Posts Tagged ‘funeral plan’

Funeral Planning Timeline: What Happens (and When) after a Death Occurs

Although every death is different, most people can expect a fairly standard series of events to follow the passing of a loved one. There are decisions to be made, a funeral to be planned, and finances to arrange. Friends and relatives must be notified, and you’ll need an opportunity to say your final goodbyes. (more…)

Planning a Funeral in Your Twenties

Early funeral planning is considered one of the best ways to save money and ensure that your death does not cause an undue burden on those you love. By setting aside funds, specifying your wishes, and/or purchasing a burial package, you can cover all the details of your funeral and get back to the task of living. (more…)

Top Reasons to Delay a Funeral

Historically, funerals have taken place within the week following death because there were no alternatives. Without refrigeration, embalming, or cremation options, bodies had to be disposed of quickly. This meant that the funeral and/or memorial service took place regardless of the time of year or the extenuating circumstances. (more…)

The Best Age to Pre-Plan a Funeral

By now, we have all heard the advice from funeral directors and financial experts: making advance arrangements for your funeral is a smart move that will save your family money, heartache, and the stress that so often accompanies an unexpected death. (more…)

Planning the Committal Service

When it comes to funeral planning, there are several different kinds of services you will need to consider. A wake, vigil, or visitation takes place prior to the funeral, offering loved ones a chance to gather (either in the presence of the deceased’s remains or not) to give their last respects. A funeral service is the formal ceremony that takes place at a church or funeral home with the body in attendance. A memorial service is similar in format, though it does not include the body and can thus be held anywhere, at any time. (more…)

Is Winter the Best Time to Pre-Plan a Funeral?

Like most industries, there is a busy season and a non-busy season for funeral homes. Although no one can predict their time of death, funeral homes tend to see more traffic during the summer months. More families choose this time to make pre-arrangements, purchase cemetery plots, and inter ashes they may have been holding onto since the winter. Because it can be difficult to open up the ground under piles of snow (and because gathering funeral guests around the holidays is almost impossible), people may also put off traditional burial until the warmer months. (more…)

How to Choose a Crematory

Most people already know that when they are ready to start funeral planning, they will need to select the funeral home and cemetery that will be handling their loved one’s remains. After all, the funeral home you choose determines who will be responsible for overseeing the entire funeral process, and the cemetery is where you will visit your loved one’s remains for decades to come. (more…)

How to Have a Funeral in Space

There is something about setting a funeral in space that makes us feel immortal. Maybe it is the vast size of it, spreading out over billions of galaxies. Maybe it is the timelessness, the idea that anything jettisoned out into space will keep moving forever. It could even be the beauty of it—the twinkling of a thousand starry nights is something humans have been admiring for centuries. (more…)

Is it Better to Buy Burial Insurance or Life Insurance?

At first glance, burial insurance and life insurance are the same thing: it is a payout that goes to your family or beneficiary when you die. Death is an inevitable part of the world we live in, and having an insurance policy in place for when that happens is a smart way to ensure your family has enough money to bury you without dipping into their own pockets. (more…)

Importance of Pre-Planning and End-of-Life Discussions with Family

Conversations about death are never easy – and conversations about your own death are even more complicated. Not only are there financial issues to bring up (a tricky subject in many families), but there is no way to talk about your end-of-life plans without emotions getting in the way. (more…)