Basic information for funeral needs

Funeral planning can be stressful, and it will no doubt keep you very busy; the best way to reduce the pressure involved is to make sure you’re well prepared. It helps to start with a plan. On this site, you can find a comprehensive list of everything you’ll need to take care of when you’re planning a funeral. You can print off the detailed funeral checklist to help you organize the process and ensure clear decision-making.

First Steps

There is a lot of chaos surrounding a funeral, especially when the loved one in question has already passed on. You may find yourself overcome with grief. At these times, it helps to have someone slightly more removed from the deceased to act objectively and handle the fiscal responsibilities of funeral planning. While it may not seem like a top priority, with the right guide and some shopping around, you can save thousands of dollars and still have the funeral you want. You simply have to be aware of a few common pitfalls.

If a death has just occurred you’ll need to follow some basic first steps:

1. Consult the will of the deceased to learn of any special or unique arrangements they may have in place. You may even find that the deceased has already made arrangements, with a pre-planned funeral. If the will isn’t being read until after the funeral, consult with the lawyer, and ask if there are any special instructions concerning burial.
2. Inform the following people:
   Friends and relatives
   Employer and fellow employees
   Insurance company
   Family doctor
   Cemetery or other burial place (e.g. crematorium)
   Other organizations to which the deceased belonged (churches, social clubs, etc.)

Funeral Planning Choices and Decisions

When you start to plan a funeral you’ll learn that there are a number of decisions that need to be made, regardless of whether you’re dealing with a death or pre-planning.

1. Shop around for a funeral director . Get general price lists from at least three different funeral homes.
2. Arrange a meeting with the Funeral Director of your choice.
3. Choose a funeral service location. A church is one of several possibilities. If you choose a church, you’ll need to choose clergy.
4. Decide on a date and time for the service.
5. Choose the kind of service you want: traditional, non-traditional, military, etc.
6. Choose a casket (or cremation urn).
7. Choose a burial container or mausoleum crypt.
8. Choose flowers.
9. Choose music.
10. Choose the funeral car arrangements.
11. Pick clothing for the deceased.
12. Choose pallbearers, scripture readings (if applicable) and eulogists.

Planning

Planning a funeral can be a multi-layered process. After you’ve completed the initial arrangements, there are a number of additional things to be done:

1. Provide information for obituaries
2. Choose a charity for donations
3. Arrange for caterers or others to take care of food and refreshments
4. Consider finding a babysitter for any young children who might attend

Funeral planning involves a number of different (and sometimes expensive) elements so it’s important to be prepared in advance for what is to come.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Financing a Funeral | Category: Financing a Funeral | Leave a comment

Honoring the deceased

Traditional funerals can run into the tens of thousands of dollars and it can be very hard to plan a truly affordable funeral. Time after time, investigations into funeral home practices find that funeral homes make it difficult to purchase affordable services. It’s not uncommon for those in the funeral industry to take advantage of the grief and confusion caused by death and up-sell their products by linking the cost of a funeral to the amount of love the bereaved have for the deceased.

If you don’t want to burden your loved ones with expenses after you pass, it’s best for you to pre-plan your funeral. It’ll make things easier on the loved ones you leave behind, and save them the effort of avoiding the sales traps so common in the funeral industry.

Sales Tactics

While most people involved in the funeral industry are there to help others through the difficult experience of death, some aren’t so benevolent. Some funeral homes will refer to affordable caskets (under $1000) as ‘only for the indigent’. This is a deliberately insulting tactic, intended to guilt the party into spending more money. They may also misrepresent facts and circumstances surrounding direct burial and other low cost funeral options. Be aware of this, as you discuss affordable funeral arrangements with different funeral directors. Let them know you are familiar with The Funeral Rule.

Some funeral homes advertise ‘affordable funerals’ beginning at $5000! If a funeral home tells you this is a low cost funeral, they’re deceiving you. You can easily purchase all the necessary funeral services and components for under $2500.

