Three Things To Know About Pre-Arranging Your Funeral

Pre-arranging your funeral can help to relieve the burden your loved ones experience after you are gone, and it can also give you a way to ensure you get the funeral you want. Before you start looking for a pre-arranged funeral plan, here are a few things you should know:

Choose Your Payment Option

There are several ways to pay for your funeral. If you have money in your bank account and want to do a spend down to qualify for Medicaid coverage, you can simply pay for the funeral with the cash you have. You can also provide your funeral home director with your life insurance policy information. You'll need to fill out a few forms so your funeral home of choice becomes a beneficiary of a portion of the death benefits paid out on the policy. This is a good option if you have several smaller policies, as you can simply assign one to the funeral home. If you don't have life insurance or a way to pay for the funeral up front, you can consider taking out a small funeral policy from your insurance company. 

Choose A Cemetery

If your family doesn't already have a burial plot assigned in a local cemetery, you'll need to decide where your casket will be interred. This will help the funeral director make all of the necessary arrangements when the time comes. Consider purchasing your plot along with a plot for your spouse or partner at the same time so you can be sure you'll both be laid to rest next to each other. As you look for cemeteries, take into account any rules there may be about headstone size. This is important if you have a particular style you want, as some cemeteries have strict size and shape requirements for grave markers.

Discuss Your Plans With Your Family

It's important that your family know you have pre-arranged your funeral. This will prevent them from paying for and arranging the services when they don't need to, and it also helps to take some of the guesswork out of the process of scheduling the viewing and funeral. Let your loved ones know which funeral home you've chosen, and tell them where you have a copy of the funeral arrangements. Should the funeral home not be able to locate the funeral plans in its computer system, your family will have proof of the payment and the chosen services.

Preplanning your funeral lets you be in control of your final wishes, and it prevents your family from having to pay for a potentially expensive funeral and burial service. Use these helpful tips, and talk to your funeral director about the different options available for your casket, flowers, headstone, and funeral services.

Contact a company like Brinsfield-Echols Funeral Home for more information and assistance. 


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