The
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys says it best, “Humans have a 100 percent
mortality rate.”
Because of this, it only makes sense to accept what the future will bring.
Participating in the funeral planning process is one way you can do this while
also lessening the burden on your surviving loved ones. So, keep reading as we
touch on the basics of how to handle the practical aspects of an event you
cannot postpone when the time comes.
Paying for a Funeral
Funerals
cost money; a final farewell can set you back $10,000 or more. Fortunately, if
you plan ahead, you don’t have to leave a big bill for your loved ones to
settle on your behalf. The two most popular options are to invest in burial
insurance or to prepay your funeral.
Burial
insurance makes sense if you do not know which funeral home you want to handle
your service. These types of policies may even have enough left over so that
your spouse or adult children can pay off medical
bills and any
unfortunate debt that you left lingering. Look for a company that specializes
in final expense policies. One example is Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance,
which is the insurer responsible for the popular funeral advantage
program. By working
with a representative that only deals with burial insurance, you won’t have to
worry about purchasing other products that you don’t need.
If
you’ve lived in an area your entire life and plan to pass away there, it might
make more sense to contact your funeral home of choice and ask about pre-need services. This gives you more control over
what happens after you die. You can choose your own coffin, music, and even
arrange for a certain hair or makeup style. While it might seem unsettling to
participate in planning your own funeral, just remember that otherwise, your
loved ones will be left trying to guess your wishes, which will only add to
their emotional burden.
Types of Funeral Services
Regardless
of the way you choose to pay, you should have an idea of what you want ahead of
time. There are no rules or regulations that define how your funeral service
has to be carried out. You might choose to have a traditional burial service, which
typically lasts three days, two days for the viewing and a final memorial
before heading to the cemetery. However, as Love Lives On explains, a funeral
service is often centered on cultural or
religious beliefs.
Keep this in mind, particularly if your religious preferences forbids embalming, as many funeral homes have
strict restrictions on how long a body may lay in wait without preservation.
In
lieu of a traditional wake and burial, you might choose a simple graveside
service with a memorial at a later date. In this case, your burial insurance
might help cover the cost of internment and leave enough money aside for your
family to host a large gathering.
Cremation is another option, which is much
less expensive than a traditional burial. If you choose to be cremated, you
will have greater flexibility on where your ashes settle after the process.
Often, this is in a decorative urn, but many people request to have their ashes
scattered on their home estate, a favorite golf course, or a national park.
Contact your desired location before writing this into your final wishes so
that your loved ones are aware of whether a permit is required. Keep in mind
that you will have to ask permission and, in the case of a burial at
sea, you must use a biodegradable urn and report the event to the EPA within 30
days.
While
nothing can replace your life, having your final arrangements in place – and
having them paid for – now is one of the best things you can do for your
family. Dealing with death is never easy, but handling a loss while also
struggling to pay the bills and plan for the future is doubly stressful. Don’t
be afraid to open up the conversation now. Death does not wait, but planning
ahead will allow your loved ones to focus on saying goodbye.
Image
via Pexels
