Every new year comes with people coming up with new resolutions. No one thinks of planning their own funeral in advance. It could be little knowledge on the advantages of the same or the fear of thinking about death while you are still living.
Planning a funeral can be hectic and expensive. Here are a few advantages of planning your own funeral in advance;
*Ensure your wishes will be followed
Organizing your funeral can be a task that takes a toll on your loved ones. The burden can be in terms of cost, where they have to go through the application for burial allowance process and even cutting down on the average cost of final expenses. Planning it yourself prior eases this burden by ensuring all your wishes, including costs are adhered to.
*Plan on a funeral that fits your budget
A common question asked during burial preparation is; ‘about how much does a funeral cost?’ Planning your funeral can help you interact with agencies that help with funeral expenses and arrangements to ensure you work with a budget that suits you.
Webcasting funerals is also a choice you have while making plans. This allows your loved ones, especially those unable to attend your funeral, feel part of it, even though virtually.
While it might feel morbid, planning your funeral in advance can save your loved ones stress and money after you pass away. The average cost of final expenses can be very high. While insurance may cover some of it, your loved ones might end up footing the bill. However, if you let them know in advance that you want a basic funeral service with minimal frills, they’ll be able to confidently set up an affordable sendoff without worrying about being disrespectful.
A good funeral director will be able to help you plan your funeral while you’re still alive. They can give you details about cremation costs vs traditional burial, providing alternatives that might be more appealing to you. While you might think a discount funeral home is your only option here, that isn’t necessarily true. Funeral homes that do more elaborate services might also be willing to work with you on a lower budget. So don’t worry if you don’t have access to seemingly more affordable options. Ask around, and you’ll find options that work for you.
Funeral costs are not a topic that many people want to address. If you really want to make sure that you do everything that you can for your loved ones, however, you might want to take the time to pay for your funeral costs in advance. Knowing that your loved ones will not have to stress over difficult decisions and find the money for those decisions can help put your mind at ease. Just as many people purchase life insurance to make sure that their loved ones are well cared for, many people also take the effort to make all of their funeral decisions ahead of time and cover all of the funeral costs ahead of time as well.
Whether your end of life decisions involve cremation services and selecting cremation urns or you need to take the time to select a casket, any decision that you are willing to address today will save your loved ones from making those decisions later. Memorial services are meant to be a time when family members are able to honor and remember their loved ones, but the stress of making decisions about how the service will go can be stressful. If you are someone who has always done everything that you can to care for and prepare your children for major life decisions, doesn’t it make sense that you would also want them to help with life’s most difficult transition: living without you.
Consider some of this helpful information about the planning of your own funeral and thinking about memorial service ideas:
- 2 million people die in the U.S. every year.
- 65% of people over 40 indicate that funeral directors and funeral homes are the best sources of information for making funeral arrangements.
- 69% of respondents indicate that they would prefer to pre-arrange their own funeral service, according to a Harris Poll survey.
- 82% of respondents indicate that funeral professionals provide valuable services, according to a Harris Poll survey.
- 89% of respondents indicate that a discussion about their end-of-life wishes would be meaningful, according to a Harris Poll survey.
Parents are used to taking care of their children so it only makes sense that an increasing number of people take the time and effort to plan and pay for their funeral arrangements and funeral costs ahead of time.
