There’s no question that planning ahead can make all the difference to your family. Pre-planning your funeral or cremation should be a natural part of life because it provides you with the time to make decisions in a calm and rational atmosphere.
Making funeral or cremation arrangements for a loved one is not something that most people do often. So, most people are unaware of the decisions that need to be made right after they lose their loved one.
After the loss of a loved one, decisions must be made rather quickly. Family members will need to know, among other things, if there is going to be a viewing or visitation for family and friends. What about a service, a Funeral Mass in church, a memorial service at a funeral home, or a celebration of life at some other location? If you don’t express your own wishes, then someone will have to make these decisions for you.
Planning Ahead
It can be very difficult for someone else to make decisions about your funeral or cremation service. They may have no idea what your wishes are. Some people don’t like to discuss end-of-life matters with their spouse or children, so they put it off.
By planning ahead and putting your wishes in writing, you’re assured that your final wishes are known. This relieves your family of the burden of making difficult decisions under emotional duress.
After Pre-Planning Your Cremation
Giving a pre-need plan to those you love gives them greater peace of mind. You can then live your life to the fullest, knowing that you’ve done the right thing – unless, of course, you don’t tell anyone about it and/or your paperwork is nowhere to be found.
That’s why the most important thing to do after pre-planning your cremation is to give a copy of your pre-need plan to a loved one or, at the very least, tell them exactly where to find it.
Why is this so important? Because they will want and need to know exactly what your wishes are and whether you prefer a funeral with a burial or cremation.
They will need to know if you made specific choices for a cremation service with or without a visitation or service. They will need to know if you selected any merchandise, such as a casket, rental casket, cremation urn, etc.
Finally, your loved ones will need to know if you prepaid for your cremation services. Through prefunding your plan, cremation expenses will be covered when you need them.
In this article, we discussed one of the most important things to do after pre-planning your cremation.
Make it easier for those you love by giving a copy of your pre-need plan to a loved one or telling them exactly where to find it when the need arises.
You can even go a step further and store a copy of your pre-need funeral and cremation wishes online along with your will, living trust, and other important estate planning documents. If needed, a loved one or other trusted advisor could be given permission to access a copy of your pre-need plan right from their computer.
If you haven’t already created an estate plan, now is the time to consider doing that as well. The fact of the matter is that everyone needs an estate plan. An estate plan offers so many benefits. Just like your pre-need funeral and cremation wishes, an estate plan offers peace of mind to those you love. It can help prevent conflicts among family members and you can modify it to meet changing needs over the years.