You should also find out if the funeral home is part of a conglomerate, such as SCI. These places may be very expensive, but if you shop around you can likely find wide variations in pricing among different funeral homes in your area.

Cost Saving Suggestions

There are a number of ways to save money when planning a funeral. You can purchase an affordable or discount casket . There’s nothing wrong with saving money this way, as the casket is only a box someone is buried in. There are also other casket options , and also ways to save money on grave markers .

When purchasing a burial container, consider a grave liner over an expensive burial vault.

Buying a pre-owned grave plot is one of several ways to save money when you are buying a grave plot . If you’re not interested in a traditional funeral, a cremation ceremony, which from beginning to scattering may cost under $1000.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Low Cost Funerals | Category: Low Cost Funerals | Leave a comment

Your funeral payment resources may be larger than you realize

Funerals can be one of the most expensive things you’ll pay for in your life. Be sure to shop around to get the prices that you want. If you’re in a position to pre-plan your funeral, you may find you can save your loved ones a lot of grief and money. The pre-planning process includes considering funeral insurance, savings and life insurance, as well as pre-need trust agreements and funeral pre-payment.

If you do have to pay for a funeral for a loved one, there are a number of resources you need to consider- you don’t have to spend a lot of money to hold a respectful funeral that honors the deceased, and you also don’t have to try and finance any arrangements all on your own. Here are some resources that you may not have considered:

1. The deceased’s own resources. You may be able to consult the will of the deceased to find out about provisions for funeral expenses (such as insurance, savings, POD accounts, pre-need or prepayment).
2. Social Security benefits include a one-time lump sum death benefit of $255 to the surviving spouse. You may also qualify for other surviving spouses’ benefits or surviving children’s benefits. You can find out about these options through the Toll Free Information Number, 1-800-234-5USA.
3. Any service veterans (and their spouses) qualify for a number of benefits. These include a free grave marker (headstone), a $300 burial expense allowance if qualified (and the figure is $2,000 for service related death,) and a $300 burial plot allowance. Any veteran can be buried in a VA national cemetery. There’s a two year time limit for claiming reimbursement of burial expenses. Inurnment in Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery , Arlington , VA is free for the veteran (spouse is usually included, too). In addition, you can receive a burial flag and a Presidential Memorial Certificate.
4. City Taxpayers in many cities qualify for reduced inurnment costs in cemeteries or for the scattering of cremated remains (in designated areas).
5. Church members and members of civic and other organizations may qualify for funeral assistance or for reduced costs. Contacting organizations to which the deceased belonged will help you find information about death benefits.
6. Credit card holders may be able to have their credit reduced or even discharged if they have a death benefits policy.
7. Death benefits from employers. Check the deceased’s company policy for these.

The Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund provides funeral benefits in some instances of death by a criminal act. This fund is administered by the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Financing a Funeral | Category: Financing a Funeral | Leave a comment

Basic information for funeral needs

Funeral planning can be stressful, and it will no doubt keep you very busy; the best way to reduce the pressure involved is to make sure you’re well prepared. It helps to start with a plan. On this site, you can find a comprehensive list of everything you’ll need to take care of when you’re planning a funeral. You can print off the detailed funeral checklist to help you organize the process and ensure clear decision-making.

First Steps

There is a lot of chaos surrounding a funeral, especially when the loved one in question has already passed on. You may find yourself overcome with grief. At these times, it helps to have someone slightly more removed from the deceased to act objectively and handle the fiscal responsibilities of funeral planning. While it may not seem like a top priority, with the right guide and some shopping around, you can save thousands of dollars and still have the funeral you want. You simply have to be aware of a few common pitfalls.

If a death has just occurred you’ll need to follow some basic first steps:

1. Consult the will of the deceased to learn of any special or unique arrangements they may have in place. You may even find that the deceased has already made arrangements, with a pre-planned funeral. If the will isn’t being read until after the funeral, consult with the lawyer, and ask if there are any special instructions concerning burial.
2. Inform the following people:
   Friends and relatives
   Employer and fellow employees
   Insurance company
   Family doctor
   Cemetery or other burial place (e.g. crematorium)
   Other organizations to which the deceased belonged (churches, social clubs, etc.)

