How to Arrange a Funeral
September 20, 2011 | 
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It’s a challenge that most of us will have to address one day. Even if we never have to arrange a funeral for someone else there’s always our own send off to think about – particularly with the sensible trend for planning funerals while we are still alive.
Are funeral arrangements in place?
Assuming you’re faced with the challenge of arranging a funeral for someone else, one of the first tasks is discovering whether they’ve left any funeral plans. The deceased’s will is a good starting point. Other possible sources of information include the following:
- A letter of wishes (perhaps stored with the will)
- An online funeral planning resource such as The Well Planned Funeral
- Recalled conversations with the deceased
If the deceased has stored funeral wishes online, you may even be notified of their wishes by the website. The information might be as simple as a choice between burial or cremation. On the other hand, you could find yourself managing an unusual funeral arrangement request such as a burial at sea.
Understand the deceased’s wishes
As the person responsible for organising a funeral, you and other loved ones are responsible for fulfilling their wishes as closely as possible. Obviously, financial means and logistical practicalities must be considered when planning a funeral – not everyone will be able to have their ashes made into fireworks and blasted into the sky as writer Hunter S. Thompson’s were. At this stage, you might also discover that the deceased had already made their own arrangements by subscribing to a prepaid funeral plan.
How to arrange a funeral – contact an undertaker
Once you understand the deceased’s funeral wishes, you’ll usually contact an undertaker. A reputable undertaker is an experienced funeral planner who’ll guide you through the required procedures. Whether it’s a sophisticated funeral or a simple cremation, the undertaker and their team are powerful allies at an emotionally challenging time. They’ve been through the process many times so draw on their expertise to help with the administrative and practical burdens that you’re facing. And of course, friends and family are another valuable source of funeral help.
Practical funeral actions
A major part of the funeral will be the ceremony itself. How to arrange a funeral will depend on the deceased’s beliefs; these may dictate an elaborate religious ceremony or a simple alternative funeral. Whatever its form the funeral ceremony represents the culmination of mourning and the opportunity for everyone to say goodbye to the deceased. Start making a funeral checklist as soon as you can; it’s a sensible way to make sure everything is remembered. Important parts of the funeral service usually include the following:
- Decoration of the venue with flowers and/or other meaningful items
- Funeral music
- Poems or readings
- Religious rituals (if appropriate)
- Tributes and appreciations
- Committal of the deceased for burial or cremation
When the funeral’s over, the mourners will typically move to a cemetery or a crematorium for the committal of the body. After this, it’s usual for mourners to join the friends and family for refreshments – a wonderful opportunity to reminisce and celebrate the life of the deceased in more informally.
How to arrange a funeral – many people plan while they’re alive
Increasingly, enlightened people take responsibility for their final send-off while they’re still alive. From burial instructions to details of funeral flowers arrangements or a poem to be read at a funeral, it’s a great way to make sure your wishes are fulfilled. Whether you do this by leaving instructions in your will, investing in a prepaid funeral plan or learn how to arrange a funeral through an online funeral planning resource will depend on your personal preferences.
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Planning a Funeral With the Funeral Director in Your Community
Contemplate this; a funeral home is in the business of organizing one of the most critical days of a person’s lifetime. Who is the funeral director in your community? You may not be ready to die but when it happens, neither is your household ready for the grief that follows. Funeral Directors instantly become counselors, floral arrangers, caterers, funeral price accountants, will advisers, eulogy writers, death announcement writers and grief counselors. Put yourself in their competent hands now and let them guide you to do what you need to do every single step with the way and your families grieving period will be considerably less complicated and less painful. Arranging a great funeral starts by knowing the way to approach a perfect funeral. Arrange your funeral now to save your loved ones during their time of grief and to potentially save them money at probate.
First and foremost, do you have a will? You would do best to look for a lawyer that specializes in wills, the power of attorney and living wills. Why do you require having a will even if you do not own anything you may ask, easy, it makes life better for those you leave behind. It details exactly what you “will” even after that you are buried or cremated. Having an executor will ensure that you have one person in charge as apposed to potentially having too many family members arguing over the planning process.
