Nobody wants to think about the only inevitability in life. Everyone dies but no one wants to think about the eventual end of their life. Because planning a funeral ahead of time makes most people contemplate their final moments on Earth it can be a hard subject to approach. Oftentimes, people are so uncomfortable that they don’t do any funeral preplanning, leaving the stress and financial burden of a funeral to their kids or other surviving family.
Funeral preplanning is important for many reasons. Planning is important for so many different things. Imagine that a contractor is building a new home. When asked to see the house plans, he replies that he’s just making it up as he goes. The house probably wouldn’t end up being safe or looking good. If you don’t have a plan when you go grocery shopping you may end up spending a lot more time wandering around the aisles trying to find what you need. This extra wandering might lead to lots of extra spending as well. To save us time, money and headaches, we make and follow plans for important things in our lives.
Although it can be difficult or uncomfortable to think about death and funeral planning, it is important to make a plan for your final wishes so you avoid any future complications. Here are a few reasons why you should plan ahead and the problems you’ll avoid by preplanning.
Unforeseen Expenses
Funerals often cost a lot more than we think. With so many little things at funerals that all cost money, it can add up quickly. Planning ahead helps you identify and save for these costs. Don’t be surprised and don’t surprise your family when the time comes. Even though funerals can get really expensive really fast, preplanning can take most of the guesswork out of figuring out funeral costs.
Make Your Wishes Known
Do you know what kind of funeral you want? Does your family know? There are a lot of decisions to be made – everything from which casket or urn to pick to who will give eulogies and from finding a location to picking flower arrangements. Without your final wishes planned out ahead of time, your family might not know what you want after you pass on. With so many questions to answer and things to plan for the ceremonies and burial, it is vital that you preplan your funeral arrangements.
Avoid Inflation
Funeral preplanning is a great way to plan against any future cost increases for funerals, including the services and merchandise. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost of a traditional funeral increased by nearly 30% from 2004 to 2014. The increasing cost of funerals combined with other costs that will likely increase over time (flowers, embalming, cremation, cemetery plots, etc.) makes preplanning a wise choice. Don’t leave your funeral costs to chance or let the prices inflate over time. Planning your funeral ahead of time, including planning for the costs, will save you and your family from increasing expenses.
Lighten the Burden
Surviving family members have a lot to think about and handle when a loved one passes away. Sorting through personal items, cleaning out houses, wills and other legal and financial obligations and more. All of these things can occupy their time and energy after their loved one passes away. Don’t leave the burden of planning a funeral on your family. Planning ahead for funeral arrangements takes the burden off of family and friends. You can be at peace knowing they won’t have to plan your funeral. And they can focus on remembering all the good times you had together instead of stressing over the details of a funeral.
Planning ahead is almost always a good idea. Even though we don’t want to think about death, it is important to have a plan in place for when we do pass on. Funeral preplanning is an important part of preparing for the inevitable end that we all face. Having your funeral arrangements already made takes some of the worry out of the process.