Funeral Planning Choices and Decisions

When you start to plan a funeral you’ll learn that there are a number of decisions that need to be made, regardless of whether you’re dealing with a death or pre-planning.

1. Shop around for a funeral director . Get general price lists from at least three different funeral homes.
2. Arrange a meeting with the Funeral Director of your choice.
3. Choose a funeral service location. A church is one of several possibilities. If you choose a church, you’ll need to choose clergy.
4. Decide on a date and time for the service.
5. Choose the kind of service you want: traditional, non-traditional, military, etc.
6. Choose a casket (or cremation urn).
7. Choose a burial container or mausoleum crypt.
8. Choose flowers.
9. Choose music.
10. Choose the funeral car arrangements.
11. Pick clothing for the deceased.
12. Choose pallbearers, scripture readings (if applicable) and eulogists.

Planning

Planning a funeral can be a multi-layered process. After you’ve completed the initial arrangements, there are a number of additional things to be done:

1. Provide information for obituaries
2. Choose a charity for donations
3. Arrange for caterers or others to take care of food and refreshments
4. Consider finding a babysitter for any young children who might attend

Funeral planning involves a number of different (and sometimes expensive) elements so it’s important to be prepared in advance for what is to come.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Funeral Arrangement Planning | Category: Funeral Arrangement Planning | Leave a comment

Think ahead: property, care and probate

Funeral planning and estate planning are closely related in two respects: One, you can add funeral plans into your estate planning or will, and two, like funeral planning, estate planning can make your funeral much easier for your loved ones, as they won’t have to fear the legal hassles of probate or being intestate.

You can plan your funeral as part of your estate planning. There are many advantages to having a will and planning the management of your estate, particularly for anyone with assets or children and / or a spouse. Not to mention, it is a responsible thing to do. The time of your death will most likely be stressful and chaotic for the loved ones you leave behind - estate planning allows you to remove at least some of the burden.

It’s not easy to deal with the prospect of your own death, but planning your estate is a responsible thing to do. Many people feel they do not need a will, perhaps assuming that their assets are so little they don’t require an estate plan. But with fluctuating real estate values and stock markets (to name a few examples), this position is weak at best; regardless of the size of the estate, taking control is the right thing to do.

Another popular misconception is that the state will sort out assets, so there’s no need to do it yourself. While this assumption is true, there’s no guarantee that the state will sort out your assets fairly if you don’t provide direction. Chances are things would not come out as you would have intended.

If you’ve never considered estate planning, think about the following issues:

1. Property. Some states don’t automatically give the estate to the surviving spouse, but instead give two thirds to the children. If this happened to your family, would you want them to go through the legal hassles to straighten it out? There are many legal and even personal problems that could be caused or exacerbated by a lack of legal estate planning.
2. Care of your children or other dependents. If you and your spouse should both die without a will, the state may grant foster custody to family members, even if that wouldn’t have been your first choice.
3. Probate fees. These can be agonizing for your family, especially as they will be awaiting decisions as to how the estate will be decided.

These are just a few of the serious problems that can be avoided by proper estate planning. If you do make the decision to take control of the management of your estate, you’ll also want to consider:

1. Writing a will
2. Types of wills
3. Living trusts
4. Living wills
5. Online wills
6. Viaticals

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Estate Planning | Category: Estate Planning | Leave a comment

Taking the pressure off your loved ones

Funeral pre-planning (personal funeral planning) is a wise practice that’s becoming increasingly accepted and appreciated. People are sometimes hesitant to pre-plan a funeral because they think they’re not going to die anytime soon, or they may not like the idea of thinking about their own death and funeral. There may even be some superstition that planning your own funeral will somehow bring on a hasty death. However, many people who get over their initial resistance to the idea actually find funeral planning to be a freeing experience. You’re able to make sure things are done in the way you’d like them, and you’ll know that you’re relieving your loved ones of some very burdensome future responsibilities.

