Who likes to talk about death? None of us! But you can’t escape from the fact that at some point of your life, you will definitely need to cut off this mortal coil and require a funeral. Now the best part is that you can make things simpler on your family and plan your own funeral ahead of time. Does this sound creepy? Do you think if you do this, people will call you death-obsessed? Do you feel negative when you think that you are preparing for your death?
This is why as per a survey done in the year 2017 by the National Funeral Directors Association, only 35% of the Americans could talk to their near and dear ones about their death and funeral. You will also plan a funeral for some of your family member at some point of time. So, why not make some smart decisions for funeral planning? Here are few tips for you.
Tip #1: Know the things that are involved in funeral planning
In order to plan a funeral, you firstly need to know what happens during a funeral. Basically, there are 3 components, preparing the corpse, conducting the funeral ceremony and tackling the interment. Now each of these can be done with a wide range of options. Would you go for cremation or embalming? Would you want an entire service done at a funeral home or a DIY one or a graveside one? Who are the invitees going to be? Would you want to get buried in the tomb or ground? These are few of the funeral planning checklists that you have to prepare beforehand.
Tip #2: Advance planning is imperative but not ‘advance payment’
You will often find funeral homes selling off plan which promise to offer you better rates in case you purchase a package now, several years before you die. Beware of this offer because this is not something that you should do! It is always good to plan your funeral way before time but prepaying is always a bad decision. The pitfall that is associated with prepaying is that you may lose your dollars in case you cancel and change plans. What if you move to a different state within this time?
Tip #3: Enquire about the average costs involved
If you visit the official website of FCA, you will fit the itemized lists of all the costs involved in hosting a funeral. Check it out in order to get an idea of what you might expect to pay in the locality you reside in. Try to know the cost of everything from the hearse ride to the casket to the cemetery.
Tip #4: Do a comprehensive market research
As the average funeral costs somewhere between $7000 and $10,000, you should treat this as any other big purchase. Call on several funeral homes and get quotes from them. The FTC needs them to quote prices over phone or even in person. You can compare and contrast such quotes to choose the best one.
Therefore, if you’re wondering about funeral planning so that you can alleviate the stress from your family members, you can take into account the above mentioned tips and strategies to smartly plan your funeral ahead of time.