Pre-Planning Guide

Pre-Plan Your Funeral: Complete Guide

Learn More About Funeral Pre-Planning

The idea of Pre-Planning your funeral is getting more popular everyday. Not only do they guarantee that all of your wants and needs have been noted, but they also ensure that your family will not have to stress over service planning details in the future.


As funeral directors, we often get asked when the best time to plan a funeral is? Truthfully, the answer is any time before you have to plan a funeral. You wouldn’t wait to plan a wedding or a baby shower until a few days before, so why wait to plan a funeral? Preplanning a funeral not only allows you to record your wishes, it gives you and your family the peace of mind to know that everything is taken care of.


There are two types of funeral plans, preneed and at-need (sometimes referred to as immediate need). At-need funeral plans are made by the surviving family members after a death has occurred. It can be a difficult experience for the survivors because emotions are high, time is short, and their grief needs to be managed. Not only that, but the imminent financial concerns can add to the stress of everything. 


Preneed funeral plans are much less stressful and more advantageous. Rather than rushing to complete arrangements, you can think about what you want your service to include and talk about the options with your family. Making funeral arrangements in advance also offers several benefits which we’ve outlined below.

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Benefits of Pre-Arranging a Funeral

If someone were to ask you, “what’s the benefit of making funeral arrangements in advance?”, the simple answer is that “it helps prevents mistakes.” Therefore, many of us make plans in many aspects of our life. We plan for our wedding, our children’s education, family vacations, and other significant expected life events. Also, we plan for unexpected life events by purchasing home, auto, and medical insurance. 


So why don’t more people plan their funeral? Obviously planning your own funeral is morbid and does not fill you with positive emotions, but it remains very important and beneficial.

Make Sure Your Wishes Are Followed

Making funeral arrangements in advance ensures that your family follows how you want to be honored when you die. First, you can explicitly state that you would like to be cremated vs buried. Then you can specify if you would like a ceremony to honor your life and what that ceremony would look like and include. You can get very detailed with your instructions such as detailing where you would like your ashes scattered. Preplanning your funeral ultimately gives you control and power to make important decisions.

Remove the Stress from Your Family

Trying to plan a funeral immediately after a loved one’s passing is very difficult. Family members are overcome with grief and not necessarily thinking clearly. By preplanning a funeral, you can relieve your family of the burden of making these arrangements. Instead, when death occurs, your loved ones can focus their energy on comforting one another and mentally preparing for the service.


It’s also common for family members to disagree on a loved one’s final arrangements. Clearly communicating your wishes in your plans can quickly resolve disputes. Preplanning a funeral is an easy way to avoid disputes and remove the stress from your family.

More Payment Methods

Preneed funeral plans offer families more convenient payment options than those who are in immediate need. Those who choose to preplan often have three choices when it comes to paying for the service. 

  1. You can pay for your funeral service in advance, which is often referred to as a prepaid funeral. Choosing this option will place your money into a trust where it can earn interest over time. This means when you pass away, your family could get a refund on the costs or have extra money to add something meaningful to the service. 
  2. You can take out an insurance policy. If you qualify, when you do pass away, the policy will be used to cover some or all of the funeral expenses or estate taxes. 
  3. You can pay over time. Most families are paying for the funeral costs at a lump sum after the funeral has concluded. Instead you can make smaller, incremental payments over time to start eating at the cost. In this instance, you can add these payments into your monthly budget.

Lock into A Price and Avoid Inflation

Inflation impacts every industry and funeral homes are not exempt. When you preplan a service and pay in advanced, you can lock into a price on the day you sign the contract and potentially avoid the impact of inflation or rising costs.

Talk About It with Your Family

Preplanning your funeral allows you to talk it over with your family. As much as a funeral service is about celebrating your life, it can also be beneficial to get your family’s point of view. Planning a ceremony that allows your family to best cope with grief should be considered.


What's Included When You Prepay for Pre-Need Funeral Plans

So, you’re ready to start funeral preplanning, but you have questions about what you receive when the arrangements are finished. Once the contract has been signed, the funeral director will provide you with a written statement that outlines the goods and services you have purchased (along with pricing for each). You will also receive a copy of the preneed contract discussing the terms and conditions, this includes: 

  • A guarantee that if the goods and services you selected are not available at time of service, a substitute of equal or greater value will be provided at no cost. 
  • The geographical boundaries of the firm’s service area. 
  • Under what circumstances the contract can be transferred to another funeral home. 
  • State where the funds are held until the funeral service. 
  • Explain who is responsible for paying taxes on any income or interest generated by the preneed funds you invest. 
  • Discuss whether, the price of goods and services is guaranteed. 
  • The terms if you wish to cancel your preneed contract. 


The Basics of 
Pre-Planning a Funeral


Here's a break-down of the process:
  • Set goals
  • Review limitations
  • Look at available options
  • Weigh the pros and cons of each option
  • Talk to others about the best options
  • Arrive at a final decision
In the case of funeral pre-arrangement, another two important steps are involved:
  • Write out your plan with as many details as possible.
  • Send your plan to the funeral home and provide a copy to your executor.

Download Our

Pre-Need Funeral Arrangements Checklist

Snow Funeral Pre-Planning Checklist

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Pre-Planning Checklist

Funeral Pre-Planning Checklist Download


There are two ways for you to complete your funeral pre-arrangement plan:

Using the Online Funeral 
Pre-Arrangement Tool


This website features Pre-Arrange Online, a step-by-step interactive form that can be used to record your end-of-life plan and send the completed form to our staff for safekeeping. 
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Need Help Getting Your 
Pre-Planned Funeral Started?


Many people are more comfortable making these decisions with funeral professionals. If you would like us to help, call us or send us an email using the Contact Us form. 
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