insurance business, and his very first customer was his mother. “I wrote her a $20,000 policy,” he recalled. “I just wanted to make sure that when the time came, my family wouldn’t have to worry about the expense.”
Years later, after his mother remarried, tragedy struck unexpectedly. “She went in for a routine procedure, had a massive heart attack, and died suddenly,” Jamie said. “I was 31 at the time. Even though I’d been in the business for years, I’d never actually made funeral arrangements myself until that day.”
He rode with his stepfather to the funeral home, both of them trying to figure out how they would pay for the service. “He was panicked,” Jamie said. “He only had about $4,000 to his name.”
But Jamie asked the funeral home if they would accept his mother’s insurance assignment. “They said absolutely,” he said. “We sat down in the arrangement room, and my stepfather let out this big sigh of relief. He knew then that we could give her the service she deserved.”
Almost eighteen years later, Jamie still remembers that moment — and the funeral home that handled the service. “It was a $12,500 funeral,” he says. “And I still can’t say enough good things about how they treated us.”
But he also knows how easily things could have gone differently. “If my stepfather hadn’t known about that policy, or if the funeral home hadn’t been willing to accept it, we would’ve been limited to a $4,000 service or a direct cremation — because that’s all the money he had. That’s the reality many families face,” he said.
Jamie believes too many funeral homes overlook that dynamic.
“When a family walks in with a life insurance policy in one hand and a checkbook in the other, too often the director encourages them to write the check,” he said. “But if that family uses their insurance benefits instead, they often choose the kind of service they really want — not just what they can immediately afford.”
The data backs him up. In 2015, C&J Financial analyzed funeral home transactions from the previous year and found that families who used life insurance assignments spent 31% more on average than those who did not. When the company revisited the study in 2024, the difference was even more dramatic.
“Families paying with credit cards, check or cash averaged around $5,065 per at-need service,” Jamie said. “Families using life insurance averaged over $7,903 — about 56% more. That’s not about upselling; it’s about empowering families with options.”
That’s why C&J Financial exists — to make it simple for funeral homes to help families use the resources already available to them.
“The problem is that processing life insurance can take weeks or months, and most funeral homes don’t have the time or resources to deal with the follow-up,” Jamie explained. “That’s where we come in. We eliminate those challenges so funeral directors can say ‘yes’ when families ask if they can use their policy — and focus on creating the kind of service those families truly want.”
Growth, Opportunity, and the Clients C&J Serves
While precise industry data is limited, Jamie has a strong sense of where C&J Financial fits within the insurance assignment funding landscape — and where the opportunities lie ahead.
“There are probably 30 or more companies across the country that offer some form of insurance assignment funding,” he said. “But only a few operate at any real scale. Most funeral homes have never even heard of the majority of those providers.”
C&J Financial is among the leaders in that space, serving funeral homes of all sizes in all 50 states, he said.
Based on what the company knows about its business and market share, Jamie estimates that roughly half — perhaps as many as 60% — of funeral homes nationwide use an assignment funding service like C&J’s.
“That means there’s still tremendous opportunity for growth,” he said. “We bring on about 300 new customers every year through our sales channels and organic growth, and we see that continuing for years to come.”
He notes that C&J is also strategically positioned for demographic shifts that will inevitably affect the profession. “Like everyone else, we’re watching the aging baby boomer generation. At some point, that’s going to create an increase in demand for funeral services, and we’re ready to support our partners when that happens,” he said.
When it comes to defining an “ideal” client, Jamie said C&J doesn’t limit itself to firms of a certain size or volume.
“About 45% of our client firms send us between one and six assignments a year,” he explained. “The overwhelming majority are small, independent, family-owned funeral homes — the mom-and-pop firms that are the backbone of this profession. But we also work with the largest organizations in the country and everyone in between.”
C&J’s message to funeral directors is simple: if you’re tired of chasing insurance claims, following up on paperwork, or managing outstanding receivables, they can help.
“Our ideal client is any funeral home that wants to spend less time on administrative headaches and more time serving families,” Jamie said. “Whether that’s two assignments a year or two hundred, we can take that burden off their plate.”
C&J’s partnerships reflect that broad reach. The company has worked with Service Corporation International for years and also owns American Funeral Financial, which serves as an exclusive provider for certain clients.
Faith, Family and Fatherhood
For all his professional achievements, Jamie says his most important title is “Dad.” He and his wife are raising four sons — Noah, Jonah, Luke, and Levi — and he credits fatherhood with teaching him more about leadership than any classroom ever could.
“When our first son was born, I thought I had it all figured out,” he admitted. “But fatherhood humbled me fast. You realize you don’t have all the answers — not in parenting, not in business, not in life. You have to seek guidance, ask for help and keep learning.”
That philosophy inspired the “Meredith and Sons” podcast, which began as a way to bring positivity to his kids’ mornings.
For each show, Jamie sat behind the wheel of a pickup truck with his sons, sharing a simple message of encouragement.
But the origin of that journey wasn’t glamorous. It began with a moment of pure parental chaos.
In 2018, Jamie’s wife traveled to Louisiana to support her best friend after the death of her mother. That left Jamie home in Alabama with three of their boys — and for the first time, he was on his own managing breakfast, backpacks and a 20-minute drive to school.
“That first Monday morning, those boys were fighting and bickering in the back seat, and I was about to lose my mind,” he recalled. “I must’ve said ‘Stop it!’ a hundred times before finally pulling over on the side of the road.”
Then, in a flash of inspiration, he tried something different.
