Whatever you think of what awaits us all at the end of our lives, there is one undeniable universal truth: when you die, someone will be left with a hefty bill. The average funeral expenses is nearly $8,000, and the average cost of a cremation is nearly $7,000 – iena country where the majority of the people would wiped out by a $1,000 emergency Costs. It is complicated by the fact that we are asked to plan funerals when we are emotionally vulnerableAnd most You can hope from the government that one $255 death benefit.
However, iDepending on your beliefs and wishes for their final rest, you and your loved one have some options This can help you avoid going completely broke when someone you love dies.
how to plan ahead for funeral expenses
The first thing we have to do is admit that we’re all going to die someday, and that means someone has to pay for what happens next. If your beliefs or your loved one’s death wishes involve a viewing and a funeral, that means you have to come up with that money. Instead of hoping for the best, plan a little ahead:
- funeral insurance. You can take out funeral insurance Just like any other insurance policy ranging in value from $1,000 to $50,000 if you’re planning a seriously over-the-top goodbye. While this is an additional expense to worry about while you are alive, it means that an unexpected death has no repercussions someone financial.
- Payable on Death (POD) account. A POD is simple an agreement with your bank or financial institution that designates a direct beneficiary in the event of your death. Setting this up means someone can access your accounts immediately after you die (PODs trump wills so you don’t have to wait for a will to be read and executed). If you die with some money in your bank accounts, it can be used immediately to pay for a funeral.
- Prepaid Funerals. Many funeral homes allow you to prepay for a viewing and burial or cremation. This has the advantage of setting current rates and the disadvantage of assuming you will die in the local area – if you die while traveling and the cost of transporting your body is not part of your prepaid service, this could backfire.
- Savings. Of course, you can also just save money for a funeral and put it aside. But if that were easy You wouldn’t even read this article. If you can still save money, consider setting up a special account for death expenses and giving that appropriate people to access it.
how to reducate funeral or burial Costs
Aside from planning to pay for everything related to the death of a loved one, depending on your spiritual and philosophical beliefs, you can also reduce the overall cost of someone’s death. When planning a funeral or cremation, there are a number of ways you can save money:
- Shopping spree. Although there isn’t much competition in the funeral business, don’t forget it Is a business. It may seem morbid or callous, but you can shop around for the best price at a viewing and funeral. If you have the energy and the calm to do it, a few phone calls can save you a lot of money.
- caskets and urns. You You don’t have to buy your coffin from the funeral home, which is usually the most expensive way to buy one. You can buy your own coffin but you should check the shipping costs which can be so high that you won’t make any savings. And you can rent a fancy coffin to view and then have the person buried in a much cheaper coffin. Similarly, providing your own urn for a cremation can save hundreds of dollars on the overall cost.
- Natural burial. A funeral home or cemetery is a private business, so they may need things like embalming or concrete lining for a viewing and burial. But there are actually no laws that require both expensive aspects of a traditional modern burial, so there you have it the opportunity to explore a “natural” or “green” burial who waives these additional costs.
- Private country burial. In 47 states of the USA It is perfectly legal to bury someone on your own property, as long as you follow local regulations. For some it may be like being buried in a place loved attractive. You should consider the implications of having a grave on your property – this could affect resale value, for example, and if you sell or otherwise lose control of the property, You may need to make sudden and disruptive arrangements. But having land can drastically reduce the cost of a burial.
- direct burial or cremation. Also known as “immediate” burial or cremation, this is almost always the cheapest option involving a funeral home. Embalming is not required for direct burial or cremation and usually sskips the viewing, with the undertaker simply preparing the body, transporting it to the cemetery, and burying it (or performing the cremation), often with an inexpensive, plain coffin or other container. This is usually significantly cheaper than a full burial – sometimes more expensive less than $1,000.
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donation
Finally, if your faith allows and you agree, you can arrange for your body to be donated for medical and scientific research after your death. You can’t get paid to do it, but it’s required by law eliminates all costs associated with burial and cremation—most programs that accept body donations will cover the cost of transporting the remains. There are a few considerations if you think this might be a good way to save your family the hassle and expense of your funeral:
- Health. Most research programs that accept body donations have specific requirements for the condition of the remains.
- monuments. You can’t really hesitate in donating your body to science, so you must either arrange some sort of memorial right away, or hold one without the body.
- Organs. If you want to become an organ donor, you will likely be barred from donating your entire body. Most programs want you all.
- Control. You cannot specify how your body will be used. After the donation, the program will have full control over it.
If you or your loved one think this sounds like a great way to help humanity while saving your family the expense of a traditional funeral, it’s best to plan ahead so everything is in place. You can contact private organizations like BioGift to make or review these arrangements thes list of programs looking for donations and contact one that is a good fit for you.
Dying is an expensive business in this country. If you want to save your loved ones that expense, you have a few options — but you need to start planning now.
