prepaid funerals

[bookwormom]

lately I have talked to a few people in my age bracket and it seems they all have made plans for their demise and already paid for their remains to be dealt with.
to me that seems like one of those deals like a life time warranty. (whole life time) Fine if things go well.
anyone want to discuss plans to be planted? I found out that in this state you can be buried on your own land and you do not require all the expensive rigamaro.

[Quietgentleman]

I have set up when it's my time to meet my maker my body is going to the University of Iowa hospital to be used for science. I have my will set up to pay for any expenses for transportation of my body to the university. From there on it's the universities to do with me as they see fit.

QGM

[backlash]

My parents both had a Purple Cross plan.
When they passed everything was paid for.
It was one of the best thing they did for us.
I have seen several families that had big time disagreements over the funeral arraignments and with a prepaid plan that is not an issue.Everything was planed and we didn't have to make the decisions for them.
Right down to what music they wanted.
My BIL works for COSTCO and he has bought his casket through them.
When he dies one phone call and it will be delivered within 3 days if I remember correctly.
Lot cheaper than the funeral homes charge.
They really don't like it but the state gives them no option but to use it.

[Bones]

Prepaid sounds like a good deal for people that dont want to worry relatives about these cost and then you have this and it can be a very big pain.....

http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/10/news/funeral_home.fortune/index.htm

[backlash]

Unfortunately it's just like anything else.
Crooks and con men are everywhere.
Look how many people lost everything to Enron and Maddoff.

[MrGreenJeans]

My aunt's brother just passed away this morning around 1 or 2 AM. Never worked a day in his life, none of them have. Just a 100% fact. His son is calling everyone in the family trying to raise funeral money. It's sad. I really don't know how he got through life, a very likeable fellow but would not work at anything. Bringing up the prepaid thing, i have a small life ins. just for planting me. Family ground done picked it out. I have requested a plain wood coffin, no vault. Came from the dirt and that's where i,am gona go back to. It is a good thing to be ready and not leave it a hanging. In more than one way. A lot of folk's don't want to think or talk about it, but it's a fact of life we all leave here sooner or later. Prepaid is a lot better on the family for sure. They are family anyway no matter what, the next few day's, things to do.

[DM]

Many years ago my dad and mom went to the local funeral home and picked out "everything", prepaying for their entire funeral. Over the years, the funeral home has paid my dad interest on the $$ they sat on, plus the origional prices were locked in. When mom passed, everything was taken care of, and it was a very nice funeral. Dad is still with us, but when he goes, again, everything will be taken care of...

I think it was a GREAT thing they did, as they got EXACTLY what THEY wanted, and it was all locked in at the price things cost the day they prepaid.

DM

[randallhilton]

A few points:

* Even if it was OK to plan my carcass on my own property I wouldn't ask for it because I can't predict what my progeny would ultimately want to do with the property. A cemetery is a good place to end up because it's a serene spot where friends and family can come visit and think about "last things" from time to time.

* LaVonne and I have a pre-paid plan that covers the essentials, locks in the price and pays a little interest (we already have a family plot at the cemetery where we have two children and room for more of us)

* I need to re-work our burial plan to add in a couple of roll-off dumpsters so it will be easier for the kiddos to deal with our stuff. ;o)

[backlash]

My Dad was an avid woodworker.
He built some very nice furniture.
He knew the we would have picked out a very nice and expensive wooden coffin.
He said it was a big waste of money and he made sure we couldn't do that.
It was a very loving and thoughtful thing for our parents to do and I will always be grateful.
I need to do the same thing for my kids.

[Cil]

When my mom's brother died a few years ago, my grandparents had already bought a plot next to them for him as he was born with CP and all sorts of other things that made it impossible for him to care for himself. My mom had his ashes buried there. Ashes being a heck of a lot cheaper than a casket route. My dad didn't believe in funerals and such. We just to have work a weekend where everyone can make it. My brother lives in another state.

[CarolAnn]

Neither my mom or dad wanted a funeral and both requested cremation. Since Mom passed away first, and very unexpectedly, we compromised. We kids needed to say goodbye and have a memorial for her, so I made the decision for embalming and a very inexpensive (cheap cardboard) casket for the services - and cremation later. We saved her ashes (at Dad's request) so they could be buried at the same time. He passed about 10 years later, and since he was sick for a very long time before passing on, we were able to say our goodbyes while he was still living. We didn't have the service in the winter right after he passed away, but waited until the family reunion the next summer when we would all be together anyway.

It was the most beautiful memorial service I have ever seen. The raw grief was over, but we could all (by then) rejoice in both the lives of my mom and dad, and that's what we did. We could not BELIEVE how many relatives and friends came to pack the little church and it was more a joyful celebration of life than a funeral.

We had a pot luck at the community center, and I distributed Dad's arrowhead and rock collections among their great grandchildren.

[Wyobuckaroo]

Bought some services in a prepaid package for my mom. Not the complete process, just some things. I know it has saved some money over the years before it was needed.

Think everyone over 49 or with kids should have a plan in place of one kind or another. A premium for expenses like this shouldn't cost over $5 a year.

Many states allow home burials. I would be a little hesitant to buy a property with a family cemetery on it.

KnowwhatImean

Wyo

[Anon001]

I have to have my two cents. I have a brother that owns a couple funeral homes.

In some states the prepaids can be transferred from one funeral home to another if your children decide to use a different home than what you selected.

Also, even if you prepay your final expenses, they do not have to be followed once you die. The children can always change them.

There are a lot of things to be considered if you decide to go with "pre paid" or "as needed" plans.

