Why You Should Consider Preplanning Your Funeral

Death, for many people, is an uncomfortable subject, especially if we’re talking about our own or that of a beloved family member.

It is important, however, to talk about last wishes and funeral arrangements while our family is still here. Likewise, it’s important to take those conversations to the next level – preplanning a funeral.

Multiple options for how to handle a funeral, burial or cremation, along with a host of possibilities for memorialization, are now available. Funeral directors are the best equipped to talk you through those choices so that the funeral you want is the funeral you get. It’s better to discuss those preferences during a time when it’s not as emotional as it is immediately after someone’s death. Preplanning takes the guesswork out of funerals.

In addition, preplanning helps you to identify any potential benefits that may help pay for the funeral. Among the most common sources of benefits are the Veterans Administration, Social Security and fraternal and civic organizations.

Lastly, preplanning helps you and your family understand the various costs and fees associated with the funeral you have chosen. You can also choose methods for payment at this time. For ways to prepay a funeral in New Jersey, see our blog post, titled “How to Prepay Your Funeral in New Jersey.”

Now that we’ve established that you can and should preplan your funeral, you may want to ask how you can do it. Luckily, Funeral Matters has made it simple for you by offering a free, easy-to-use preplanning tool. You can use the six steps below as a guide through the process:

1.     To get started, visit www.funeralmatters.com/builder.

2.     Select “See real prices at funeral homes near you” and choose a funeral home.

3.     Select “I am planning a future funeral” and move to the next option.

4.     You will be asked whether you are considering cremation or burial, followed by a series of simple questions regarding the type of memorialization you are considering. Each choice you make will have an associated price.

5.     When finished with these choices, you will be presented with the funding options available to prepay your funeral, should you so choose.

6.     Send your choices and thoughts to the funeral home you’ve selected (it’s as simple as a click of a mouse in the builder). Once the funeral home receives and reviews the information, someone from the establishment will get in touch with you to set up an appointment and finalize arrangements.

A couple of final notes for you as you embark on preplanning:

The funeral you preplan doesn’t have to be the funeral you have. In NJ, if you or your family members want to make changes to fit your changing circumstances, you can. You or your next-of-kin may wish to upgrade, reduce, transfer or even cancel the prearrangement if you choose. Also, the NJ funeral home with which you plan the arrangements doesn’t have to be the home you ultimately use. Any prepayments can be forwarded to the funeral home that does handle the services, even if that funeral home is out of state.

There is no risk in preplanning services, but plenty of reward, the biggest being that you’ve taken a weight off your own and your family’s shoulders. When the funeral is finally needed, all can focus on mourning and celebrating life rather than being concerned with arrangements and finances.