No one likes to think about death or making final arrangements for themselves or a loved one, which is why the importance of funeral pre-planning is often ignored. However, pre-planning your funeral may be one of the biggest comforts you can give your family at the time of your death. When deciding whether or not pre-planning your funeral is right for you, there are three important benefits to consider. The first benefit is that you have complete control over all of the planning; the second is that your family will be allowed to spend critical time grieving instead of planning a funeral, and the third benefit is the cost of your funeral can be decided and controlled beforehand.
During the planning of your funeral, you can clearly state in writing your wishes beforehand to make sure that it reflects your personality. You know your degree of spirituality and by pre-planning can make your funeral as religious or as secular as you wish. Important personal decisions such as whether to bury or cremate a loved one often cause arguments within the family. Making the decision beforehand allows your family some harmony during a difficult time rather than conflict. If your choice is cremation, there is an organization in Maryland called the Maryland Cremation Society. They will retrieve your body, perform the cremation and return your ashes to the family. Cremation can be an economical funeral alternative and can also be pre-paid. You can set the tone and type of your funeral beforehand, thereby giving your loved ones the permission they need to remember you in the happier times.
Pre-planning your funeral also allows your family crucial time to grieve instead of making funeral decisions in a time of stress. The critical period right after a passing is now freed up for remembrances and acknowledging grief, which are important steps in beginning the healing process. Your family is probably not familiar with funeral planning, and planning one within a few days can be a confusing burden. Instead of your family being rushed into making decisions, you can have the time to thoughtfully think out every aspect of your funeral, sparing your loved ones additional stress during this grieving time. Your loved ones will take comfort in knowing that all the difficult decisions have been made beforehand by you and there is no agonizing over whether or not you would have approved of their decisions.
In addition, by pre-planning your funeral, you have control over the cost. By making decisions with a level head, not in the midst of a great loss, you are not susceptible to over spending. Family members in a time of grief sometimes equate how much they spend on funeral arrangements with how much they loved the deceased. With pre-planning, you can put a cap on the spending, and again, your family knows they are doing exactly what you wanted. Pre-planning your funeral also offers the option to pre-pay or to set aside funds for the costs. By deciding on one of these options, you can prevent loved ones from scrambling for payment when they need time to grieve.
Another cost control option to preplanning your funeral is to purchase a funeral life insurance policy. This is a particular type of policy that will directly pay the funeral home for your service. The difference between a funeral life insurance policy and a life insurance policy is that the funeral life insurance policy will pay directly to the funeral home without the need of a death certificate.
Pre-planning your funeral can be difficult, confusing and emotional. However, there are several very sound reasons for doing it now while you can. Perhaps the most important reason is that you are helping your loved ones to take the time necessary to grieve when they are faced with your death.
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