Secondly, you will need to locate a funeral home. Interview the funeral homes within your area. Do they offer the services you feel your household might be most comfortable with? What can they do to previous plan a funeral within your budget? When you discover a funeral director that you know will carry your requests out he or she will review things like the charges and fees that work within your family needs for arranging your funeral. Detailed outline of all costs of your funeral and making arrangements upfront for payments and payment plans may be offered. Included in the funeral program costs of arrangements and price lists for coffins and urns etc. will all be disclosed and signed for.
Following that, detailed funeral arrangements and detailed facts about the burial or cremation support to ensure the best possible funeral for your family. Which person or persons will you want to deliver the eulogy, and how you can write a eulogy in advance may be discussed as well as, whether you wish live music for just a funeral service or if you wish it during the viewing. Talking about this openly may very well put the families’ minds at ease.
The funeral director will even share with you what music is most popular at funerals at this time. You may also ask about how to write a poem or where to locate a poem being used at your funeral, perhaps in the announcement or on the memorial card.
You will provide a list of immediate family members names, schools, organizations, churches and associations attended by the spouse and children member for being included inside the death announcement by the funeral home.
You may discuss flowers being purchased for your funeral program or charitable donation you want mentioned. Some funeral homes even offer the service of providing catering of food to the funeral location and/or arrangement of area to become included inside the announcement in the newspaper. Always photographs and memoirs to individualize the viewing time and enable people to keep in mind the great times during a lifetime.
It is here that you will also discuss what clothing will be worn at the burial. Having a family member present, preferably the executor will put your minds at ease.
Ask if they also have in place how they would recommend that your loved ones will be easiest contacted and offer to them at that time, the support they will need through their stages of grief. Bereavement counseling available may be offered and the location of bereavement counseling.
Let us face the facts; many ethnicity do not decide on for a functional funeral service ahead of time. I want you and your family give some thought to this for a moment. Many of us usually take some time in order to prepare for a labor and birth, years to plan for a wedding and reception and a short time to prepare a funeral service! Do you realize the fact that funeral homes and funeral directors talk with families during the most upsetting serious amounts of time and need days to plan for which might realistically require much longer? I want to recommend to people today in giving funeral planning some consideration. All of us cherish and nurture each of our children and our families almost all our lives as if it truly is our spiritual motive. You could start to eliminate the particular stress regarding funeral planning in order to lessen the pain during their bereavement process. Preparing for the funeral while you are alive is less demanding compared to the not known territory when someone you love leaves you and your funeral director will be there to help during the process of you planning a funeral.
Funeral Planning
Like so many families, when we suffered the loss of my mother last year we faced the difficult decision of what to do next. Because we were never willing to accept this as a possible outcome, nor did we think about planning in advance for this incomprehensible loss, we had no idea where to begin or who we could turn to.
Most people tend to overlook one of the greatest gifts you will give your family, which is properly preparing them for the inevitable. At best, you might have started your estate planning process by creating a Will or Trust. However, the harsh reality is that approximately over 70% of Americans have no form of estate plan. So by having a will or Trust, you have clearly taken a step in the right direction toward preplanning your future financial wishes. The problem is, this form of planning fails to accomplish the most important task, which is addressing your family’s immediate concerns.
The person, or in most cases people, responsible for taking care of your final arrangements are usually forced to make extremely important decisions, as well as major financial purchases, within a small time frame…usually within approximately 48 hours after your death. Of course, you cannot expect to fully alleviate the emotional and financial stresses of your loved ones during such a difficult time, but you can help themtremendously by having a plan that outlines your funeral wishes.
Most financial professionals are realizing that an integral part of a sound financial and estate plan is taking care of your funeral services ahead of time. Funeral Preplanning gives you the ability to choose your method of disposition, the exact type of services you want, and allows your family to focus more on things such as grieving and recovery. In addition, funeral preplanning is also a good thing for you because it allows you to make extremely important decisions through a calm and clear thought process. Emotionally, it is much more likely that you will create a more rational and logical end-of-life plan.
