Do Funeral Plans Go In Your Will?

It is a common misconception that you should put your funeral wishes in your Will. In most cases, the Will is read after the funeral/burial proceedings are complete. If you want your funeral wishes to be honored, it is best to work with your preferred funeral home to make all the arrangements with professional guidance. When your time comes, your family will only need to make a call, and everything will be made ready. 

Why Plan Out Your Funeral Wishes?

We plan out so much in our lives; birthdays, careers, weddings, having children, vacations, and retirement, to name a few. Planning for your funeral is important because it can help pin down exactly how you want to be taken care of in the end. 
Family members will often be emotional during the planning of a funeral, and may not make the choices you would want. Your family may have a different view on what your funeral should entail as opposed to what you actually want. Putting together a plan with a professional funeral director will allow you to establish your requests and ensure that they are met.

Where Do My Funeral Plans Go?

Generally, you should inform your next of kin of what you’d like for a funeral. If you pre-plan a funeral, let them know which funeral home you pre-planned with. You can also outline your funeral plans and wishes in an advance directive document. An advance directive is a document similar to a Will, which outlines your wishes when you are unable to advocate for yourself. This is often used in the event of being unable to make medical decisions, such as being in a coma. An estate attorney can help you establish an advance directive as well as a Will.

Cost-Saving With Pre-Planning a Funeral

Pre-planning a funeral can also help offset the costs involved with the service. You can start paying forward. Planning affords you and your family the opportunity to set up a payment schedule. People who are saving for the future are usually thinking about retirement, and not about funeral expenses. With a funeral trust account, you can save money little by little to ease the costs of the services.

Families also may miss out on insurance opportunities or benefits because they are not made aware of them before the funeral has passed. By pre-planning, your funeral director can help you map out the distinct benefits that your family may be entitled to help pay for your funeral costs. 

Making An Informed Decision

Pre-planning allows you to make informed decisions for yourself. You get to decide if you want to be cremated or buried. If you wish to be buried, you can decide on the casket, the burial grounds, and more. The choices you have during cremation include details such as the urn, scattering, or potential burial, among others. Cremated remains can still be buried in a cemetery, especially if your family already has a plot purchased. Your funeral director can help you decide what is best for you and your wishes. 

Preplanning Your Funeral With Matthew Funeral Home

Don’t wait to start planning for a funeral. You shouldn’t wait to be retired or ill to start planning for your future. Your funeral should be important to you. Give it the planning and thought it deserves. Enjoy life with the peace of mind that you won’t have to worry about leaving your family with the burden of planning and paying for your funeral.

For over 50 years, Matthew Funeral Home has been serving the Staten Island community. We can help with almost every aspect of your loved one’s memorial service. Our family is here to serve yours, every step of the way.