It’s not easy to think about a time when you’ll no longer be on this earth, but it’s something you can and should plan for, not only for your own peace of mind, but also for the wellbeing of loved ones you’ll leave behind. Some things you should consider while healthy include a last will and testament, power of attorney, health care power of attorney, executor of estate, and more. Another thing is your funeral, which can be prearranged and preplanned before you pass.
There are a number of benefits to prearranging a funeral. Here are our top five.
1. You Decide How You’ll be Remembered
When you prearrange your funeral, you can choose whether you want a traditional funeral, graveside memorial service, or other type of celebration of life. You can choose a ceremony place and funeral home ahead of time. You can also make note of parts of your life you’d like to highlight, people you’d like to speak, songs you’d like played, readings you’d like to be had, and other details. You’re also able to choose a monument company to work with and design your headstone or grave memorial to be how you want. Click here to learn more about choosing the best monument for yourself or your loved one.
No one can make decisions you wouldn’t want because you’re working out all of the details while you’re still here. Putting your wishes on paper will tell your loved ones exactly how to celebrate your life and honor your memory.
2. Eases Burden on Loved Ones
When it’s all planned ahead of time, your loved ones can grieve without the stress of arranging a funeral. There are dozens of details to work through in the first few days following someone’s death, and when also trying to process the loss of a loved one, it can be extremely difficult.
Prearranging funeral plans can make those first days easier on your loved ones and take away the stress of having to make decisions and plans. Additionally, loved ones don’t have to worry about doing the wrong thing or choosing something you wouldn’t like, which prevents misunderstandings or indecision about funeral arrangements.
3. Saves Money
Funerals are expensive (between $7,000 and $12,000 on average). Prearranging and making plans ahead of time gives you the chance to shop around and make smart financial decisions about your funeral arrangements. It also prevents family members from spending unnecessarily or more than they need to and eliminates impulse spending. It may also guarantee your family doesn’t have to pay for anything (if you include life insurance or other savings as a way to pay for your funeral).
4. Provides Time to Think Things Through
Some decisions that go along with end of life and a funeral are complex and require time and thought, such as choosing a cemetery and funeral home, planning a headstone, creating a financial plan, and other. No one will be rushed to make decisions they may feel unprepared for or like adequate research hasn’t been done and all options compared. You can do all the research and comparing ahead of time and ensure what you want is what is planned. With prearranging, there’s no rush to make decisions quickly and all details can be more carefully considered.
5. More Meaningful Goodbye
Taking away the stress of planning a funeral and deciding how to honor you once you’re gone allows your family to properly grieve and have a more meaningful goodbye, says ThriveGlobal. Additionally, preplanning brings an awareness of the reality of death which, when embraced, can make it easier to accept when the time comes. Accepting that death is a part of life and taking this time to celebrate you instead of stressing about planning or financing can allow your loved ones to focus on what was most important – you and your memory and celebrating your life.