When a family loses a loved one, locating the costs of a funeral may exacerbate stress and grief. One way to avoid that emotional and financial hurdle is to take care of it beforehand.
Estate planning is for everyone, no matter their age, and when considering ways of pre-paying for your funeral, it pays to understand the costs.
Median costs of services
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the East North Central region of the United States sees median costs of funeral services range between $6,953 and $7,868 depending on if you opt for a cremation or burial respectively.
Costs before a service
Many of these costs come in the form of body transportation and preparation. The funeral home picks you up from the hospital or nursing home and eventually takes you to the cemetery. While states may not require embalming, funeral homes may require it for open casket services.
Costs during a service
Some funeral homes offer packages that include service folders or other memorable materials. Use of staff and facilities for the ceremony come into play here as well. Some cemeteries may require a burial vault installed in the plot beforehand, which adds to the overall total.
Paying for your services
Funeral trusts and preneed contracts are just a couple of the many ways available to you when you prepare for paying down your funeral costs ahead of time. Each of these involves contracts. It is important when making these plans to communicate with your family and lean on your resources to make sure these contracts clearly convey your wishes.
