Are prepaid funerals worth it?
There are certainly benefits to taking out a prepaid funeral plan. The primary one being that you’ll be securing the funeral directors costs at today prices and guaranteeing that they’ll be covered when the time comes.
Having a prepaid funeral plan in place offers protection to you and your family against rising funeral director service costs, and helps your loved ones by reducing the stress and financial burden of arranging a future funeral. Don’t forget though that disbursement costs are not currently guaranteed to be covered in the future.
The graph below is taken from the Sun Life Cost of Dying report 2022* and clearly shows the upward trend in relation to the cost of funerals.
Whether you’re interested in taking a funeral plan out for financial reasons, emotional reasons or both, feel free to have a no obligation chat with one of our trained advisers.
Reassurance:
A funeral that might have cost £1,834.00 in 2004 is predicted to cost £5,089.00 by 2026 (Sun Life cost of dying report 2022), which is a huge increase over that period of time.
Getting your affairs in order will give you a feeling of comfort in the knowledge that your loved ones will find arranging your funeral an easier task in the future.
Personalisation:
A Prepaid Funeral Plan also offers the added benefit of personalisation; you can be remembered the way you want to be. You can make your own decisions about your funeral and create your personal funeral that’s clear to those you leave behind. It also reduces the concerns and stress of your loved ones who would otherwise be left to guess what you would have wanted for your funeral.
Funeral Planning
We all know that we should be planning for our future, especially when it comes to our funeral. Prearranging your funeral may feel like an odd thing to do but for those you leave behind it’s a caring and selfless act. A prepaid funeral plan relieves your loved ones of the burden of planning your funeral during what will be a stressful and upsetting time.
There are many questions that need to be asked when planning a funeral. By determining your choices now, you can design a funeral to your personal taste. And our plans are flexible so you can easily alter your plan if you change your mind.
Burial or cremation?
Do you know whether you want a burial or a cremation, and would your loved ones know your choice? If you choose a burial, you will need to make early decisions about your type of coffin - for example, would you like a traditional, contemporary, wood or wicker coffin?. You’ll also need to consider where you want to be buried, a natural woodland setting or a traditional cemetery? Do you already have a plot purchased? If not, should you consider this?
Music?
Depending on whether you want your funeral to be a celebration of your life or a more sombre affair, music is a key element. By preplanning your funeral you can choose the songs you want to be played that reflect your personal taste. Whether you choose live, pre-recorded or a range of hymns, your choice is certain to be personal and moving. And believe us, you don’t have to be traditional with your choice, we have some wonderful and very funny choices from our plan holders!
Flowers or donations?
Many people would prefer their funeral guests to donate to a chosen charity rather than send flowers. This is one of the things you can specify when planning the finer details of your funeral. You can also determine whether you would like a personal tribute, simple or seasonal flowers.
Transport?
Whilst a hearse is the traditional method of transporting a coffin, you also have the ability to specify whether you would prefer a horse-drawn or driven vehicle. These decisions also take into consideration the method of transport for your loved ones. There are so many choices these days that you can literally have almost anything to suit your personality.
Venue?
You may have a venue that is very special to you and those closest to you that you feel would be most appropriate for your wake. Your favourite food, drink and entertainment can also be specified in your funeral plan with your funeral director.
Why prepaying for your funeral is a good idea
An Open funeral plan is a simple, caring and practical way to reduce financial and emotional burden and worry that funeral arrangements can bring to your loved ones. It can give you peace of mind too allowing you to relax in the knowledge your wishes and clear for those you leave behind. As with anything though there are risks too and we want to bring those to your attention too. Disbursement costs may exceed those covered by the plan, if this is the case, there may be more to pay at the time of need. Your funeral plan will be an expression of your wishes, however next of kin may amend these at the time of need. There may be a need to change the nominated funeral director before or at the time of need, if an alternative is not agreeable a refund of payments excluding the original administration fee will be offered.
Wondering what’s the best way to prepay for your funeral? For more information please contact Open Prepaid Funerals or view our Funeral Plans for more detail about what we offer.
*SunLife (2022), Cost of Dying Report, sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs