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Many planning tools and products are available to help families prepare for the financial requirement that a funeral brings. Prepaid funerals are a common option for research and review.
Before purchasing one of these plans, it is important to know the basics and questions to ask the funeral home.
How Do Prepaid Funerals Work?
Prepaid funerals allow individuals to pay in advance for the costs associated with their funeral. The process is designed to make the funeral planning process easier both mentally and financially on the grieving family. This helps avoid any family miscommunication or disagreements with no loved ones being asked to take on an unexpected financial burden.
This product is also known as a pre-need funeral insurance plan.
What is Included in a Prepaid Funeral Plan?
There are a wide variety of items that can be prepaid when planning your funeral. Ultimately each funeral home will decide what can be included in the plan, but the following are common items.
- Funeral Home Services
- Cremation
- Casket
- Flowers
- Transportation
- Etc.
How Much do Prepaid Funerals Cost?
The majority of pre-paid funeral plans offer $10,000 – $25,000 policy amounts. Once you have decided the amount of money required for your funeral, you will have different payment options. Funeral homes typically have four financing options.
- One lum-sum
- 3 years
- 5 years
- 10 years
It is important to watch out for any hidden fees that could be associated with your policy. For example, certain plans require administration start-up fees, and some even require an ongoing maintenance fee.
Depending on whether you choose a 3, 5, or 10-year plan, you can expect to pay between $100 and $300 per month.
How do I Take Out a Pre-need Funeral Plan?
You can work with a funeral home or a pre-paid contract provider. These providers work with a handful of funeral homes and arrange the payment plans. After selecting the services and items you would like, you will set up a payment plan with either the funeral home or the contract provider.
How Much are Funerals?
Funeral costs vary from state to state. However, the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has put together a cost breakdown of what can be expected for a funeral.
Basic Funeral Services & Costs | |
| Nondeclinable basic service fee | $2,195 |
| Transfer of remains to funeral home | $350 |
| Embalming | $750 |
| Other preparation of the body | $255 |
| Use of facilities for viewing | $425 |
| Use of facilities for the funeral ceremony | $500 |
| Hearse | $340 |
| Service Car/Van | $150 |
| Basic memorial printed package | $175 |
Are Prepaid Funeral Plans Worth it?
Although prepaying for funeral costs is an admirable thought and seemingly wise idea, there are still red flags to watch for. Many variables should be considered when taking out a prepaid funeral plan because of the limited flexibility.
The most useful benefit of prepaid funerals is that they can be inflation-proof. When prepaying for a funeral, make sure your plan has the word “guaranteed” in it. This means the price you agree upon for a specific item will stay that price even if inflation happens and the item is more expensive in the future.
Guaranteed: Price of funeral-associated items is locked in.
Non-guaranteed: Price is not locked in, and the family can be asked to pay more at the time of the funeral.
Pros and Cons of Prepaid Funerals
There are both advantages and disadvantages of prepaid funeral plans.
Pros | Cons |
| Allowing for all funeral decisions to be preplanned and paid for. This eliminates the guesswork for grieving families. | The funeral home could go out of business. If this happens, families could be left in a difficult financial situation. (Speak with your specific funeral home to better understand this situation.) |
| Guaranteed pricing can help you secure today’s pricing and not have to worry about inflation. | If you change your final wishes, there is a chance that you will not receive the money back that has been paid into the plan. |
| Allows individuals to create the exact final arrangements that they want. | Locked into the location. It is very rare to be able to transfer your prepaid funeral plan to another funeral home. |
| Good for individuals who have no surviving family to list as a beneficiary | This plan only allows for the funds to be used for funeral and final arrangements. |
Understanding Prepaid Funeral Trusts
A funeral home can help facilitate a funeral trust. Your payments will be placed into an interest-bearing savings account. This money will grow until your death, at this time the total will then be used to cover funeral costs. There are different requirements for funeral trusts depending on which state you live in.
Within a prepaid funeral trust, there are irrevocable and revocable trusts.
The Difference Between Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts
There are two different types of trusts that your prepayment can be placed into.
Revocable Trust: This allows you to receive a refund on your money if you ever change your mind on your final arrangements.
Irrevocable Trust: You are locked into your decisions and cannot receive a refund with this option. When using a funeral trust to help with a Medicaid exclusion, you must use an irrevocable trust.
