Preplanning a funeral is a wise decision. Think for a minute about the person who will make those decisions for you when you are gone. Does he or she know whether you prefer burial or cremation? Does that person know your mother’s maiden name and where she was born? Does that person know that you want to be cremated and buried with your parents or how to use an extra lot that was purchased years ago by your grandfather? Did you know that wills may not be read until after a funeral? These all good things to talk about. Preplanning a funeral does not cost anything, it only involves gathering information that will make things easier for your family when you die.
If you would like to pre-pay your funeral expenses, you will be protecting yourself against the rising costs of funerals. Your family will never have to pay more for the services that the funeral home has guaranteed and in fact if there is extra money, it will be returned to your family. When you pre-pay your funeral expenses, your money is invested in your name and just as a bank deposit, your money is insured so you will never lose it. If you decide after a few years that you want or need your money back, you can get all of it back plus all of the interest that it has earned. If the money is used to pay for funeral expenses, you won’t have to pay income tax on the interest that is earned.
People often ask us how they can transfer their funeral plan to our funeral home. All prepaid funeral funds can be transferred to a funeral home of your choice by simply making the request by letter to the funeral home currently caring for the funds. Should you wish, we will review your current plan with you, take care of the transfer letter and ensure there are no fees to you.
We have four people who can help you with your pre-arrangement needs; myself, Ron Vandehogen, Rob Strong and Garth Calvert. For an appointment with any of us, simply give us a call.
