Funeral Pre-Planning Process
As funeral directors, we often get asked when the best time to plan a funeral is? Truthfully, the answer is any time before you have to plan a funeral. You wouldn’t wait to plan a wedding or a baby shower until a few days before, so why wait to plan a funeral? Preplanning a funeral not only allows you to record your wishes, it gives you and your family the peace of mind to know that everything is taken care of.
There are two types of funeral plans, preneed and at-need (sometimes referred to as immediate need). At-need funeral plans are made by the surviving family members after a death has occurred. It can be a difficult experience for the survivors because emotions are high, time is short, and their grief needs to be managed. Not only that, but the imminent financial concerns can add to the stress of everything.
Preneed funeral plans are much less stressful and more advantageous. Rather than rushing to complete arrangements, you can think about what you want your service to include and talk about the options with your family. Making funeral arrangements in advance also offers several benefits which we’ve outlined below.
Benefits of Funeral Pre-Planning
If someone were to ask you, “what’s the benefit of making funeral arrangements in advance?”, the simple answer is that “it helps prevents mistakes.” Therefore, many of us make plans in many aspects of our life. We plan for our wedding, our children’s education, family vacations, and other significant expected life events. Also, we plan for unexpected life events by purchasing home, auto, and medical insurance.
So why don’t more people plan their funeral? Obviously planning your own funeral is morbid and does not fill you with positive emotions, but it remains very important and beneficial.
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There will be fewer opportunities for argument and indecision about your funeral arrangements among family members after you're gone.
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Your family will never have to worry about doing the wrong thing when finalizing your funeral arrangements. You will have told them exactly what you want.
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No mistakes and no oversights. After you're gone, everything will be done your way.
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After you are finished with the funeral pre-planning process, you will have peace of mind knowing that we have made note of every detail.
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After your death, no one can make any decisions you wouldn't want.
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Funeral pre-planning is the responsible thing to do. It removes the burden from family members.
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You can make complex decisions ahead of time when you have the time to think things through.
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Funeral pre-planning can involve pre-payment. This can eliminate any future financial stress for your family. Paying in advance for pre-need funerals allows you to pay the current amount rather than leaving your family with an inflated price in the future.
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Funeral pre-planning will give you a firm understanding of the reality of death.
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You will receive the arrangements you want.
What's Included When You Pre-Pay Your Preneed Funeral Plans
So, you’re ready to start funeral preplanning, but you have questions about what you receive when the arrangements are finished. Once the contract has been signed, the funeral director will provide you with a written statement that outlines the goods and services you have purchased (along with pricing for each). You will also receive a copy of the preneed contract discussing the terms and conditions, this includes:
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A guarantee that if the goods and services you selected are not available at time of service, a substitute of equal or greater value will be provided at no cost.
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The geographical boundaries of the firm’s service area.
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Under what circumstances the contract can be transferred to another funeral home.
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State where the funds are held until the funeral service.
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Explain who is responsible for paying taxes on any income or interest generated by the preneed funds you invest.
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Discuss whether, the price of goods and services is guaranteed.
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The terms if you wish to cancel your preneed contract.
The Basics of Funeral Pre-Planning
Here's a break-down of the planning process:
For more tips on pre-planning funerals, see our pre-planning checklist.
In the case of funeral pre-arrangement, another two important steps are involved:
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Write out your plan with as many details as possible.
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Send your plan to the funeral home and provide a copy to your executor.
There are two ways for you to arrange your pre-planned funeral.
Using Our Online Funeral Pre-Planning Tool
This website features Pre-Arrange Online, a step-by-step interactive form that can be used to record your end-of-life plan and send the completed form to our staff for safekeeping. You'll be asked to create an account with a username and password so you can login at any time to complete or change the plan.
Turn to the Professionals for Funeral Pre-Arrangement Assistance
Many people are more comfortable making these decisions with funeral professionals. If you would like us to help, call us at (585) 436-7730 or send us an email using the Contact Us form.
