Posts Tagged ‘Funeral Home’

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Attending a Masonic Funeral

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

Attending a Masonic Funeral

When it comes to funeral planning, religion and culture aren’t the only determining factors in how a ceremony is conducted. If the deceased was a member of the Freemasonry (the oldest functioning fraternal organization), he may wish to have a traditional Masonic funeral. Although most of the rituals of a Masonic funeral are similar to those you’ll find in any type of memorial service, there may be a few differences you can prepare for.

What it Means to Be a Mason

One of the key factors of being a member of the Freemason organization is the instant brotherhood and kinship that arises. In addition to general support and friendship, this means that members often step forward to provide assistance to others, regardless of how close they are or plan to be in the future. When a member passes away, this may mean that other members will attend the funeral, help cover expenses, or otherwise support the grieving family—even if they never met before.

A Masonic funeral may therefore be more crowded than a regular funeral, as members will attend to show their support of their deceased Brother. In a kind of tribute that echoes those of a policeman, military member, or other service provider, individuals often go above and beyond the call of duty to show how much they care.

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Funeral Cost Calculator

Friday, September 6th, 2013

Funeral Cost CalculatorFuneral costs are a real concern for most families facing the death and burial of a loved one. At a time when stress and anxiety are already higher than average, knowing that you will be expected to pay out thousands of dollars to provide a fitting farewell can prove difficult.

While more and more families are preparing for this eventuality with funeral pre-paid packages, there are options for those who have not planned ahead. In addition to financing a funeral, you can manage funeral costs by comparison shopping, selecting lower-cost burial alternatives, and coordinating services at the funeral home of your choice.

Online Funeral Planner Assistance

If you are preparing to plan a funeral, we suggest following this guide to estimate costs and come up with the best options for your family. Losing a loved one will always be difficult—and financing a funeral is rarely something anyone looks forward to—but with the right resources and support, you can come up with a beautiful funeral that won’t break the bank.

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Are There Differences between Male and Female Funeral Directors?

Thursday, August 29th, 2013

Are There Differences between Male and Female Funeral Directors?The funeral planning industry has long been considered a male-dominated profession. From the funeral directors who greet you at the door to the behind-the-scenes morticians who prepare your loved one for a final viewing, men have made up the majority of funeral service workers for quite some time.

Historically, caring for the dead has been the responsibility of women. As caretakers of the home (where most body preparation took place during the pre-Victorian eras), women were responsible for washing and dressing the body, and placing it in a shroud. From there, men took over. Building coffins, carrying the body, and the actual burial was men’s work. In fact, burial was considered such a “male” issue that in many cultures, women weren’t even allowed to attend the funerals or participate in the procession.

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Jewish Funeral Planning Customs: Chevra Kadisha

Friday, August 23rd, 2013

Jewish Funeral Planning Customs: Chevra KadishaJewish funeral customs are some of the most unique and beautiful traditions in the burial industry. With a focus on a strong sense of community and mourning, these customs range from the strict preparation of the body to mourning habits like sitting shiva (a seven-day mourning period observed by the immediate family of the deceased).

In keeping with these religious rites is the chevra kadisha, a holy society (or organization) composed of individuals who oversee the process of preparing the body of the deceased for burial. Central to the concept of chevra kadisha are showing a proper level of respect for the body and ensuring that the ritual cleansing and dressing of the body is in keeping with Jewish standards.

Why Body Preparation is Important

In today’s funeral industry, body preparation tends to be a fairly invasive process. From autopsies and embalming to the thick layers of makeup put on to hold an open casket ceremony, there can be quite a bit of physical manipulation done to what remains of the person you loved.

In the Jewish tradition of chevra kadisha, this aggressive approach is set aside in favor of a more personalized purification rite. Those who are tasked with the body’s preparation are considered to be doing an incredibly good and selfless deed, as their task is one that is done for reasons of kindness.

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Is a Discount Funeral Home a Good Idea?

Tuesday, August 6th, 2013

Is a Discount Funeral Home a Good Idea?In an age when everyone is trying to cut back on their expenditures, it might seem like a good idea to reduce funeral costs by choosing a discount funeral home. Traditional funerals can be quite expensive—particularly if no advance funeral arrangements were made—and the stress associated with paying for a burial among the rest of the emotional toll death takes can rapidly push a family over the edge.

