Top 5 Reasons why you should have a funeral plan in place

Whilst not many people embrace the idea of embracing funeral planning (and that’s perfectly understandable!), here are five good reasons why you absolutely should:

1. Whether your death is anticipated or not, there can be little doubt that it’ll cause great stress and grief for your family and loved ones. However, by entering into a funeral plan you can let those you leave behind know exactly what you want and how you want your affairs to be handled once you’ve gone. Unfortunately, one of the biggest mistakes people make when dealing with funeral planning is to simply put any specific instructions into their Will. Whilst this can certainly be useful for the Executors of the Will, it often has the unfortunate consequence that any wishes regarding your funeral might not be known until it’s too late to put them into place. This is due to the fact that the Will is often read after the funeral has already taken place. Consequently, by putting any specific wishes into a separate funeral plan, you can ensure this type of oversight is firmly avoided. That said, it’s certainly advisable to ensure your intended Executors are aware of your funeral plan and know exactly where to locate it when you pass away.

1. By making a funeral plan, you’ll help to relieve additional stress on your loved ones who, without knowing your wishes, are likely to be faced with many challenges – such as whether you’d prefer a cremation or burial, whether you’d like to donate your organs, whether you’d like any specific reading at your funeral and so on. These are all very important considerations and can soon leave relatives wondering whether they’ve made the right decision. A funeral plan will alleviate this element of stress and instead, ensure that loved ones are able to grieve without the additional burden of conce ing themselves with what you’d have preferred.

1. By entering into a funeral plan, you can help reduce the cost of your funeral service. Most people are surprised to learn how much funerals actually cost, so by planning in advance you’ll at least have the opportunity to shop around and even discuss your funeral with your chosen undertaker. On the contrary, without a plan in place, your loved ones may find themselves paying over the odds, simply because they choose an undertaker geographically closer, instead of being able to think about the actual cost.

1. On the subject of cost, one of the major advantages of entering into a funeral plan is the ability to pay for it advance. Most funeral plans will offer a variety of different ways to pay so it’s simply a question of choosing your budget and then ensuring that your funeral doesn’t cause financial hardship to others.

1. Finally – compared to the many benefits associated with funeral planning – it really isn’t very difficult to put a plan in place and this can be done through the assistance of professionals, such as estate planners or Will consultants. Again, the best idea is to shop around, speak with a few different providers and decide who you feel best to handle your funeral arrangements in complete confidence.