Just Put Me In The Cheapest Cardboard Box!

No fancy casket for this middle-aged gal. Seriously, put me in the lowest end box, cremate me and then party up a great life lived, with a few tears and plenty of laughter!

BUT unless I’m willing to have someone do this illegally (and I can’t say I have many friends that’d be willing to sign up for this job – LOL) then having this part of my death looked after is pretty important.

Dennis Richardson can bring a smile to your face even when the topic is funeral pre-planning. I asked him if he’d kindly put together a blog for me – so thank you Dennis.

Funeral Preplanning
By Dennis Richardson

You know the loss of a loved one is a very emotional difficult time in your life. There are numerous decisions that need to be made and many arrangements that need to be handled in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, these decisions are made when you are least able to handle them or afford them.

Funeral preplanning is the process of making plans for your own funeral – or that of a loved one – well in advance of need, in a non-stressful environment. It is done at a time when you are better prepared to make sound, fiscally responsible decisions. Preplanning allows you to consider cost-effective options to meet your family’s needs. In addition to more obvious items, funeral preplanning might also include covering travel expenses for family or close friends that may have financial trouble getting to the funeral, household operating costs while the estate is being settled, etc.

In recent years more and more people have opted to make funeral arrangements prior to their death. They find that funeral preplanning gives them peace of mind knowing that their wishes will be respected and that the family has fewer burdens from making decisions about funeral arrangements during a time of grief. In addition, benefits to prefunding a funeral arrangement include:

• The funeral services are frozen at to days prices, even though they may be required years later
• Funds are available immediately to pay funeral costs, with no waiting due to probate.
• Prevents other life insurance policies from being depleted at the time of a loved one’s death.
• It is portable; therefore, if you move to another area the plan may be used to fund a new prearranged funeral contract with the funeral firm of your choice.

Funeral preplanning is just as practical, just as important and just as simple as planning for a college education, a future wedding, a new home or even retirement. Contact your nearest funeral home for more information or Canada Purple Shield, the largest provider of financial solutions for funeral preplanning.

Information provided by Dennis Richardson, Certified Preplanning Consultant, agent for Canada Purple Shield. You can reach Dennis at:
Dennis.Richardson@shaw.ca or (250) 338-4463.