You can begin the funeral planning process long before you are even close to death. If you’re ill or in the process of dying, funeral planning can be a proactive way of dealing with the inevitable.

There’s a growing organization of information concerning less-than-scrupulous business practices and over-selling in the funeral industry. If you pre-plan your funeral before the stress and chaos of death occurs, you can avoid exposing your family the funeral home sales tactic of equating the money spent on a funeral with their amount of love for the deceased.

Pre-planning your funeral lets everyone know what you want and you leave no room for up-selling or over-selling. More benefits of funeral planning include:

1. Being forthright about your desires for your funeral will relieve your family of the burden of having to make decisions in their time of grief.
2. Prepaying for your funeral will also offer some relief to your loved ones. You have to be aware of some of the pitfalls of this process though.
3. A lot of people buy into the idea that the amount of money spent on a funeral is a reflection of the amount of love for the deceased. Prepaying decreases the stress of this aspect of funeral planning.
4. Making a will is a fundamental benefit to your family . You can add funeral arrangement preferences into your will.

Finding Enlightenment through Pre-Planning

When you really get into it, planning your own funeral can be a great experience. Many people who’ve done so have found it to be a helpful process, as they know they’re lightening the load of their own passing for their loved ones.

There are a number of factors you can take care of when you’re pre-planning your funeral. Just to name a few, you can decide on your own non-traditional memorial , you can personalize your funeral or write your own epitaph. You can also even pre-purchase a custom casket or make your own.

Your First Steps

If you’re considering funeral planning, here are some of the first steps you’ll have to take:

1. Write a will
2. Consider all aspects of a pre-need funeral
3. Research financial options like funeral insurance

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Pre-Planning a Funeral | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Find what’s right for you

Burial and interment can be a costly aspect of funeral planning. Ideally, burial or interment arrangements will be made ahead of time with a pre-planned funeral. Burial in a cemetery is still the most popular method of interment in the US , even though it’s probably the most expensive.

Other Options

Aside from burial, there are several other methods of interment that may prove less expensive. Alternatives to burial may also be more appropriate; be sure to consider the personality of the deceased before you decide what to do. Burial alternative options include:

1. Cremation can cost as little as $800 US. Because it is usually significantly cheaper than other forms of interment, it’s quickly becoming a common option. However, you have to be aware of religious regulations if you’re considering cremation, because some religions don’t allow the practice.
2. Burial at sea is very expensive and challenging, unless it’s for a veteran. However, for those attempting to honor the deceased with a personalized funeral, this may be a viable option. (The cost is also significantly less if you’re scattering cremated ashes.)
3. Interment in a mausoleum or family tomb is also a significantly expensive alternative. Entombment used to be more common than it is today, but people have voiced concerns as to how this affects the decomposition of the body.
4. Interment through a green burial (sometimes called direct burial) is cheaper than a traditional burial, though there are a limited number of places where it can be done.
5. Interment in an alternative memorial can vary on availability, depending on where you are located. Some forms of green burial can also be very expensive. It’s particularly important to check local laws to see what’s allowed in terms of green burials.
6. Body donation is growing in popularity in the US . While this might not be the best choice for some people due to familial and religious beliefs or the feelings of the deceased on the subject, it’s a great way for death to become a continuation of life.

There are a number of important aspects to consider while you’re funeral planning, especially concerning burial containers.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Burial and Interment | Category: Burial and Interment | Leave a comment

What you can offer the bereaved

It can be incredibly difficult to know how to help a friend or loved one who is dealing with death and the funeral process - you want to express sympathy and support but you might not know exactly what to say. This may be a proper occasion for a memorial gift, as they are a simple and proper way of expressing your feelings. You don’t have to experience death or loss in order to support a friend who has. When you acknowledge their grief with a gift, you often say more than you could with words.

