Blog-Pre-Planning Tips

Pre-planning your own funeral has a ton of benefits, yet many people still don’t consider it. Most people don’t understand the advantages pre-planning brings to their family and this is because the process is shrouded with misconceptions. Below, we discuss these common misconceptions about pre-planning your own funeral.

• You don’t need to pre-plan your funeral if you are financially secure

Pre-planning your funeral may help you plan more effectively, thus cutting costs. This has given rise to the notion that if you are financially secure and you or your family can afford a funeral that isn’t pre-planned, then you don’t need to pre-plan. This is not true. Anyone, regardless of their financial background, can benefit from funeral planning.

• It is too time-consuming and complicated

It’s easy to think that pre-planning your own funeral would be a complicated process that takes up a lot of your time and energy, but this isn’t the case at all. In fact, all you have to do is fill out a form and tell the funeral director what your requirements are. The funeral director will provide you with assistance every step of the way.

• You can simply tell your family your funeral wishes

If you think that you don’t need to pre-plan your funeral because you can simply tell your family your funeral wishes, think again. There are chances of misunderstandings and miscommunications, or you might miss something. After all, funeral planning is much more than simply choosing between cremation and a burial.

• It doesn’t matter because you won’t be here

It’s your funeral and you won’t be here, so it’s not your problem, right? While this holds true to a certain extent, you may want to think about your family, who will have to take the responsibility of planning your funeral. They would already be grieving, and taking a huge task like funeral planning off their hands would allow them space and time to mourn the passing of a loved one without having worries.  

Thanks for reading,

Karen

What To Know About Choosing A Cemetery

In every funeral arrangement, the choice of the cemetery is an essential factor. It is, after all, the place where the body is buried and laid to rest. If you are pre-planning your funeral, or whether you are planning funeral arrangements for someone else, there are a few things that you need to consider before choosing a final resting place.

To make sure that you choose the right cemetery, remember to ask these questions below.

Which type of cemetery should you choose?

There are different types of cemeteries, including cemetery associations, private memorial cemeteries, religious cemeteries, district or municipal cemeteries, national or veterans’ cemeteries, and home burial.

Usually, cemetery associations are the most common choice. They are non-profit and run by a volunteer board of directors for the benefit of a local community. Religious cemeteries are another popular choice. They are also non-profit and owned by a religious organization such as the church. Private memorial parks are owned and operated by a private corporation. District or municipal cemeteries are another option. They are non-profit and owned either by the city or the county. You can even choose burial in your own property.

What are the rules and requirements of the cemetery?

Each cemetery may have different rules regarding burial and other related things, such as the types and sizes of headstones, types of decorations, etc. There may be additional charges or fees as well. Remember to check if the cemetery can meet your personal requirements.

What is the location of the cemetery?

If the person who died had already chosen a burial plot while they were alive, then the location of the cemetery is not a problem. But if they haven’t, then it is up to you to choose a cemetery location that is the most meaningful. While some want to be buried where they lived, some may wish to rest in the place where they grew up. Proximity to loved ones is another consideration.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

While dealing with the death of a loved one you also have to plan a funeral. Before getting in touch with burial planning professionals, the question on your mind is – how much is this going to cost?

According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) the median cost of such an event, with burial will cost $7,360. If you don’t take the adequate steps to prepare yourself and your family, it is common to experience financial hardship.

Given below is everything you need to know about funeral costs, along with how you can pay this type of service:

Basic services fee

When preparing for a funeral, the highest cost will be the basic services fee. You will be paying for the following:

• Obtaining permits for funeral
• Contacting and coordinating with a cemetery
• Planning the funeral

On average, you will be paying $2,000 for this service. However, these fees can change depending on your state of residence.

Casket

Another expensive cost when it comes to planning a funeral is the casket. The type you choose along with the material of construction determines how much you have to spend. The price for caskets can vary from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Preparation and transportation of remains

You need to pay the burial planning professionals for preparing the remains of the loved one.

• The most common process is embalming if you are going to have an open-casket service.
• If you want cosmetic preparation services, such as clothing, hairdressing, and applying makeup, the cost will go up.
• The burial planning professionals will charge you for transporting the remains to the mortuary.

How to pay for funeral costs?

A common method is to rely on the provider to cover these costs if the deceased had life insurance. While you can opt for companies that specialize in burial insurance, it can be an expensive affair.

The best option will be to find out if the burial planning professionals have financing options available. With this strategy, you can break down the costs over several months, making it easier to pay off the amount.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

Making all the necessary arrangements for bidding a proper farewell to your loved one from this world requires some time and preparation. Funeral services are the last parting gesture connecting one to this world. There are important details and expectations regarding how one might want to depart from this world. There are internment decisions to be made (burial, cremation, burial at sea, donation, medicine, eulogies obituaries, and so on), things that you would want to leave behind and how you want to be treated on your final day. All of this requires pre-planning. It is advised to draw up an estimate of cost based on one’s expectations.

There are quite a few financially beneficial options present such as funeral insurance, pre-booking of cemetery space, and pre-need contracts for funeral services. Your final resting place should be a place of your approval. So it is wise to make an early choice on the type of casket or urn of your preference. Pre-need vessels are quite common today. You might also want to organize all your personal information and documents. This will make things easier while framing your obituary.

There are a variety of funeral events that can be organized at the final day. You can choose to observe your religious rites or have a wake. You can also have a viewing or a gathering of your friends and family afterwards. You can choose services or acts carried out to honor your last wishes. Make an early note of them. Decide upon your favorite song or hymn that you would like to be played on that day. Finally, draw up a list of people that you would want to be notified after your departure. Your family, friends, and colleagues at various organizations, whoever you think would be affected, should be on the list.

With careful pre-planning and management of resources, you can make your final day a profound gesture to your loved ones.

Thanks for reading,

Karen

It’s no doubt that death is an uncomfortable subject to talk about. You may think that planning your own funeral in advance is as grim as it gets, but it’s extremely important. In fact, many people have considered pre-planning their own funeral a must. After all, it has so many benefits. Some of them are listed below.

1. Allow your family to grieve and mourn in peace

When your time comes, your family will undoubtedly be under a lot of emotional stress. They will be in grief. On top of this, if you do not pre-plan your own funeral, they will have to deal with the extra burden of planning it for you. But if you have all your affairs in order before you die, it means they will have time to properly mourn and give you a meaningful final goodbye.

2. Lift the financial burden from your family

Funerals can be very financially draining. This means that your grieving family will have an extra burden on their shoulders too. But when you pre-plan, you make the payments for your own funeral beforehand. This removes a huge financial load from your family, and allows them to focus on making your funeral meaningful for them.

3. Enables you to have a funeral exactly the way you want it

When you pre-plan, you have the freedom to make every choice the way you want it. Do you want to be buried or cremated? Do you want an open casket or closed casket? Which music do you want to be played? In short, every wish of yours on how you want to be let go can be followed. If you have any specific preferences, all you have to do is list them down on your funeral plan. Even if you don’t want a funeral, that can also be followed.

Thanks for reading,

Karen