Why Pre-Plan
There’s a lot that goes into planning a funeral, but making those arrangements beforehand gives you time to consider all of your options and make sure that you’re covering all of the necessary details. Still feeling unsure? Here are some of the most important reasons why planning ahead may be the best option.
It lets you decide how you'd like to be remembered.
Creating your own unique life celebration allows you to make sure that your wishes and desires are respected upon your passing. However you decide to be memorialized, pre-planning and preparation gives you control over the personal decisions that must be made when a person moves on from this life. Planning can be meaningful for your family, as well, if you choose to include them in the process. It can help them to feel connected to you both in life and in death, knowing that your arrangements reflect exactly what you envisioned them to be.
It's Easy
You can take your time creating arrangements that best suit your needs and preferences, and all you have to do is fill out a form or meet with a member of our staff to put your plan in place. Anyone can create a plan, at any stage in their life, and you can make changes at a later date if you wish.
It takes the burden off of your family and friends.
When a loved one passes, the family faces an overwhelming number of tasks and decisions, all while struggling through grief and a range of difficult emotions. By taking care of your arrangements before the time of need, you’re relieving them of that burden and giving them more time and energy to focus on healing and remembrance. They won’t have to ask themselves, “Am I making the right choices?” and can instead focus on what matters: saying goodbye and celebrating your life journey with those who cared about you most.
It gives you the ability to pre-pay, if you wish.
While pre-funding your funeral is certainly not required in order to pre-plan, pre-payment means that your funds will be set aside and protected against inflation and unforeseen increases in cost. Your family won’t have to worry about payment, and can enjoy peace of mind knowing that everything has been taken care of. We’d be happy to provide you with more information and help you arrange for pre-funding of your services.
What if I Move?
Once you create your pre-plan with us, we store it in our files as a record of your final wishes and decisions. Your plan is easily transferable to any funeral home in the United States, so it can be used wherever you might choose to relocate. No matter where you live at the time of your passing, or which funeral home’s services you decide to use, we’ll make sure that your plan follows you there.
As you go through our Pre-Planning Checklist, here are a few things worth thinking about in detail. Our staff are happy to discuss these and any other questions you may encounter during the pre-planning process and to help you find the best solution.
Which Type of Service Do I Want?
One of the earliest steps in pre-planning involves deciding which type of service you prefer.
Cremation has the advantage of being cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and provides more flexibility for families arranging memorial services. It also allows for many options for how you would like your remains stored, including urns, jewelry, and other memorial keepsake items.
A traditional burial involves the interment of remains inside a casket in a burial plot or mausoleum. Still the more traditional and acceptable option to many, it may be seen as particularly important in certain faiths and by the places of worship of some families and communities.
Talking to Your Loved Ones
It can be difficult to know how to broach the subject of pre-planning with your loved ones. The subject of final arrangements can be difficult for many to openly discuss. Our experts can help you through this discussion and provide resources to further get your message across.
Detailed guidelines are available for how to tackle this part of the process. Our staff are happy to advise on how to manage difficult conversations while avoiding potential pitfalls.
