Planning for your own funeral
Many people are now choosing to plan their own funeral before they pass away to ease the burden on their family.
While it’s never pleasant to think about death, sharing your wishes with your family and setting out a few plans can help make things easier once you’re gone.
Sharing your wishes
Whatever the circumstances of your death, the family and friends left behind will be dealing with grief and adjusting to a new reality. In the midst of this, they’ll have to navigate the planning of a funeral, wake or memorial service. Sitting down with your spouse or other family members and sharing your wishes is a great way to communicate about your own funeral in advance – at a time where they are calm, happy and can listen. You might also consider writing your wishes down – if there was somewhere in particular you’d like to be buried, if you’d like your ashes scattered, if you want something read at a service in your honour.
Prepaying your funeral
Arranging and paying for your funeral in advance is an option most reputable funeral homes will provide. You can plan everything to your exact specifications and then leave it in the capable hands of a professional so your family never need worry about unexpected costs or uncertainty about your final wishes. You typically have the option to prepay your funeral in a single upfront payment or spread the costs over several months or years.
Getting life insurance
Having a life insurance plan in place is another way you can help prepare your family for your funeral, as the payout from this can help them cover the cost. Purchasing or updating your life insurance policy is also a useful moment to organise all your affairs – put any essential documents somewhere that is easy to find later, note down any passwords, share your wishes and more.
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