Most funerals have to be planned within a time frame of 3 to 7 days. Due to health regulations and the costs associated with storing the body over an extended amount of time, there tends to be a fairly small window of opportunity when it comes to making funeral plans and bringing together large amounts of family and friends for a memorial service.
Archive for the ‘Funeral Planning’ Category
How to Plan a Funeral in a Hurry
Monday, June 18th, 2012How to Pay for a Funeral
Friday, June 15th, 2012
Although rates of advance funeral planning are on the rise, the majority of people aren’t financially prepared to pay for a funeral. With a price tag of anywhere from a few thousand to up to $10,000, it’s not easy to come up with the money necessary to make the final arrangements—especially if you’re forced to wait weeks or even months for a life insurance policy to pay out.
Buying a Casket at a Major Retailer
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Seemingly, one of the easiest ways to save money on funeral costs is to purchase your casket at a third-party provider. Caskets tend to be the most expensive item on a funeral price list, and shopping around might save up to thousands of dollars. Although not all funeral homes make this option clear, the Funeral Rule requires that funeral homes accept a casket purchased from an outside retailer, if that is what you wish.
Age Caps and Health Restrictions on Burial Insurance
Sunday, June 10th, 2012
While burial insurance (also known as funeral insurance) is a great option for those who want to pre-arrange a funeral for a low upfront cost, it isn’t available to everyone. Like most other types of personal insurance (health and life), your age and health will determine your premium rates and whether or not you qualify for that policy as all.
Pros and Cons of Embalming
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012
One of the important funeral planning questions everyone must consider when choosing burial is whether or not to have the deceased embalmed. There are strong camps both in favor of and against embalming, and it’s become the kind of issue that divides families who are already struggling to deal with a huge loss.
While no one can decide for you whether or not embalming is the right choice, here are a few pros and cons of this option.
How Much does a Green Burial Cost?
Thursday, May 31st, 2012
As environmentally friendly alternatives become popular and more manageable for the average consumer, more and more people are turning to green burials. In a green burial, individuals eschew formal burial items like heavy metal caskets and vault liners in favor of simple shrouds or plywood caskets. They might also opt not to have funeral flowers at the ceremony, or even do a webcast of the memorial service to save on long-distance travel.
The term “green burial” is used fairly broadly to describe any funeral with eco-friendly overtones. Some people take it very seriously and avoid everything from embalming to headstones, while others prefer to take simple measures like planting trees as a memorial to the deceased.
Things to Consider Before Buying Prepaid Funeral Insurance
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
If you’ve been debating whether you want to purchase funeral insurance, burial insurance, a pre-paid funeral plan, or another advance preparation package, it’s a good idea to weigh the pros and cons of each one. Factors like your age, your financial situation, and even your wishes will play a role in which plan is right for you.
iMortuary’s team includes funeral professionals to help you outline your wishes and understand prices and your financial options. Simply complete our brief online form to begin this no-obligation conversation. After you talk with us, we assist you with finalizing pre-payments or filing your arrangements with a funeral home.
For many people—especially those who are taking early steps to make financial arrangements for a funeral or other service—funeral insurance or “final expense” insurance is a popular option. Instead of selecting precise funeral services or making all the arrangements, you simply have a sum set aside for disbursement at the time of death. Sometimes, the funds are tied in to a specific funeral home; other times, you name a beneficiary who will take over the funeral plans once you pass. In either case, you get to determine how you want the insurance plan to work when you first sign up for it.
Burial or Cremation? Making the Difficult Decisions
Sunday, May 27th, 2012
In the past, funeral planning was almost entirely done with traditional burial in mind. This time-honored approach to saying goodbye has long been a staple of the funeral industry in the United States, taking precedence over all other forms of interment.
These days, cremation is growing in popularity. In fact, in some states, there are more cremations than burials—and the trend is only increasing. If you’re not sure which option is right for you, consider a few of these key advantages and disadvantages of burial versus cremation.
iMortuary’s team includes funeral professionals to help you outline your wishes and understand prices and your financial options. Simply complete our brief online form to begin this no-obligation conversation. After you talk with us, we assist you with finalizing pre-payments or filing your arrangements with a funeral home.
Planning a Long-Distance Funeral
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
Although it’s not an ideal situation, there are cases in which a loved one in another location dies, and there is no one living nearby to help with the funeral planning. Because the nature of body disposal requires that most funerals be planned within a week’s time, it can be difficult to make all the necessary arrangements from another city or even another state.
The United States National Cemetery Administration
Saturday, May 19th, 2012iMortuary.com Blog Editors sincerely thank James Flanagan, Program Manager for the Presidential Memorial Certificate Program in the National Cemetery Administration, for his additions and early corrections to this article. His full comments are included in the Response section.
Every state and most major cities have a National Cemetery—those perfect rows of white headstones and crosses designating the burial place of our nation’s fallen heroes and veterans. If you have a military past, your funeral plans might bring up the possibility of burial in one of these cemeteries (or accessing other benefits through the Administration, such as a headstone, cremation costs, Presidential Memorial Certificate, or even a military salute to preside over the memorial service).
