Funeral Planning Guide

This is something we do not do every day and wish that we never have to do it but it is inevitable.
Funeral planning can be overwhelming in that there are a lot of decisions to be made in the middle of our grief and mourning our loss of a loved one at the same time.

What Do I Do First

First thing is to begin contacting the closest relatives. Start with the immediate family. Give instructions on who you want them to notify. The immediate family should meet quickly and begin to agree on the path to follow and general guidelines on the type of funeral and burial. One of the first decisions is to select a funeral home. Dates and times can be determined after consultation with the funeral home. Get copies of the death certificate as soon as possible which will be required in making any legal arrangements. Contact banks and credit card companies to secure all accounts and assets until later when these can be dealt with after the funeral. Check the will of the deceased and note any wishes that were written concerning the burial methods or any comments regarding the funeral. Once the body arrives at the selected funeral home the decisions need to be made concerning the type of funeral and burial.

Choosing a Funeral Director

Most people choose a local established funeral home that is convenient for most family members and near to the selected cemetery. You can call 2 or 3 in your local area, conduct a discussion and get a general pricing, from these early discussions you should select the one that you feel most comfortable with. When choosing a funeral director it is common to go with a trusted name or maybe the funeral home that your family has used previously. It is important to know that there can be large differences in pricing among different funeral homes, thus the one you have used in the past may not be the best choice based on cost. The newer less established funeral homes away from the city centers usually provide excellent service and offer a better bargain. If price is a concern, check out the various homes in your surrounding area, not just the well known established ones who do not need to compete on price. Once the funeral director is selected he/she will guide you through the process of making all of the detail plans.

Managing the Cost of a Funeral

Question the cost of each item in the funeral plan, funeral homes will generally start with offering the most expensive items and services. Remember that you are free to shop around for the casket and do not have to purchase it from the funeral home.

An alternative is to rent a beautiful ornate casket while avoiding inflated purchase prices. The rented casket is primarily used for display purposes throughout the visitation, and then a lower cost casket is used for the burial. If your funeral director doesn't offer casket rental, you can shop around for another place or rent a casket elsewhere.

The funeral establishment is required to provide you with a complete price list and a casket price list when you inquire in person. They must submit an itemized statement that includes only items you chose when you contracted for services.

A funeral package statement must list all goods and services with agreed to pricing. Before you sign a contract, get a total dollar amount with all items listed and priced in writing first.

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