Medicaid and Prepaid Funerals
Prepaid funerals in an irrevocable trust are excludable for the Medicaid spend-down process. However, look at your specific state’s rules and regulations, many states only allow $5,000 – $15,000 to be placed into an irrevocable trust.
Protecting Your Money
Most funeral homes are trustworthy, honest establishments with long-standing reputable credibility, but there is a small percentage that is not. Therefore, you should have two options when funding your prepaid funeral plan.
Lumpsum Payment: This one-time payment is deposited into a trust that gains interest and value over the years.
Monthly Installment Payments: Also known as a pre-need funeral insurance plan, this allows individuals to fund their funeral over time. The monthly payments will go to a life insurance company.
Where seniors have had financial problems in the past with prepaying is when the funeral home embezzles the money. Fortunately, both of these options do not require you to pay the funeral home directly. Regardless, make sure to do your research if you are ever asked to write a check directly to the funeral home for prepayment.
Prepaid Funeral Plans Vs. Final Expense Insurance
It is easy to confuse the different products available for families to plan for a funeral. However, prepaid funeral plans and final expense insurance are different. In addition, prepaid plans typically require the beneficiary to be the funeral home. This limits what the money can be used for.
In contrast, a final expense insurance policy can have any beneficiary listed that the policyholder chooses. Thus, the financial distribution can be used for anything the beneficiary deems necessary.
Prepaid Funerals (Preneed) | Final Expense Insurance |
| Typically the payout must be used at the funeral home it was purchased from | Can use the payout for anything |
| Additional benefits are not usually included with the plan | Additional benefits are typically included with the plan |
| Death benefit is paid to the funeral home | Death benefit is paid directly to the beneficiary |
| Prices are set by the funeral home that is used (no price shopping) | Families can price shop funeral homes to get the best deal |
Final Expense Insurance
Final expense insurance is a great alternative option when compared to prepaid funerals. Also known as burial insurance and funeral insurance, this plan offers three permanent benefits that will allow seniors to plan for their funerals and other costs associated with death.
Price Never Increases: The monthly premiums are locked in and will never change. This allows seniors on a fixed income the peace of mind to afford the policy well into the future.
Coverage Never Terminates: The death benefit is permanent, which means seniors will never outlive their policy. This lifts any burden off the shoulders of families and will assure a distribution will be paid out.
Builds Cash Value: With every payment made, a portion will go towards the cash value. Over time this amount will grow and can be borrowed from.
The best burial insurance companies are financially stable and have very competitive premiums.
Other Funeral Planning Options
Joint Bank Account: Once someone passes away, their assets are not available until the estate has been settled. A joint bank account can help surviving family members with this issue. This allows for the survivor on the bank account to have access to the funds immediately.
Payable on Death Account: This option is set up through your financial institution. With this plan, the account holder lists a beneficiary, and once they pass away, the funds will be available to the listed recipient. Payable on Death (POD) will avoid probate.
Existing Life Insurance Plan: Using an existing life insurance policy is a popular option to cover your funeral expenses. If this is the method you decide to use, it is important that you inform your beneficiary that you would like a portion of the money to be used for your funeral costs.
Communicate with Your Family
When loved ones pass away, emotions are high, and a detailed guide will help everyone come together and carry out the final arrangements as planned. Regardless of which financial funeral planning resource you use, communicating your detailed plan to your family is of the utmost importance.
Final Thoughts About Prepaid Funerals
a. Prepaid funerals can be beneficial for particular circumstances. This includes seniors who know exactly where and how they would like to be buried.
b. The main issue with prepaid funerals is the unknown. If you change your mind on where you would like to be buried or any other details of your funeral, you may be on the hook for the money that has been paid into the plan.
c. Even if you are 100 percent sure of your final wishes, there are still risks, including funeral homes going out of business.
I’m the owner and founder of Willamette Life Insurance. Willamette Life specializes in Final Expense Insurance. We compare prices with different insurance carriers while finding the perfect match for your health and budget. This company was started to help educate the public on why Final Expense Insurance could be a great option for them and their family. We strive to be friendly, informative, and always have the client’s best interest as our top priority. Everything in this article is my own professional opinion and experiences I have had during my time in helping clients.