Discount funeral homes exist to provide a lower-cost alternative to families who want to save money on planning a funeral. They exist in large part because funeral homes have become so corporatized in the past few decades. Discount funeral homes found a niche market among these corporations, where discounts and great customer service drive sales.

This can be good news for consumers. As is the case with any type of free market like this, funeral homes competing with one another to lower prices, provide better service, and increase your options means that you have more freedom of choice. But how far is too far?

For some families, that answer is when discount funeral homes begin to cut back on some of the more time-honored traditions that bring comfort to grieving families.

Discount Funeral Homes

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Funeral Pre-Planning: Cash Advance Items

Saturday, August 3rd, 2013

Funeral Pre-Planning: Cash Advance ItemsAdvance funeral planning is becoming an increasingly popular choice for people who want to handle the burden of burial before death occurs. With so many different funeral pre-plan packages to choose from and the opportunity to relieve your loved ones of the costs and stress associated with burial, it’s no wonder why.

Because it is impossible to predict death, the only way to ensure that pre-planned funerals work is to bind everything in a legal contract or agreement. Every contract is a little bit different depending on where you go and what type of service you choose, but one thing that everyone should be aware of before signing on the dotted line is what the fine print says regarding cash advance items.

What is a Cash Advance Item?

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Common Cremation Questions

Tuesday, July 30th, 2013

Common Cremation QuestionsWhen it comes time to start funeral planning, you may find that you have lingering questions about cremation. Yes, we all know that it provides a lower-cost alternative to traditional burial, and that the outcome—an urn of ashes—can be scattered or kept on the mantelpiece as a kind of memorial to the deceased.

But what about the details? When is cremation not recommended? How personalized is the process of transforming the body into ashes? And where can you go to find more information?

The following list of common questions should help provide a baseline of understanding the cremation process. For additional information, you should always contact a local funeral home or the Cremation Association of North American (CANA).

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Save on Burial Costs with a Funeral Committee

Friday, July 26th, 2013

Save on Burial Costs with a Funeral CommitteeThere is perhaps no better way to cut back on funeral costs than to take a community approach to burial. Part of the reason funerals are so expensive is because most families go through the process alone. They meet with a funeral home, make decisions in isolation, and handle the entire burden by themselves. This type of process makes it difficult to share resources and even best practices—two things that can actually end up saving thousands of dollars on a funeral.

What is a Funeral Committee?

Funeral committees are a community, church, or other group effort created to establish a safe place for families to turn for low-cost burials in keeping with local traditions. Most funeral committees exist within religious institutions (since so many burial practices have their roots in a specific religious ideology), and are formed as part of a congregation effort to make planning a funeral on everyone involved.

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Death Certificate FAQs

Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

Death Certificate FAQsAlthough every state handles death certificates differently, there are some universal standards that should help you navigate the process of ordering death certificates, making corrections, and process other record-keeping needs.

For questions about your specific state, we encourage you to contact your state’s vital records office or the National Center for Health Statistics.

Death Certificates: Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need a death certificate for?

A death certificate is needed to settle most financial and legal affairs on behalf of the deceased. As the official legal record of death, the death certificate is needed for most insurance companies, the Social Security Administration, and other agencies that must process paperwork related to the deceased’s affairs.

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What Can a Funeral Home Legally Refuse You?

Thursday, July 11th, 2013

What Can a Funeral Home Legally Refuse You?Oftentimes, when we talk about rights and responsibilities in the funeral planning industry, it’s about what you, the consumer, can legally expect from a funeral home. Several federal laws exist to protect you from predatory burial practices and to ensure that any investment you make in a per-arranged funeral plan is safe for the future.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that funeral homes don’t have rights, too. As businesses like any other, they are just as susceptible to non-payments, customers who change their minds, and other consumer practices that pose a risk to their bottom line. That’s why they have a few legal rights, as well.

Although most laws do rest on the side of the consumer, here are a few things a funeral home is allowed (and not allowed) to do.

  • A funeral home has the right to refuse to accept the deceased’s remains if there is a dispute about the right of disposition. This means that when family members disagree about how to dispose of a loved one’s remains (and when there is no legal document or situation that assigns one person the right to make decisions), the funeral home can opt not to handle the case—even if one person promises to pay for the funeral out-of-pocket. (more…)
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