How to Plan Your Own Funeral
Death is a subject nobody wants to talk about. It can be even more difficult to plan your funeral. At some point, everyone’s number will be called. It is a smart move to know how to plan your funeral so that loved ones are not burdened with an unexpected death.
There are many things to do and take care of. It is one thing to know that you are dying. If your death is sudden, it can be a tremendous burden on your loved ones, as no one saw it coming.
As you will find out, planning your funeral makes perfect sense to do this. Here are some tips on how to plan your own funeral:
Get paperwork to plan your own funeral.
There will be a fair amount of paperwork involved when planning your own funeral. These will be legal documents. For example, you can specify who will be the person of authority to handle all the arrangements after your passing.
By planning several things, your loved ones left behind do not have to pick up the pieces unexpectedly during such a traumatic period. Normally, the person who is picked as the authority is the spouse. If you do not have a spouse, it falls upon adult children. If you have no children, it falls on the parents or siblings. This legal document can specify who you want to take care of all the arrangements. Make sure all these documents are legal.
Regarding the documents, make sure they are kept safe and in a place that is easily accessible. The main person should know where it is. Remember, the person chosen must agree to the situation. You cannot just pick anyone, as they may not want to do it. The document has to be signed and, of course, notarized. Make sure you make several copies, just in case. Give a copy to your family doctor.
Make a decision on your body after the funeral.
You will have to specify what you want the authorities to do with your body. Your designated person must also know. Do you want to be buried or cremated? Some people choose to have their bodies donated. Others prefer using cremation services.
There are various options, but the most expensive option is burial. This means you need to purchase a plot where your body will be buried. Many cemeteries also require purchasing a vault. There is a lifetime upkeep cost as well. Many people choose cremation as it is a cheaper option. Once your body is cremated, the remains are given to the family. This can be kept or scattered.
You can donate your body for research to medical schools. For example, if you die of a heart attack, you can donate it for cardiac students to study. You could choose to donate it for Alzheimer’s research.
Talk with loved ones about your funeral plans.
This is hard to do, but you need to speak with your loved ones regarding your plans and wishes. It is better to have this conversation now than have the conversation with a funeral director, a stranger. You need to tell your family that you want to be cremated or embalmed and buried (or whatever the case may be).
You need to let your family know whether you want a funeral or memorial service. Do you want religion to play a part? Do you want someone to read your eulogy? It has to be planned to the last detail.
If you take care of these decisions now during discussions with your family, everything will run smoothly when the time comes. It will be difficult for your family, so talking with them now will make things easier.
Save your own funeral.
Funerals can be very expensive. Depending on what you want, it can be several thousand dollars. It can even be around $10,000. Some burials can be twice that amount! You should consider saving for your funeral so your family won’t have to panic and scramble at the last minute and hit a huge bill that they may find difficult to pay. You should start a separate savings account just for this purpose.
Another option is to buy funeral insurance. You can discuss this with the funeral director. It is similar to insurance you may be paying already, such as your home or automobile. This works by making monthly payments on your funeral policy. When you pass away, the policy will pay out. This way, most of the higher costs are covered. If there is any payment left, your family will be able to afford this.
Many people do not like to talk about how to plan your funeral, but it is so important and is better to be discussed rather than ignored. Everybody’s time will come. You can be smart about it and make arrangements now rather than burden loved ones later on when they find it difficult to deal with anything and everything.
