Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

INVESTMENTS

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INVESTMENTS
 12 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2021
Investments, Debt and Equity Securities [Abstract]  
INVESTMENTS INVESTMENTS:
At September 30, 2021 and 2020, non-current investments were as follows:
  2021 2020
Equity and fixed income mutual funds $ 6,936  $ 24,610 
Life insurance policies 4,626  4,621 
Equity-method investments 458  446 
Other (primarily cost-method) investments 18,418  33,573 
  $ 30,438  $ 63,250 

Equity and fixed income mutual funds primarily represent investments held in trust for the Company's non-qualified Supplemental Retirement Plan ("SERP") and are classified as trading securities and recorded at fair value.  The market value of these investments exceeded cost by $138 at September 30, 2020. During fiscal 2021, the Company sold certain investments held in trust for its SERP. Such amounts totaled $19,167 and were reported as restricted cash as of September 30, 2021. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are recorded in investment income. 

During fiscal 2020, the Company made investments of $9,482 in a non-consolidated Memorialization subsidiary. The Company subsequently sold its ownership interest in this subsidiary in fiscal 2020 for $42,210 of cash and $15,000 of senior preferred shares. In connection with this sale transaction, the Company recognized a pre-tax gain of $11,208 which was recorded as a component of administrative expenses for the year ended September 30, 2020. During fiscal 2021, the Company received $15,000 for the full redemption of the senior preferred shares. The senior preferred shares were included within other investments in the table above for the year ended September 30, 2020.