I believe two of the most important factors are to consider who will make your final plans first, then how will those plans be funded? Simple questions yes, but among those most of us fail to ask ourselves or give serious thought to.

Choosing a person to handle your final arrangements can be done in reality by doing nothing at all. At your death in most states, lineage will decide who will have right of disposition. If no legal descendants are available to handle this duty most counties, townships and/or states will step in and have the final disposition done. This will usually be a direct burial or cremation as determined by the government body handling it. I recommend avoiding this possibility by selecting a family member or friend to entrust with this duty and to make sure they have the legal documents necessary to abide by your wishes. Also, be sure your chosen administrators will have access to final expense funds. Many problems can be avoided by making sure of this one thing. Tip: Burial insurance will in most cases let you designate the beneficiary. This allows you to make sure specific funeral and burial expense funds are in control of your designee.

Secondly, give thought to the funding aspect of your final arrangements. Are you satisfied with your current funding (insurance, savings, etc.) to be sufficient and available when that time comes? Is it possible your current insurance might be needed to settle other expenses such as medical bills, estate taxes, etc.? Are you comfortable that your current insurance or savings will keep pace with funeral inflation costs? If you answered no to any of these questions, then you may want to consider additional insurance specifically for your final expenses. Tip: Burial insurance policies can be issued in small amounts to subsidize your existing insurance or larger amounts to cover total funeral and burial costs. In many cases it is also easier to qualify for in older age groups.

Does everyone need burial insurance? Certainly not, but as a funeral director I can tell you that many families I’ve assisted were able to honor a loved one’s wishes only because that person had a burial insurance policy in force at the time of their death.

Take a few minutes and give this some thought. The attention and consideration you give these matters now will make a tremendous difference for those who eventually will do your final planning.

If you make the decision to pre-plan your funeral, congratulations. Although it may be difficult, you are helping to ease the transition pain of your surviving family. Not only will pre-planning your own funeral assist your family, it will also guarantee that all of your wishes will be granted. Unfortunately, it is all too often when an individual wishes to be buried in a certain piece of clothing or in a certain spot and the final burial plans end up being different from what was originally planned. That situation commonly occurs when funeral planning was not an issue or was never discussed.

One important decision that often gets overlooked when a family member passes on is whether or not to donate organs. It is possible for an individual to want their organs donated; however, failing to properly inform their family often makes it impossible. The majority of family members will not consent to an organ donation without fully knowing whether it was desired or not. Deciding to donate your organs is a great way to help less fortunate individuals; however, it is completely optional. Whether you choose to donate your organs or not, be sure to inform multiple family members of your decision.

Underground casket burial, cremation, or a combination of two are common burial choices that many individuals or their family members decide on. If your final wishes include cremation, you must decide what will happen with your remains. It is possible for an individual’s ashes to be preserved, scattered, or buried in a cemetery. If you would prefer for an underground burial, either in a casket or urn, you will need to decide on a local cemetery for burial.

Funeral planning also consists of paying for the needed burial items. Burial plots from a cemetery can be purchased at just about anytime and even many years in advance. Funeral homes or casket companies also cater to pre-planned funeral. The burial items and plots will be held until you pass on. Paying for the casket or urn and burial plot ahead of time will save your remaining family member the financial burden of coming up with the money.

One of the best ways to begin pre-planning your funeral is by speaking to a local funeral director. They may be able to offer guidance or have a pre-planning guide that you can fill out. There are large number of steps that need to be taken if you decide to pre-plan your funeral. In addition to organ donations and burial wishes, you may want to think about what items you wish to be buried in and what type of funeral service you plan on having and where.

Funeral planning is an event that should involve your whole family. Although it may be difficult to discus death with them, it is necessary. Funeral planning is an important step in ensuring that you and your family are properly taken care of.

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