Pre-Arrangements

When planning a funeral, you have many options available. There are also decisions to be made, often during a difficult and emotional time.

Whether you have recently lost a loved one or are considering prearranging your own funeral service, we are dedicated to providing personal and ethical care and support.

More and more people are planning ahead for their own funerals for many reasons. They may want to relieve their surviving spouse or other family members from the emotional and financial burden.

Pre-need planning also assures an individual that all the arrangements will follow their personal wishes.

All too often, prearrangement, like a last will and testament, falls victim to simple procrastination. Good intentions never placed into action. As a result, surviving family members are forced to make some of life's most difficult decisions under the most difficult circumstances.

In addition to the emotional peace of mind that comes with planning ahead of time, there are some very real financial considerations. By prearranging your funeral, your family can lock in today's prices for tomorrow's needs.

Pre-need planning involves choosing funeral service options for yourself or a family member before the time of need. Some individuals select all the details of the service, while others prefer to leave some options for the family to decide. Planning can be done with or without funding the service at the same time. Making these difficult decisions ahead of time:

• Gives you the time needed to research the funeral provider, personalized location for services, and price. 
• Allows you to personalize your service, making it as simple or traditional as you want.
• Eliminates second-guessing the wishes of the deceased at the time of death.
• Removes a tremendous burden from your family on what is certain to be one of the worst days of their lives.

Some individuals choose to provide funding for a funeral while making a pre-need plan. While this is not required, it does have certain benefits:

• Paying at today's prices guarantees that the funeral service will be carried out at no additional cost to the family.
• Pre-paying a funeral prevents other life insurance policies from being depleted at the time of a loved one's death.
• Allows you to consider cost effective options at a time when you are better prepared to make sound, fiscally responsible decisions.
• Gives you the flexibility to make payments - into an insurance policy, annuity, or trust account.
• Allows you to shelter assets when applying for Medicaid benefits. *Under Federal Title 19, pre-paid funeral expenses up to a designated dollar amount are not considered assets by Medicaid.