5 Ways To Ensure Your Preplanned Funeral Arrangements Are Followed
Do you want to preplan your own funeral arrangements? More and more Americans realize the value of deciding for themselves in advance. Not only do you relieve your loved ones of the burden of making tough choices, but you also provide a way to pay for these.
But once you draw up your own arrangements, the next step is to ensure that they will be followed. How can you do this? Here are five steps to take now.
1. Work With a Funeral Home
A local funeral home can be your biggest ally in preplanning funeral or memorial arrangements. They will be able to help you make detailed decisions like how much you want to spend on flowers or who should officiate your service. And they are used to preplanning, so they can direct you to tools that make it easier to protect your plans.
2. Write Down Your Plans
No matter how much or how little you want to preplan, you must write it down so that others can follow it. Your instructions and details about the funeral home you've worked with should be written down for all to see. And they should be kept separately from your will, which may not be opened until later.
3. Tell Your Loved Ones
While written plans make clear what you want to happen at your funeral, a conversation with your loved ones helps them see the importance of it. This is vital because someone could still decide later to change your plans, and you won't be able to stop them. If you talk honestly with them now, though, you can impress on everyone why and how you came to these decisions.
4. Arrange for Payment
If you pay for funeral costs in advance, you are the funeral home's client. They will be bound to carry out your prepaid arrangements even in the face of family pressure. If you decide to preplan without prepaying, providing the funds to do what you have outlined makes it easier and more likely for surviving family to follow your wishes.
5. Name a Legal Representative
Finally, give someone the legal power to act on your behalf. This may be part of your will, in a 'payable on death' account, or a power of attorney for financial matters. Any of these designations allow your named representative to make financial decisions like accessing an account in order to pay for your funeral wishes.
Where to Begin
Get started on your funeral planning project today by meeting with an experienced funeral home in your area. They will work with you to make whatever decisions you want to make and find ways to ensure these are carried out. Call today to make an appointment.
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