Death is one of the two things that most people say are guaranteed in life, but it is also the most feared. No one wants to die, but unfortunately every single person on this earth will, and that means the sensible thing to do is prepare for it so that family members grieving a loss do not have to deal with it. Whether or not you take care of your funeral arrangements they will still have to occur once you pass, and leaving your family to do it will be another blow. If you love your family you may want to think about taking care of things now.
Of course, there are a lot more funeral costs associated with a funeral then you likely think. Most people have been to dozens of funerals, but they never actually contemplate how many arrangements and items need to be purchased and paid for. The list can get quite extensive very quickly which is why it is a good idea to set aside some time to make your arrangements in full. Leaving the long list to your family to take care of in just a few days following your passing can be a cruel last action, but it is a problem you can prevent.
To begin with you will need to choose a funeral home to handle your body and the arrangements. They will take care of pulling everything together that you have requested and cremation or burial depending on which you choose. Once you choose a funeral home you can start to coordinate everything else that will need to happen. In addition, the undertaker can walk you through the process to make sure that you do not leave anything out. They also know certain tricks to help make sure that you minimize the costs if possible.
For instance, you might not realize that insurance could help with buying a memorial headstone. A memorial headstone in most cases is not cheap, but you will want some type of marker for your grave regardless of cost. If you plan carefully and take out an insurance policy then when you die the money can be used towards your funeral arrangements. This will allow you to plan ahead for your memorial plot so that you don’t have to worry about your family absorbing the costs or a large part of your estate being used for the funeral.
Insurance can come in handy for other aspects of the funeral as well such as the coffin, funeral home costs, the graveyard plot, etc. Usually the insurance policy can be used on anything funeral related until the money is expended so it can be stretched a long way. There are many hidden fees such as the costs of opening and closing a plot that you likely are not expecting, so planning on having some extra cash for funeral arrangements is something that will greatly help your family out. This way they have the time to properly grieve and fondly miss you instead of worrying about financial matters.
