Shouldn't you be the one making decisions about your final funeral arrangements? Today, many people are taking charge of their own funeral planning to ease the burden on their families. The process may be daunting and having that talk with your family members can be devastating. However, at Evans Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services, we know how to make this process easier. Below, our team discusses the benefits of funeral pre-planning and how we can help make sure your final wishes are followed.

Many people choose to put off planning their funeral because they do not want to disappoint or upset their families. In the long run, choosing to pre-plan your funeral is actually more helpful as it can help to reduce both emotional and financial burdens.

Some of the main benefits of pre-planning funerals include:

Control Rising Costs

Funeral expenses can add up. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial in 2021 was $7,848. This can be an expensive undertaking for anyone, but can be particularly difficult for family members who have to manage lump sum costs after your death.
Not only do your prepaid funeral plans help ease the financial burden on your loved ones, but arranging and funding your own funeral before your passing locks in the price today. This means that you can keep rising funeral costs in check, avoiding inflation rates and relieving your family of the financial burden.

Pre-Planning Ensures Your Final Wishes Are Followed

Although discussing funeral plans may be overwhelming, pre-planning a funeral can truly make the difference between whether your loved ones can send you off according to your wishes. Making plans in advance enables you to avoid making challenging decisions during what are often emotionally charged moments before death.

While it may seem like an impersonal way to think about death, approaching funeral planning like any other financial or business decision is the best way to make the right choices for yourself and your family. Making your own funeral decisions about the manner of burial, caskets, funeral service, and even the funeral home you elect eliminates any unwelcome surprises for your family in the future.

Emotionally Prepare Your Family

Death is inevitable. Pre-planning your funeral forces you to have those difficult conversations with your family members and other loved ones about what they will do when the time ultimately comes. Your family will be emotionally prepared for your passing and this can eliminate any emotional turmoil they may suffer from.

Avoid Family Conflict and Give Your Loved Ones Peace of Mind

One of the best reasons to consider a prepaid funeral arrangement is that making your own plans helps decrease the potential for family conflict. While you may have one family member that only believes in burials you may have another that wants to honor your wishes for cremation (or vice versa).

Providing a solid foundation of plans allows your family to know exactly how to honor your wishes. While they may not all agree on decisions during this difficult time, they can hopefully respect yours. Avoiding the stress about how your funeral will turn out can also give your loved ones peace of mind.

Pre-planning a funeral can be stressful. No one wants to think about life after death, but prioritizing your wishes is important so how do you make sure they’re respected? Below are some of our most important tips to help make sure your wishes are followed and lessen your family’s burden.

- Pre-pay for your funeral. Funeral costs can be expensive, but by only having your plans written down, you cannot guarantee that your plans will be met because they may not be within budget. By paying in advance, you can alleviate your family and other loved ones from the financial burden to their bank account.

- Make a list of people to be notified. Don’t leave it to your loved ones to double check that they contacted everyone they needed about your funeral.

- Specify what to do with your remains. From where you want to be buried or where you want your ashes to be spread, giving your loved ones a glimpse into your final wishes is the best way to ensure you can rest peacefully.

We offer many different resources, both online and in-person, to help you start planning your funeral. Our Lunch & Learn program is a relaxed luncheon that brings our pre-planning specialists together with about 25 people to learn more about pre-arranging or pre-funding their funerals. Next, we recommend filling out the Start Planning Form where the process is divided into individual steps to make sure that your funeral requests are met. If our form is too stressful, feel free to fill out our Schedule a Consultation form to connect with an employee. Finally, our website includes advice on how to talk to your family about pre-planning your funeral.

We understand that the funeral and grieving process is difficult. With our services above, we hope to alleviate some of the stress of pre-planning funerals. We hope to make the process as straightforward as possible. Feel free to contact us with any questions on funeral planning.

It can be difficult to think about your funeral, but verbalizing your wishes and pre-planning funerals relieves a large burden on your loved ones. The team at Evans Funeral Chapel & Cremation Services is here to assist you in the planning and executing the best possible service. To learn more about our provided services, contact a team member, visit our website, or call one of our locations today.