Planning for a Funeral Service in Advance

• Preventing your family members from having to make difficult decisions at very difficult times.
• Help to prevent overspending by family members who can only guess what you might have wanted.
• Decide for yourself whether to be buried or cremated.
• If choosing a traditinal burial service, you can choose the type of casket you wish to buried in.

PRE-NEED BURIAL INSURANCE

The Social Security Administration allows the sum of $255 in a lump-sum payment that can be used toward funeral expenses.  This money is available to minor children of the deceased or to his or her spouse. 

Free burial at a national cemetery is available to United States veterans and some civilians who have worked for either the military or the US Public Health Service.  Expenses covered include a grave liner, grave marker and grave digger’s fees to open and close the cemetery plot.  However, no fees to the mortuary are included. 

Some unions provide death benefits as do some social groups.  The Railroad Retirement Board offers its members funds for use toward funeral expenses. 

A POD, or Payable-on-Death Account, is a simple but logical approach to arranging for funeral expenses.  An account of this kind is easy and free to set up with your local bank.  How it works - you obtain from your bank a form for naming a POD beneficiary.  You then write in the name and return the form to the bank - which completes this very easy transaction.   It is not recommended that you name the funeral director as your beneficiary. 

The beauty part of this arrangement is that the funds do NOT have to go thru probate after your death.  The funds will not be frozen unless your state and/or bank requires proof that any state death taxes have been paid.  A bank employee can provide any further information you might need on this subject. 

Burial insurance can be purchased thru an insurance broker or from the funeral director who will write a policy covering specific products and services you feel are necessary.  Some of these include the casket, burial vault or grave liner, grave marker, hearse, flowers, digging and filling the grave and the actual cemetery plot.   Embalming is only required if there is a public viewing of the deceased. 

Since each state has its own laws on burial insurance, it is important to find out the law in your specific state.  Take a friend or relative with you to help you with your decisions and be sure to verify that the individual or company from whom you are purchasing the insurance is licensed.  It is also important to find out, in case you move to another state, that the arrangements you pay for can be moved to another funeral home at any time.    In addition, be sure there are no blank spaces left in your contract that might be filled in later without your knowledge or consent. 

When making plans to arrange for pre-need burial insurance, conferring with your spouse and children is a good idea.  By doing this, not only are they made aware of your desire to make prior arrangements but they will be able to provide helpful input.  Before making definite pre-need arrangements, it would also be beneficial to contact your attorney to be sure your arrangements are compatible with the instructions in your Will.