PREPLAN A PLAN
Funerals are a difficult subject for most people to discuss, especially when talking about their own. These days it is possible for people to plan ahead and arrange their own funeral. There are a number of reasons why more and more people are doing this, but two of the biggest are; to spare their family and friends this extra stress and that preplanning may end up saving them money in the long term.
WHAT IS A PREPLANNED FUNERAL?
A preplanned, prearranged or prepaid funerals are all the same thing. These are funerals that have been agreed and paid for prior to the event with a designated funeral provider. A prepaid funeral is an alternative way to pay for a funeral. Once you pay the agreed cost of the funeral there is nothing more to pay, unless you want to make changes to the original plan. This means you are able to pay for a future service in today’s dollars, saving you money in the long run. Because a pre-paid funeral is different to funeral insurance, it also means there are no health checks and no ongoing premiums once the balance is paid.
You can prepay for a funeral plan as a lump sum when making the arrangement or in instalments.
WHAT IS COVERED IN A PREPAID FUNERAL PLAN?
There are no set rules on what needs to be included, you can plan as much or as little as you’d like. Things that will often be part of a preplanned funeral package include:
- Documentation for registration of death
- The arrangement of services such as newspaper notices, catering and flowers
- Care of the deceased prior to the funeral, including transferring from place of death to the nominated funeral home
- Arranging the supply of your nominated coffin or casket
- Arranging and coordinating vehicles, staff and venues
- Instructions to the crematorium or cemetery
After organising the details of the funeral, you will have a few different options in how to pay for it.
When the time comes to hold a funeral, life is often in chaos.
