The Financial Benefits of Pre-Planning Your Burial

Credit: Getty

The cost of funerals has been rising steadily for decades, and there is no indication that this trend will slow down anytime soon. In fact, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) estimates that the average cost of a funeral in the United States is now over $8,000. This can be a significant financial burden for families, especially those who are already grieving the loss of a loved one. However, there is a way to help mitigate this cost: pre-planning your funeral. 

Pre-planning your funeral is the process of making arrangements for your funeral in advance. This includes things like choosing the type of funeral you want, selecting the funeral home and making decisions about your final arrangements. There are many benefits to pre-planning your funeral, including: 

• Peace of mind: Knowing that your funeral arrangements are taken care of can give you peace of mind, knowing that your loved ones will not have to worry about making these decisions at a difficult time. 
• Financial savings: Pre-planning your funeral can save you money in the long run. This is because the cost of funerals tends to increase over time, so by locking in your prices now, you can protect yourself from future inflation. 
• Control: Pre-planning your funeral gives you control over the details of your final arrangements. This means that you can choose the type of funeral you want, the funeral home you want to use and the final arrangements you want made. 

One of the biggest financial benefits of pre-planning your funeral is that you can lock in your prices now. As mentioned above, the cost of funerals tends to increase over time, so by locking in your prices now, you can protect yourself from future inflation. For example, if you pre-plan your funeral today and the cost of funerals increases by 5% in the next year, you will only have to pay the lower price that you locked in. This can save you a significant amount of money, especially if you are planning a traditional funeral with a casket and burial. 

Another financial benefit of pre-planning your funeral is that you can take advantage of discounts. Many funeral homes offer discounts to people who pre-plan their funerals. These discounts can range from 5% to 20%, and they can add up to a significant amount of money. In addition to discounts, some funeral homes also offer payment plans. This can be a great option for people who are on a tight budget. With a payment plan, you can spread out the cost of your funeral over time, making it more affordable and ensuring that the financial burden of your funeral doesn't fall so heavily on your loved ones. 

Click here to read why you need to plan ahead for funeral expenses. 

Cremation is a more affordable option than burial, and it is also becoming increasingly popular. In 2020, over 56% of all deaths in the United States resulted in cremation. While some of this might be attributed to the death toll of the COVID-19 pandemic, it doesn't change the fact that cremation is less expensive than traditional burial. This means that if you are considering cremation, there are even more financial benefits to pre-planning. 

Not only is the cost of cremation often significantly lower than the cost of burial, but it is also less likely to increase over time at the same pace that the costs of a traditional burial will increase. In addition, there are many different options available for cremation, so you can customize your service to fit your budget and your wishes. For example, you can choose to have your ashes scattered, buried or kept in an urn. 

Click here to read more about the pros and cons of cremation. 

Another financial benefit of pre-planning your funeral, and one that's independent of whether you choose cremation, is that you can lock in the cost of a cemetery plot. Cemetery plots can be very expensive, and the cost can vary depending on the location of the cemetery and the size of the plot. Even a simple gravesite can be quite costly, especially when taking into account the costs of maintenance and upkeep. 

However, by pre-planning your funeral, you can avoid much of the uncertainty and help manage costs against increases in the future. Adding a cemetery plot to your funeral pre-planning can aid in locking in the cost of the plot now before the prices go up. This can save you a significant amount of money, especially if you are planning a burial; outside of the cost of the casket, the cemetery plot is often one of the most expensive components of a traditional burial. 

There are many financial benefits to pre-planning your funeral. By locking in your prices now, you can protect yourself from future inflation. You can also take advantage of discounts and payment plans, and you can choose a more affordable option like cremation. All of this, when combined, helps reduce the financial impact that your funeral will have on both your estate and your loved ones. 

Yet there are more than just the financial benefits of funeral pre-planning. While knowing that you're reducing the potential financial burden on your loved ones is a major advantage, pre-planning also provides peace of mind to both you and your family. Knowing that there are plans set in place offers everyone a measure of comfort. Loved ones can mourn without having to worry about organizing a funeral themselves, and that's invaluable. 

Thinking about pre-planning? Click here to read about choosing how you want to be remembered. 

It's never too late to begin pre-planning your own funeral. If you have been thinking about doing so, you don't have to go it alone. Turn to the expert advice at MemorialPlanning.com for free resources that can help get you started with the pre-planning process. 

By MemorialPlanning.com

MemorialPlanning.com By StoneMor Inc.

Honoring your family is our life's work. As a family-first network of cemeteries and funeral homes, we aim to be an industry leader in celebrating and honoring a person's life in a way they want that story to be told. MemorialPlanning.com, an on-line resource provided by StoneMor Inc., has everything you need to plan end-of-life services at both a time of at-need as well as in advance to secure the comfort of peace of mind.