In an ideal world, you will not only be financially solvent enough to plan (and pay for) your funeral and cemetery plot in advance, but you’ll also be able to leave behind a full will and estate for your loved ones. There will be no question about your last wishes, funeral arrangements or how you want your belongings to be divided. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Pre-Planning Funerals’ Category
How to Write Out Your Funeral Wishes
Thursday, June 6th, 2019The Most Common Funeral Planning Mistakes
Wednesday, May 1st, 2019Planning a funeral—either for yourself or for a loved one—is not a task you tackle every day. In fact, it is the kind of task that most people encounter only a few times, each one fraught with fragile emotions, high tensions, and sweeping life changes that can knock you off your feet. (more…)
What is an Advance Directive, and When Should I Get One?
Thursday, December 6th, 2018An advance directive is more commonly known as a living will. This legal document outlines all of your wishes regarding your medical care in the event that you become unable to communicate with your health care providers. (more…)
What to Do When the Doctor Tells You to Put Your Affairs in Order
Monday, September 24th, 2018One of the scariest things a medical professional can say to you or a loved one is “It’s time to put your affairs in order.” When an illness or disease reaches the stage where it becomes terminal, there is not much you can do except make the patient comfortable and begin the process of letting go. (more…)
5 Legal Documents to Fill Out Before You Die
Tuesday, August 28th, 2018Preparing for death is not only a matter of reaching a state of emotional and spiritual acceptance of your fate. Although coming to terms with your own mortality is an important part of the cycle of life, you also need to take some time to deal with the everyday bureaucracies. To ease the burden on your family and ensure that your wishes will be taken into account as you approach your final days, make sure you have these five documents filled out and filed with the appropriate overseeing body. (more…)
Pros and Cons of Side-by-Side Burial Plots
Saturday, November 25th, 2017Side-by-side burial plots (also known as companion plots) are gravesites and/or cremation niches that allow two people to be buried in close proximity to one another. Traditionally, these plots were designed for married couples who wished to be interred together. In our era of modern-day blended families, however, many of these plots go on to be used for children, extended relatives, and even close friends. (more…)
Funeral Insurance for the Elderly
Thursday, December 8th, 2016The time of life when most people take care of funeral planning—in their eighties—is the one time when things like life insurance and retirement packages are hard to come by. There is no question that the best time to set funds aside for a funeral is when you are still working and doing your regular estate planning. Your health is good enough to get better premiums on life insurance, you still earn enough income to put a little extra aside, and you are in a great position to know what kind of farewell you will eventually get. (more…)
Is Winter the Best Time to Pre-Plan a Funeral?
Monday, December 5th, 2016Like 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…)
When is it Okay to Go Against the Wishes of the Deceased?
Monday, October 3rd, 2016The funeral planning industry encourages individuals to take responsibility for their own death and funeral plans. From fully prearranged funerals with every detail laid out and paid for, to funeral checklists and apps that outline individual wishes, it is all about making your wishes known and easing the burden on your family after you are gone. (more…)