In North America , the most common memorial gift is flowers. Flowers can make the perfect gift for the bereaved - they’re beautiful and fragrant, and they let loved ones know that they have support.

Those Left Behind

The traditions and ceremonies associated with death are meant to help those left behind, undergoing the grieving process. A thoughtful memorial gift can offer sympathy and support as they work through this difficult time.

When you’re selecting a memorial gift you have to keep in mind the person you’re getting it for. You’ll want to ask yourself:

1. Who have they lost?
2. How close were they to the deceased?
3. How old are they?
4. How will the loss affect their everyday life?

After you’ve considered these aspects you’ll be able to select a gift that best addresses the needs and feelings of the bereaved, while also expressing your sentiments. For example, you’ll pick a different memorial gift for someone who has lost a parent, spouse or child than someone who has lost a distant acquaintance. You’ll also have to consider the age bracket of the bereaved because some of the gifts available for adults won’t be appropriate for a child.

Types of Gifts

You can select from a number of different items when you’re looking for a memorial gift. There are a lot of different traditional routes you can follow, such as:

1. Flowers: different kinds of flowers have certain meanings, and you can choose the appropriate representation
2. Rosemary: this evergreen symbolizes remembrance
3. Angels: religious or secular, angels symbolize love, security and the resilience of the spirit

Depending on the person you’re buying for, these traditional options may not convey the message you would like. You might instead opt for a personalized or homemade memorial gift. You may also select a practical gift that will help the bereaved get through the first few weeks or months following a loss; or perhaps a unique or unusual memorial gift that will help lift their spirits or remind them of the deceased.

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Memorial Gifts | Category: Memorial Gifts | Leave a comment

Words you’ll want to know

Administrator

Any court appointed person or body put in charge of the estate of a person who passed on without a will.

Arrangement Room

A room in the funeral home set aside for funeral home staff and the bereaved family to make funeral arrangements.

Attorney in Fact

Any person granted the power of attorney.

Beneficiary

Any recipient of the proceeds of a will or insurance policy.

Bequest

Any gift of property made in a will.

Bereaved

The immediate family of the deceased.

Burial Permit

Required by some states for human remains to be buried or cremated. Usually acquired by the mortuary or crematory, it is not required for the scattering of cremated ashes.

Casket

A casket is any container designed for holding human remains. It may be made of wood, metal or fiberglass. They are seldom called “coffins’ in the funeral industry.

Catafalque

The stand on which the casket rests while in state and during the funeral service.

Cemetery

Ground for burial, in which final aspects of the funeral ceremony are often held.

Cortege

The funeral procession.

Codicil

An amendment to a will changing the original provisions.

Columbarium

Structure or building designed for the housing of urns of cremated remains, in niches.

Contest

Any legal challenge to or question of the validity of a will.

Cremation

A regulated process using intense heat in a chamber to burn human remains. It typically takes 2 to 4 hours.

Crematory

A building with a furnace for the purpose of cremating human remains.

Crypt

Technically, any chamber that holds a casket and human remains. More narrowly, an individual chamber in a mausoleum.

Death Certificate

A legal document, signed by a coroner or other medical health professional certifying the death of an individual. The death certificate is used for many legal processes pertaining to death, from arrangement for interment to the settlement of estate assets.

Disinter

See exhume.

Display Room

A room in a funeral home set aside for viewing available caskets, urns, grave liners, etc.

Disposition

Refers to any manner in which remains will be finally taken care of, including ground burial, ash scattering of cremated remains and all other forms of placement.

Embalming

Embalming is the procedure using chemicals, such as formaldehyde, to temporarily preserve human remains. Embalming is not required by any state or federal law.

Eulogy

A eulogy is a form of public speaking at funerals used to honor and praise the deceased.

Escheat

The state takes over the estate if there are no beneficiaries or heirs.

Estate Tax

Federal and state taxes applied to any property that is transferred at death.

Executor/Executrix

Male or female named as the person who administers an estate.

