Contents
● Two Ways to Plan Ahead
● Benefits of Pre-Planning
If you are starting to think about pre-planning a funeral, then you are heading in the right direction. Why? Because it will benefit you now and it will benefit your family when the time comes to say goodbye.
Thinking about our own deaths can be a confronting prospect, but there are definitely positive aspects of starting this process now. When you think about it, your funeral is really a celebration of your life… and that is something certainly worth pre-planning and getting right!
Two Ways to Plan Ahead
Before we go through the benefits of pre-planning your funeral it’s important to know that there are essentially three different ways you can do it.
1.Pre-Planning (or Pre-Arranged)
This involves a written agreement of what you have decided will occur at your funeral and is usually organised with a Funeral Director. There should be no cost involved in creating this document. However, this is something you could make a legal arrangement and include in your Will to ensure it is carried out. You still have an estimate of the cost of your funeral but you are not paying for it right now. Find out more about pre-arranging your funeral on the H.Parsons website.
2.Funeral Bond
With funeral bonds you can make a financial investment into your funeral where you have the potential to gain interest over time. The funeral bonds are often arranged via the Funeral Directors and held by a financial investment company. In this situation there is no planning of your arrangements, it is just a monetary investment. A big advantage of a Funeral Bond is that it can be exempt from Centrelink means testing if you want to reduce your assessable assets. Find out more about Funeral Bonds on the H.Parsons website.
Benefits of Pre-Planning
There are a number of benefits to pre-planning your funeral that range from emotional and sense of wellbeing, to practical and financial benefits. Pre-planning alleviates unnecessary anxiety for yourself and your family. Below are the many benefits:
1.Make It Yours
A funeral is a celebration of your entire life, so it makes sense to put your own stamp on it. Make it as big and boisterous or small and personal as you want. This is YOUR celebration, how you want to be remembered, so make it suit you.
2.Peace Of Mind
Not only peace of mind for you knowing that your funeral arrangements are being looked after, but peace of mind for your family. There is no need for them to try to plan such an important event in the right way for you, while also grieving for you. This takes so much pressure away from them. You can all rest easy knowing that the plans are in place.
3.Time To Choose
If you are preplanning your funeral, it may also allow you more time to decide how you want things to go. You can research Funeral Directors, and whether you want to be cremated or buried. Do you want a large, catered funeral service with all the trimmings or just a small intimate gathering at someone’s home? Choose your music, who reads your Eulogy, select your favourite flowers, you can be as specific as you like. There are many options, so giving yourself time for this, rather than loved ones trying to organise it all in a few days, is a blessing!
4.Future Developments
Sometimes there are things you know you want but that just aren’t available yet! This could be about using sustainable materials in your funeral arrangements or to hire out an area that is under construction for the service or plot. You have an opportunity to think about what you really want and make clauses in your documentation to factor that in if it’s available.
5.Financially Prepared
Whether you choose to pay now or pay later, if you have pre-planned your funeral you know what to expect financially. Even if you choose not to prepare the ins and outs of the funeral, but want to make sure whatever happens is covered financially, a Funeral Bond could be a good option for you.
6.Affairs In Order
As with preparing a Will, pre-planning your funeral is one way to ensure that what happens once you are gone is done in the right way. You know that everything is looked after and it can lift a heavy weight off your shoulders that you might not even realise is there until it’s gone!
Pre-planning your funeral could be just what you need to put that task behind you and keep living in the moment with the people and places you love.
There is a lot to consider when preparing a funeral and it can be an emotional time. H.Parsons are experts in caring for you and your loved ones and we are committed to ensuring your service is personal, respectful and dignified. Make sure you talk to our team via our contact form, calling (02) 4228 9622 or visiting us at one of our locations.
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