Article written by Jennifer Black and Dedicated Financial Solutions.
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Preplanning Our Own Funeral
Have you ever made funeral arrangements for another person? If you have you know that many decisions need to be made in a very short time period. Also, because you are making decisions while you are probably in a highly emotional state, the decisions may not be the best. It may be difficult to even understand all the options, when you are in an emotional state. You must also remember, that however empathetic the funeral home’s sales person may seem, they are in business to make money. In fact, the question of cost is sometimes an issue that people feel uncomfortable asking a funeral director. “How much for that service” does not seem like a dignified question.
One of the benefits of preplanning is that you can make rational decisions. You may not want the inheritance you leave to be reduced by funeral costs. You can save thousands of dollars in funeral expenses by pre paying. The costs can be fixed by today’s prices.
When choosing a funeral home, what amenities are important to you? Do you want the traditional visitation and service with a reception? What if you and/or your family move away from that city? Can the arrangements be transferred to a funeral home in a more convenient location?
Is your family aware of what you prefer for your own arrangements? Do you want regular burial or cremation? Where would you be buried? Have you purchased a burial plot? If you are cremated, do you want the ashes buried in a cemetery or scattered in a meaningful place, or placed in an urn to be kept by family members?
How much would you expect to pay for a funeral? Costs vary greatly with the increase in options available today. For a direct cremation with ashes returned to the family and no service, the cost can be as low as $1000. The family can then arrange their own memorial service on their own timetable. On the other hand, the cost for a traditional funeral with casket, casket liner, vault, funeral flowers, cemetery plot, grave marker, embalming, dressing, viewing, vehicles, service and interment can be $35,000 or more.
In the event of your death, who would be responsible for your funeral arrangements and cost? Who should participate in the service? Do you want a traditional memorial service with specific family members speaking or reading religious passages? Do you want to specify who will speak?
Do you want to donate your body or organs to medical science? If so, are your family members aware of this?
One of our roles as advisors is to ask questions, ensuring that we completely understand our clients’ goals. Then the next step is to work together to achieve those goals. contact us today
