While thinking about your own death can be alarming, it's also not something that should be avoided. By planning ahead for the type of funeral you want to have and planning how to finance it, you will give yourself a lot of peace of mind. Someday when you pass away, your family will be so grateful that you made all the decisions and arrangements ahead of time, sparing them from stress during a difficult time. Here are three funeral pre-planning tips:
Designate Who Will Be in Charge
In order to ensure your funeral wishes are carried out exactly how you want them to be, it's important to designate a trusted individual to put in charge of the details after you die. It's ideal to choose a close friend or family member. They should be someone who is organized, trustworthy, and who tends to stay calm in stressful situations.
In order to make this legally binding, you and your chosen person in charge should set up a power of attorney with a lawyer. This will legally allow the funeral home to work directly with this person to arrange your funeral.
Work Directly With a Funeral Home
In addition to having a specific person in charge, you should also work with a local funeral home. Here, you will be able to make all of the important decisions for your funeral, such as whether you want to be buried or cremated, as well as choices for music and other details. Your funeral director will get everything in writing and will also arrange for you to prepay for everything, either all at once or gradually over time.
Sit Down With Your Loved Ones
Once the details have been taken care of, it's important to sit down with your loved ones and calmly explain your arrangements to them. Emphasize that you did this, in part, to make things less stressful for them when you pass away. Be prepared to answer any questions they may have. To make this conversation a more positive experience, be sure to mention any participation you are hoping for, such as having a loved one sing or give a eulogy.
Thinking and talking about mortality is rarely fun, but it is important. By taking the time now to plan and arrange for your own funeral, you will be able to rest easy knowing your wishes will be honored someday when you die.
Contact a local funeral home to learn more about funeral pre-arrangement plans.
When my dad passed away, it was really a relief for our family. Although that might seem strange, he suffered with cancer for so long that we were really looking forward to him not being in pain anymore. We started thinking about everything we wanted to do for his funeral, but we didn't quite know where to start. After thinking about the prospect of his service, we finally decided it would be nice to choose a memorial that he would like. We worked with his friends and our extended family to create a great event, and I was amazed with how beautiful the service was.