Exhume

To dig up human remains, possibly for medical or legal investigation.

Funeral Director

The professional who prepares the body for burial, supervises burial and other services, and maintains a funeral home for these purposes. Also called a mortician or undertaker.

Funeral Insurance

Funeral insurance is an insurance policy designed to cover any costs directly related to your funeral.

Funeral Home

See mortuary.

Funeral Service

Ceremony, religious or secular, in which the bereaved say goodbye to the deceased in various ways, before the remains are permanently interred.

Funeral Spray

A large bouquet (25 or more) of cut flowers sent to the residence or the funeral home as a tribute to the deceased.

Grave Liner

A box or receptacle made of concrete or other durable material into which the casket is placed to prevent the ground from collapsing. Most states do not require it, though most cemeteries do.

Green Burial

Green burial also called direct burial, is the process of burying a body without the use of chemical preservation in a simple container to help preserve the earth.

In State

The custom of presenting the deceased for viewing by mourners and others, prior to or after the funeral service.

Interment

The act of burying a dead body in a grave.

Intestate

Having left behind no legal will.

Inurnment

Placing cremation ashes in an urn.

Liabilities

Remaining debts and mortgages, as they apply to the administering of an estate.

Life Insurance Trust

A trust funded from money provided from life insurance.

Living Trust

A trust that has been established during the life of the trustee.

Living Will

A legal document that details the wishes of an individual concerning his or her medical care, especially with respect to life-sustaining technology and resuscitation.

Mausoleum

A structure or building, often on cemetery grounds, that holds caskets and remains.

Morgue

These are usually municipally operated places, where bodies found dead are held pending identification by next of kin.

Mortuary

Any licensed, regulated business that provides for the care, planning and preparation of human remains for their final resting place. A mortuary usually arranges and conducts funeral and memorial services, embalming and other services such as the sale of caskets.
Also called a funeral home or funeral service provider.

Niche

In a columbarium, an individual chamber wherein an urn is placed.

Opening and Closing Fees

Cemetery fees for the digging and refilling of a grave.

Pallbearers

Individuals (close family members in most areas of the continent; hired, in other areas) who are asked to carry the casket.

Perpetual Care Trust Funds

A certain portion of the cost of a burial plot is set aside in a trust fund for its ongoing care (usually restricted to grounds keeping, such as lawn cutting, etc.)

Personalized Funerals

A personalized funeral is a non-traditional type of funeral growing in popularity.

Pre-need or Pre-planning

Pre-planning is arranging all aspects of your funeral (especially financing) in advance. There are some problems with the process, especially in some states.

Probate

The court process of proving the validity of a will.

Remains

The body of the deceased.

Reposing Room

A room of the funeral home where the body rests until the funeral service.

Right of Survivorship

Occurs when a joint property owner has provided for the passing of all property into the hands of the surviving joint owner. This will forego the need for probate.

Rigor Mortis

The cooling of the body and increased rigidity of muscles that sets in after death.

Testator

A person making a valid will.

Trust

Usually a fund, though it may be made up of other property. It is held and managed by one person for the benefit of another (or others).

Urn

Any container made for holding cremated human remains.

Vault

A solid “container,” usually made of concrete, to prevent leakage from the casket into the soil. Many insiders in the industry advise that a grave liner is sufficient and a vault does not really do what is purported to.

Viaticals

Type of life insurance policy used before you pass away.

Vigil

In Roman Catholicism, a service held on the eve of the funeral service.

Visitation

Usually held at the funeral home, this is a scheduled time when the body is on display (if appropriate) and friends and family pay respects to the dead and visit with each other.

Wake

A wake is a traditional watch over the deceased usually conducted by family members and close friends. “Wake” and “watch” are etymologically related.

Will

A will is a legal document stating the intentions of the deceased concerning the dispersal of their belongings, the care of their remains and other relevant matters..

October 16th, 2008 | Tags: Terms for Funeral Planning | Category: Terms for Funeral Planning | Leave a comment