To prearrange your funeral, you need to know:
- What you want
- How much you can afford to pay
- If guarantees are provided on merchandise and services
- What happens if you move and want to change funeral homes
- If your needs will change in the future
Prepaid Funeral Agreements
- Make the funeral arrangements (preneed funeral contract)
- Pay for it through life insurance or bank trust agreement
If you select funeral goods and services without pre-funding the funeral or selecting specific goods and services, the price of the funeral will usually not be guaranteed.
The preneed funeral contract should:
- Identify who's selling the contract
- Identify who's purchasing the contract
- Who the contract is purchased for
- The current price of the merchandise and services
- A complete description of the merchandise and services purchased
- If provision of the supplies and services is guaranteed
- If goods & services of equal value will be substituted if the exact ones are not available at the time of need, at no extra cost
- Identify items or services which are required, such as embalming
- If the funeral home selected will accept the merchandise for use
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Geographic restriction on the funeral homes' ability to perform
Funeral service selections fall into two general categories; the services of funeral professional and funeral merchandise.
Funeral Selections Usually Include:
- Professional services of a funeral director and staff.
- Transportation services.
- Embalming and other preparation.
- Facilities for visitation.
- The funeral ceremony.
- Funeral vehicles.
- Other services and associated items (pastoral services, music, grave opening and closing).
- Casket, urn or both.
- An outer burial container (cemetery vault or other selection).
- Other merchandise and associated items such as flowers, acknowledgment cards, and transfer containers.
The funeral home is required to give you a general price list which contains:
- Current cost of each item and service offered.
- Info on embalming, cash advance sales, containers for cremation and any required purchases
- Goods and services that are paid by the funeral provider on your behalf, such as a cemetery plot, flowers, obituary notices, pallbearers, and clergy honoraria
- Service fees
- If the funeral home receives a discount, refund or rebate for items
When deciding on a cemetary plot:
- Does the plot meet the requirements of your religion?
- Are there restrictions on types of monuments and vaults?
- Does the price include perpetual care and maintenance?
- Are enough plots available in the same location to bury the entire family?
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