Stress Less: 8 Reasons Why You Should Plan Your Funeral Ahead of Time
There are a lot of things you think about planning in your life. You plan for future success in your job. You plan for retirement and your children’s college fund.
But have you thought about planning your funeral? And we’re not talking about a wishlist that you leave to your family to handle, we’re talking about having everything ready to go should you pass away. It may seem a long way away, but there are a ton of benefits if you plan ahead.
Not sold? Read on to learn why you should plan your funeral ahead of time.
1. Planning a Funeral Is Stressful
If you’ve lost a loved one, then you know that it is extremely difficult to plan a funeral on the fly while also grieving the loss of your family member.
There’s a lot that goes into planning a funeral, from finding a venue to planning flowers to figuring out if a casket or cremation is the better way to go. It doesn’t leave your loved ones a lot of time to deal with their loss. Having your funeral planned out in advance takes a huge amount of stress off your family.
2. Get What You Want
When it comes to funerals, there are a ton of options available and what your family wants isn’t necessarily what you’d want.
Taking your time to plan and think about all the details of your funeral will ensure that your funeral is executed exactly as you see fit. For instance, you may prefer a burial, but without guidance, your family members may opt for cremation. In addition to this, your religious preferences may not be honored.
The only way to make sure that everything goes exactly how you would like it to is to plan it in advance. This useful page can help you get started.
3. Save Money
It’s no secret that funerals these days are super expensive. In fact, the average funeral can cost you around $11,000. It’s expensive enough planning ahead, but paying for everything last minute can be a tremendous burden.
Planning ahead saves money because you are paying for all the funeral expenses at today’s prices. In addition to that, many funeral homes allow you to make payments on your funeral over a period of time. This means you can have a little bit more elaborate a funeral than you would have had otherwise.
4. Flexibility
Just because you create your funeral plans now doesn’t mean that everything is set in stone. You will have the flexibility to make changes as necessary throughout the rest of your life.
If you’ve pre-planned your obituary, you can always make amendments to it in the event you or one of your children has another child or if you have a major life event you would like to be included. You can also change your gravestone, casket, or receptacle for your ashes.
5. You Can Ask for Input
One of the greatest benefits of pre-planning your funeral is that you can collaborate with your loved ones on all the details, you don’t have to do it all by yourself.
For example, if you would like a particular family member to play music at your funeral, or if you want someone to give your eulogy, then you can arrange for that. This allows your family members to prepare in advance, too, rather than having to write a thoughtful eulogy on the spot.
Another reason why this is beneficial is that you can plan for a family burial space. You can buy a number of plots right next to each other or purchase your own family mausoleum.
6. Reserve Your Spot
There are lots of plots in lots of different cemeteries, some better than others. You might anticipate that your preferred cemetery will have just the right spot for you when it’s your time, but that may not be the case. After all, people die every day, so you’ll have a lot of other families vying for the plot in which you’d like to be laid to rest.
Planning ahead means you get to pre-empt everyone who may go before you. You’ll also have the leisure of looking for the perfect spot without being rushed for time. Considering that your remains will be in that spot for the rest of eternity, it is a decision you should take seriously.
7. No One Else Has to Pay
When you pass, your funeral expenses are going to be paid one of two ways: through the money left in your estate or by your loved ones.
If there’s not enough money in your estate when you pass, then your family members will have to come up with thousands of dollars in a short period of time to make sure that you have a respectable funeral. Of course, if you plan ahead, you can make sure that every last expense is already covered in advance.
8. Peace of Mind
This is perhaps the greatest benefit you get from pre-planning your funeral. Once you have all the details ironed out and the payments made, then you’ll be able to have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your loved ones won’t have to stress about planning and financing a funeral. You’ll also know that all your wishes will be honored or that you’ll be with loved ones in your eternal resting space.
The peace of mind that comes with planning your funeral in advance is, quite frankly, priceless.
Ready to Plan Your Funeral?
There are a ton of great reasons to plan your funeral ahead of time. You’ll get to have exactly what you want at your funeral. You’ll also spare your loved ones the stress and expense of planning a funeral on the fly.
Interested in more articles that’ll help you make great financial and personal decisions in life? We’ve got you covered. Check out the rest of our blog for everything you need to know to live your best life.