Why should I pre-plan my funeral? What if I should get struck down by an act of God or Mother Nature, would my family know what my wishes are? Would they be able to fund a funeral for me or even a basic disposition without putting themselves in a financial bind? Do you have the answers to these basic quesitons? I will try to explain these things here for you and show you how important it is to pre-plan for the inevitable.
Pre-Planning a Funeral or Memorial Service--Preneed Funeral Planning or Pre-arrangement Funeral Planning
No one likes to think about death, let alone plan for it. In many families, discussing one's mortality is an extremely uncomfortable topic.
By pre-planning your funeral, you relieve your family of having to make important financial decisions during a period of great stress and grief.
This section contains everything you need to know about pre-planning a funeral; your local family-owned funeral director can help you make the actual arrangements.
Pre Need--The Basics of Pre-Planning Funerals
Pre-planning a funeral is also known as "preneed" planning. Preneed refers to prearranging and pre-funding your own funeral. A preneed insurance policy covers the cost of the funeral at the time of death.Every year, millions of North Americans arrange their funerals in advance. They explore their options for a ceremony, they discuss costs, and they set up a plan with the professionals in their community to ensure they'll have the funeral they choose.
Why is Preneed Funeral Planning Important?
No one likes to think about death, let alone plan for it. In many families, discussing one's mortality is an extremely uncomfortable topic. But it is a topic that should be discussed and planned for well in advance of your death.
By pre-planning your funeral, you relieve your family of having to make important financial decisions during a period of great stress and grief-a time when people aren't thinking very clearly and may not know what to do because you never made your wishes known.
It's easy to say, "Don't make a fuss. I don't want a ceremony. Just bury me and be done with it." But it is important to realize that the ritual of a funeral and/or memorial service isn't for the deceased but for the living. It is a time when friends and family can gather together to grieve openly and to provide support for one another.
Pre-planning your funeral can be very informal, and as simple as following our pre-planning checklist and sharing your wishes with a family member. More formal arrangements in the form of a preneed contract can be set up with a funeral director or pre-arranger and pre-funded through life insurance, bank trust agreement, or another method.
Pre-planning, when done properly, can give you peace of mind because you know that your arrangements are ready and pre-funded. Meet with your funeral director or pre-arranger to discuss pre-planning.
By pre-planning your funeral, you can:
• make all the arrangements during a time of peace and not leave them to your family during their time of grief;
• make your wishes known;
• control the cost of your funeral and protect from inflation;
• ensure that personal records are organized and easy for your survivors to locate;
• protect your insurance so that it provides for your survivors and not for funeral expenses; and
• provide protection in case the need arises before it is expected;
excerpts from Funeral Plan.com
