Necessary and Unnecessary Funeral Expenses

There are a lot of things to think about when you are arranging a funeral. Whether you are arranging for yourself or a family member, taking the right steps is crucial to avoid unnecessary funeral expenses. How do you know the difference between what is a necessary funeral expense and what is unnecessary? Here is a guide on how to avoid the pitfalls.

There are an abundance of goods and services associated with funerals. Starting with choosing the casket through to signing the paperwork, there is a charge for everything. Most people want to avoid the guesswork and have a locked secure plan. This is a wise decision, but can be expensive. Go over the funeral costs thoroughly. Make sure you understand everything in the funeral insurance policy. You should have a right to pick the services and goods that you choose and should not be obliged to pick anything against your will or that you do not need. An insurance company should not refuse to serve a customer if they do not pick an item or service. Take your time when shopping for your casket. It is normal for funeral homes not to have the cheaper model of caskets on display. Usually the most expensive models are shown and you have to ask to see the less expensive caskets.

Be cautious if a funeral director tries to sell you a casket that prevents the body from decomposing. All dead bodies decompose. Some sellers try to claim their liners will stop the dead body from decomposing. They mark the prices up on liners and seals. There are options for preserving the body for a viewing or ceremony, but no product will stop decomposing of the body. A cheaper alternative to embalming is refrigerating the body. Refrigerating the body slows decomposition until after the viewing. There are many funeral homes and hospital that have facilities to refrigerate the body for a minimal charge. Each area has certain embalming laws. You can perform an Internet search on the particular laws in your area on embalming. The funeral provider is required to provide a price for embalming.

Pre-paying for your funeral expenses is wise. However, there are some drawbacks. There have been many cases where the funeral home has gone out of businesses after the customer has already paid for the funeral expenses. They found out their payments were non-refundable. There is a chance that money paid now for you funeral policy will not keep up with inflation. This will leave your family to pay the bill for the extra amount. There are ways to avoid this. Set up a trust fund through a bank for your funeral expenses. You should have control of the fund and be able to withdraw from it at any point of time. Start a joint account with someone you trust who agrees to use the funds for your funeral. A funeral insurance policy is a contract that pays the cost of your final expenses. This requires you to choose a beneficiary that you would like to control the money.

Avoiding unnecessary expenses is possible when you ask questions and do your research. If you do not feel right about something, do not sign anything or pay any money. You will save yourself money by learning the traps to avoid. The goal is to know that after you are gone things will be taken care of in the proper way.