Magnolia Memorial Park
Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Pre-Planning

Making final arrangements at the time of need is extremely time consuming, stressful, and expensive. There are about 120 decisions that must be made at the time of death. Cemetery records show that about 67% of the time, those decisions are made by the surviving wife or children. This can be an overwhelming responsibility, and a great financial strain. Many people choose to pre-plan to avoid the added stress of this uncertain time.
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Seven Reasons to pre-plan:
  1. Take the burden off of loved ones
  2. Pre-planning freezes the cost
  3. You can finance the financial burden
  4. The pre-developed and pre-planning advantage
  5. Make decisions together
  6. Ensure your wishes are kept
  7. Enjoy peace of mind
  1. Take the burden off of loved ones. One of the most stressful events in life is the loss of a loved one.  Add to that the responsibility of making final arrangements, with its emotional and financial strain, and most families are overwhelmed.  Those left to make the decisions bear this burden unnecessarily.  Pre planning will allow loved ones to grieve free from the pressure of making final arrangements.
     
  2. Pre-planning freezes the cost.  Cemetery and funeral costs rise annually.  In some regions, they rise dramatically in short periods of time.  Pre-arranging locks in the current price of land and merchandise by contract, so that the costs of the arrangements are frozen permanently.
  3. You can finance the financial burden.  Final arrangements are costly, and cemeteries will not inter until the arrangements have been paid in full.  This can be extremely difficult for families.  Many people rely on insurance contracts to pay for the arrangements.  What these people may not realize, is that most insurance companies require a death certificate before they will pay on a claim.  Death certificates take at least two weeks before they are available, then the insurance companies will take an additional 30, 60, or 90 days to pay out.  By this time the family has already paid for the arrangements.  Insurance contracts are great for reimbursing, but the family will still be required to come up with the money initially.
     
  4. The pre-developed and pre-planning advantage.  There are certain discounts that are only available before the time of need.  In order to benefit from these discounts, people must pre-arrange.
     
  5. Make decisions together.  One of the most unnerving aspects of making final arrangements is that the surviving family does not have the input of the decedent.  If that decedent was the primary decision maker or financial leader in the household, the survivors may feel overwhelmed by their new responsibilities, and even frightened to spend money on arrangements they would like to have.  Pre-arranging allows the family to make the decisions together, without the added stress of a death. 
     
  6. Ensure your wishes are kept.  Some people have specific requests for their final arrangements.  The only way to ensure that those wishes will be honored is to pre-arrange them.  A few years ago, a very wealthy man wanted to pre-plan his final arrangements.  He had his heart set on a beautiful pyramid mausoleum for him and his wife to share.  He hesitated to buy it because of another financial obligation, and a few weeks later, he and his wife were both killed in a car accident while on vacation in Italy.  Instead of honoring his wishes, his children decided to do the cheapest thing possible and kept the rest of his money for themselves.  That man would have not been happy with how his children chose to remember him.  The moral of the story: Pre-arranging is the only way to ensure that your wishes are kept.
     
  7. Enjoy peace of mind.  Pre-planning allows people to relax, knowing that their final arrangements are settled and their family will not be burdened with added stress or financial trouble at the time of their death.