Paul

[CastIronCook2]

California's Neptune Society is a very respectful, very efficient crematory service, of which I am a card-carrying member. One toll-free phone call and they come pick up the carcass, deliver back the ashes about five days later. Makes me feel good to know Hubbest won't have to go through all that sick sales pitch the funeral parlors put forth to milk money from the grieving. He says he wants his own ashes shot from the cannon (50 percent scale model Civil War, fully functional) over the lake. Might as well put a few of mine in with 'em, I'm thinking. Then have a big party.

[CanNerd]

I've left instructions to be cremated, but I've pretty much been assured that it will be handled promptly when the SHTF and that remains of everything will be scattered in the winds. That's much better than relying on family members to carry out my wishes under normal conditions.

[*mitzy*]

There are many more options than most of us know about. I talked it over with my kids and have made arrangements to be cremated. They will come for the body when called, go straight to the crematorium and than the ashes will be brought back to the cemetery to be put into my dad's grave. I was told that there is room at the top because of the type of, flat, headstones (they are metal and not stone) that have the built in vases that can be inverted and made flat when there are no flowers.

The memorial service, which I am planning, will be at my church and the funeral home will not be involved.

The kids elected that I have the funeral home take care of all of the paperwork, etc. The funeral home I am using is not connected to the one at the cemetery but that doesn't matter.

The transport, "planting" and paperwork still made the cost a little over $2,000.00. The only thing is that there will be no extra headstone so my family would be the only ones to know where I will be. I guess, if one wanted to go to the big extra cost, another headstone could be made but that would kind of defeat the cheapie purpose I am going for, LOL.

I had done a lot of research on this matter and you can get caskets from all kinds of places and one I was very interested in was a place that made kits for Jewish burials, all biodegradable material and not a lot of money. It comes in a flat box to be stored until needed and everything was included.

BTW, I haven't been involved in a lot of funerals but I have never felt ANY pressure when making the arrangements. We were just shown what was available and they answered any questions we asked. Of course everything had a separate price and they were not cheap.

Another BTW, some places require a vault so you have no choice except the type and cost.

[krash]

I would like to add that I also have never had any "pressure" when arranging a burial, and have done several now. It is the function of the funeral home to let you know your options but I have never had to say no thanks more than once on any suggestions. In this state it is required that a vault be used for burials. I was very short on money when my mother passed away and the home worked with me to have a modestly nice service without a lot of extras, and let me make payments on part of it--with no interest. Certainly not a common practice but her family had buried generations of my husbands family and knew we were not going to go anywhere. I am still undecided but my husband has definitely requested cremation. I have agreed as long as I do not have to "scatter" him -- want a marker for future genealogists! He is okay with that so will be in the same cemetery as all of our parents and his grandparents as will i, whether crispy crittered or traditional burial. Some people used to think it was terrible when my mother and I would discuss her upcoming death and what songs she wanted, etc, but she said it is just all a part of life. The older I get the smarter I realize my parents were.

[WileyCoyote]

I used to work with the local undertaker/coroner (part of the job w/EMS). There is so much that goes on that folks don't realize.

Depending on your state, you may or may not be able to use a cheap casket. Where we lived in SC there were some fellas who started a 'pine coffin' business, the local funeral parlors sued, and the state decided that they would be outlawed. In that state now, you must be either cremated or buried in a casket with vault. If you are Jewish and don't get embalmed, you still have to be buried in the vault and casket.

Many funeral homes use the 'life insurance' as a lien against the body. If you have, say, $25,000 life insurance, they have you sign papers that makes the insurance check out to them. They get the check, take their costs and fees out, and you get the rest with the itemized bill from the funeral home attached, marked 'paid'. This is very convenient for them and the families - but can be abused. Also one funeral director in a small area used to take out life insurance policies on the drug addicts, ne'er-do-wells, and other people whom he knew would never pay for a funeral. The small monthly payments he made were nothing compared to his profit when they would die; he already had the cheapest arrangements possible picked out, and the family was always so grateful for his "donation". People might call him a ghoul, but families like that always seem to think that funeral directors should bury their family members free of charge, and either never pay the first payment or eventually renege.

Some people get "term life insurance" to pay for their funerals, not realizing that once the term is up and the money is not claimed (because you are still alive!) - if you stop paying, and don't convert at the end of the time period to another (often more expensive) policy, they keep all of that money you paid in once the "term" is up.

DH and I will both be cremated and scattered on our own property. Better to fertilize the soil than to have people fight over 'a vacant house' - i.e., our bodies. WTH do we care - we won't be in there. Since we are Irish, we will have memorial wakes at the house - and yes we have life insurance to buy the food and especially drink. ;) We don't need a priest or preacher to tell everyone we went to a 'better place' - we'd rather they reminisce about the times we all had, and have a good party to do so! All that crap about 'comfort' and 'closure' is impractical and a scam - people comfort themselves in their own ways anyway; having a preacher make people weep and lament (what we used to call "going into Lawdacardia with a junctional Jesus") might be fun as a sideshow but shows no 'respect' for the deceased or their families, in our opinion. We are used to dealing with death, either sudden or slow, and everyone ends up the same - gone from that body and this world. Anything afterwards is just hyperbole. Pretending that one will live forever, not planning things out, only puts the burden on others - fine for drama queens and martyrs, but impractical for those who use their heads for something other than a hat rack. <shrug> Everyone dies. Have a plan, and have a will.

[pelicn]

We have an appointment to start getting our affairs in order. I'd rather have it all taken care of, rather than my kids having to deal with it. We plan to be cremated.