“I told them, ‘Repeat after me: I feel healthy, I feel happy, I feel terrific.’ They looked at me like I was crazy. I said, ‘If you don’t say it, you’re not going to school.’”
By Tuesday, the chant stuck. “Let’s hit it, guys!” he’d call out as they buckled in. Within days, the atmosphere in the car began to shift — laughter replaced complaints, and the energy felt lighter.
What Jamie didn’t realize at the time was that this small experiment in mindset would evolve into a defining part of his family’s life — and eventually, a leadership lesson for others in the funeral profession.
A few mornings later, his son Luke began to add his own flair to the chant. That’s when Jamie decided to record a short video on his phone — just a dad and his boys, talking about starting the week with a positive attitude. He shared it online, thinking it might lift a few spirits.
It did far more than that.
Over the next six years, Motivation Monday became a weekly tradition filmed from the cab of Jamie’s pickup. Each episode focused on a practical message about gratitude, perseverance, or kindness — often tied to a Bible quote or verse that the boys memorized. What started as a parenting tool grew into more than 250 episodes that reached audiences across the country, leading a good number of people to the Lord along the way.
“I was blown away by how many funeral professionals would come up to me at conventions or trade shows and say, ‘I watch those videos every week with my team,’” Jamie said. “People connected with the message — but what meant the most was seeing how it shaped my boys. They started realizing their words could make a difference.”
That realization came full circle one Sunday afternoon after church. As the family sat down to lunch, a woman across the restaurant waved and shouted, “How y’all are — Happy Monday!” — echoing the opening line of their videos.
“She walked over and gave us all a hug,” Jamie said. “Then she told me she was a single mom raising a nine-year-old daughter. Every Monday, they’d watch Motivation Monday together and talk about the lessons. She said it helped her teach her daughter about faith, discipline and keeping a good attitude.”
Jamie paused as he recalled that day. “We were both in tears,” he said.
After she left, Luke asked, “Dad, who was that lady?”
“I told him I didn’t know — but she sure knew a lot about us,” Jamie said.
“Does that mean we’re famous?” Luke asked.
“No,” Jamie told him. “It means everywhere you go, someone’s watching. So always be on your best behavior — because you never know when you might make a positive impact on someone’s life.”
For Jamie, that moment summed up everything Motivation Monday had come to represent — not just for his family, but for the profession he’s dedicated his career to serving.
“In funeral service, we talk a lot about legacy,” he said. “But legacy isn’t just what happens after we’re gone — it’s the small choices we make every day, the way we treat people, the examples we set for those who look up to us.”
Through Motivation Monday, Jamie found a way to blend family, faith and leadership — reminding others that even the busiest mornings can become opportunities to inspire, uplift, and lead by example.
Looking Ahead
Nearly three decades after that fateful ride with his brother, Jamie Meredith continues to see funeral service as both a profession and a purpose. He’s proud of the innovations C&J has brought — from pioneering online insurance assignment processing to simplifying complex claims across hundreds of carriers — but says technology is only part of the story.
“It’s the people,” he said. “We have about 110 employees, and they are some of the most remarkable, compassionate and dedicated individuals you’ll ever meet.”
That spirit of service is at the core of C&J Financial’s mission: to eliminate the challenges funeral homes face when processing life insurance assignments, so that families can focus on what really matters — creating a meaningful goodbye for their loved one.
“Our entire purpose is to help funeral homes help families,” Jamie explained. “When you’re working with C&J, you’re not just working with a vendor — you’re working with a partner who understands what you’re going through and shares your commitment to serving families well.”
C&J was the first company in the profession to create an online platform designed specifically for funeral homes to process insurance assignments. Before that, it was a complicated and time-consuming process, often involving multiple phone calls and endless paperwork, he said.
“Every insurance company has its own procedures and requirements,” Jamie said. “We built a system that streamlines all of that — taking the guesswork out and removing barriers that slow funeral homes down.”
But what really sets C&J apart is the culture it has built, he emphasized. “The heart our team has for funeral professionals — and for the families they serve — is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he said. “That’s what makes us invaluable to our partners. Our team isn’t just processing claims; they’re making it possible for families to celebrate lives the way they want to.”
At its core, C&J Financial’s success isn’t just about efficiency — it’s about empathy. It’s about making a complex process simple, so funeral directors can focus on what they do best: guiding families through life’s most meaningful moments, he said.
He also cherishes the trust he’s built with funeral professionals, which is almost as sacred to him as his faith. The concept of trust, in fact, serves as the foundation of everything he does – in both in business and in life.
“In this profession, the only thing you truly have is your reputation,” he said. “If people can’t trust you, what good are you?”
That belief shapes the way he leads at C&J Financial and the way he encourages his team to serve funeral professionals and families. Trust, he says, isn’t something you achieve once and hold onto forever — it’s something you earn continually. He’s tried his hardest to deliver that message to his boys.
“Trust isn’t a destination,” Jamie explained. “It’s something you have to earn every single day. Every transaction, every conversation, every decision is a chance to prove that you’re trustworthy.”
For him, earning trust comes down to one guiding principle: always do the right thing — even when it’s difficult.
“It’s about keeping your word, even when it costs you something,” he said. “When you make decisions with others in mind — when your goal is to be a blessing to the people you serve — trust follows naturally.”
For Jamie, success isn’t measured in dollars or deals, but in service.
“I believe we’re all here for one reason,” he said. “To be a blessing to other people. That’s what funeral professionals do every day. That’s what this industry is about. And that’s what I hope my legacy will be — that I used my life to help others.”
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