When preplanning your funeral, here are several general guidelines to begin your preplanning process:
- Visit various funeral homes and interview multiple funeral directors
- Choose a funeral home and director where you think your family would be most comfortable
- Consider bringing family members with you during this selection process
- Be aware and informed of bereavement entitlements such as veterans, unions, fraternities, etc.
- Consider religious and moral convictions, and discuss them with your family
- Determine your method of disposition (burial, cemetery, entombment, cremation, etc.)
- Plan your ceremony considering things like casket viewing, religious aspects, who should be included, etc.
- Itemize your costs
- The Federal Trade Commission offers a free funeral planning guide titled “Caskets and Burial Vaults” ( 202-326-2222 ) which has made it easier for consumers to comparison shop.
The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral directors to give pricing information over the phone, as well as provide you with a readily available General Price List if you visit them in person. This FTC Funeral Rule also allows you to purchase caskets, which are the single largest funeral expense, from outside vendors without the threat of a carrying charge. For more information about The FTC Funeral Rule, you can visit www.ftc.gov
What About Paying For Funeral Expenses In Advance?
Although planning your funeral arrangements in advance may help alleviate many of the details, prepaying (also known as prearranging) for your funeral services is a way of taking care of the actual expenses.
Prepaying your funeral or cremation is one of the fastest growing, and most appreciated and accepted aspects of funeral planning. Similar to preplanning your funeral, paying your funeral expenses in advance is also becoming widely accepted by many financial professionals as a solid piece of a sound financial and estate plan.
When prepaying your funeral plan, the most common and widely used strategies are savings and life insurance, mainly because they tend to be deemed the most reliable and readily available. However, there are several other strategies to consider when prepaying your funeral costs or expenses:
Savings Although many people choose to set aside savings to pay for funeral expenses, there are several reasons this does not always end up working out as originally planned. First, the savings can be depleted based on unexpected financial circumstances, such as health or financial issues. Second, these funds are not always readily available and liquid upon death due to the challenges and restrictions often found in estate planning. Third, the funds set aside can often be insufficient due to inflation and the rising cost of funeral expenses. Finally, it should be noted that savings are included in a part of one’s estate, and, thus, the taxable consequences can often come into play.
Life Insurance Term Life Insurance is widely considered to be a flexible, simple, and affordable way to pay for your final funeral expenses. Although Term Life Insurance has a set term, or set number of years, it also has multiple uses in prepaying for your funeral. Because upon your death it becomes a liquid asset that is usually not part of your estate, it can be used for many things such as funeral, burial, cremation, liquidity, and many other things, including debts or obligations.
In addition, there are some types of life insurance that allow the funds contributed to these policies (either in lump sum, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually) to grow and accumulate as a cash value that can be accessed if necessary. Therefore, these policies can not only be used for funeral expenses, but also for other financial planning options that may arise such as financial emergencies, college, etc.
Funeral Insurance Funeral insurance is an insurance policy which is specifically designed to cover any costs or expenses which are directly related to your funeral. If you purchase one of these policies, one of the options you have is to determine exactly which funeral costs or expenses are to be covered, such as flowers, burial plot, grave marker, and much more. Another option you have is for the policy to be paid out in a single lump-sum, which can be used to cover your pre-determined costs or expenses, or simply help your loved ones financially as they plan for you. There are many insurance companies that offer funeral insurance packages, and certain funeral homes or funeral companies also offer policies.
Pre-Need Trust Agreements Another alternative to prepaying your funeral is to consider a Pre-Need Trust Agreement to pay for your costs or expenses. Generally speaking, these Trust accounts are typically funded with monthly payments that are invested in a fund which is designed to grow over time. Although a Trust account is designed to provide the potential for protection against inflation, it is not guaranteed to do so.
In summary, although nobody likes to think or talk about dying, it is one of the facts of life we all must eventually face. If you are trying to build a successful financial plan, the only way you can be sure your plan works smoothly and efficiently is to be proactive about your planning process. This is particularly true and necessary when creating a proper plan of succession, which I firmly believe should include an end-of-life plan.