Pre-Plan a Funeral Online
If the idea of calling funeral homes and meeting with estate planners to make advance funeral arrangements isn’t one you cherish, you may be able to find online options to save you time and money. Although unheard of just a few years ago, online funeral planning is now a viable option that allows you to plan and even pay for your funeral from the comfort of your own home.
How Online Funeral Planning Works
There are two ways you can pre-plan a funeral online. The first option requires nothing more from you than to make decisions regarding your wishes. For example, you can:
Print out a funeral planning worksheet, which you can then fill out regarding your specific wishes.
Find a funeral planning app or other online option that allows you to make decisions and email your answers to family members.
Coordinate funeral pre-plan options with a specific funeral home, which will use the information provided to contact you at a later date.
If you’re hesitant to put any money down and are merely exploring your options, these are a great way to being the funeral planning process.
However, if you’d like to make more concrete plans (up to and including purchasing an entire burial or cremation package), you have alternate options. You can:
Contact a company like the Cremation Society of Virginia, which allows you to purchase entire cremation packages online.
Find a funeral home in your area that offers funeral insurance, burial insurance, or other financial planning options.
Buy a casket, urn, or other funeral item and have it shipped to your home for future use.
In these instances, it’s very important that you only make financial arrangements or purchase funeral plans from a company that is reputable and that you’ve looked into first. Because there are funeral scams out there (and because the anonymity of the internet makes it an easy platform for taking advantage of people), you should only hand over personal information or money to a company you know is trusted.
When Online Funeral Planning Isn’t Enough
While pre-planning a funeral online is a great way to get your financial arrangements in order, it isn’t a comprehensive solution. There is no alternative for sitting down with your family and outlining your wishes, or in visiting a funeral home and seeing for yourself what all your options regarding advance funeral planning are.
Use the internet as a way to gather information, to research your options, and even to find area providers. Make purchases once you’re sure it’s a valid company. And print out your plans so that there is a written record somewhere your family can access it. The age of the internet makes funeral planning easier than ever before, as long as you’re willing to use it!
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