Funeral Pre-Planning Guide
Take care of all the funeral pre-arrangement details and give you and your family the peace-of-mind you deserve. We have created the following funeral pre-planning guide to help you with the process.
View Our Funeral Pre-Planning E-Book (Wall Location)
View Our Funeral Pre-Planning E-Book (Brick Location)
It may be hard to accept, but death is unavoidable and thus something we should prepare for. Although you might not want to think about preplanning your funeral, it’s something that everyone should at least give some thought to. If not for your own peace-of-mind, then for the well-being of those you leave behind.
Our Funeral Pre-Planning Checklist
In an effort to help make pre-planning your funeral easier, we have developed a comprehensive checklist of what’s involved. Below, our funeral pre-planning checklist outlines each of the steps we recommend you follow as you work through the prearrangement process. Think of this checklist as your funeral pre-planning guide.
As always, our experienced and helpful staff will be by your side throughout the entire process. Should you have any questions about preplanning your funeral, please do not hesitate to ask. Once you’ve worked through the funeral pre-planning checklist, we invite you to
contact us
to finalize your arrangements. If you would like a copy of our funeral pre-planning checklist, please feel free to download it below. Having a copy for yourself is useful to ensure you do not miss any important details when pre-planning a funeral.
Taking Care of Finances and Property
Create a contact list of everyone who should be notified in a medical emergency or death including the name of your funeral home.
Give your executor(s) a copy of your will and the contact list.
Give your executor(s) a list of bank and investment accounts, creditors, mortgage or lien information, insurance policies, retirement plans, safe deposit boxes, real and personal properties of value and all related telephone numbers.
If you are receiving benefits from Social Security or the Veterans' Administration, your executor needs that information to suspend benefit payments.
Select someone you trust to deal with your online accounts: email, online memberships, and social media. Include all relevant information and whether or not they should delete, close, or keep any of the accounts.
Taking Care of Funeral-Related Details
We suggest the following:
Make note of all the details you want mentioned in your obituary. You could even take this one step further and write your own obituary.
State, in writing, your preferences for burial or cremation.
If burial is preferred, provide the details of the cemetery arrangements. If you have not purchased a burial plot, this is the time to do so.
If you have chosen burial, what type of casket would you like? Should it be made of wood, metal, or composite materials?
If you choose cremation, what do you want done with the ashes?
Would you like a traditional funeral, memorial service, or celebration-of-life?
If you'd like a celebration-of-life, what location would you suggest for this event?
What special activities would you prefer at a celebration-of-life?
What music or special readings would you prefer?
What type and colors of flowers would you prefer?
Would you like to select a charitable organization to receive donations in your name?
If you're a veteran, would you like to receive full military honors as part of your service? Would you like to be buried in the grounds of a veterans' cemetery?
Download Our Funeral Pre-Planning Checklist
Taking Care of Your Pets
If you share your life with animal companions, you should think about who you would like to take care of your pets. Consult with the person to see if this is something they are interested in doing for you and then write down your intentions and include all contact information. This should be signed and witnessed, and then given to your executor.
Final Tasks in Funeral Pre-Planning
In addition to your will, the contact list, and the list of all your online account login details and related documents should be provided to your executor. Finally, you may want to consider paying ahead of time for your funeral choices:
Pre-Paying for Your Funeral
If you are interested in paying for your service ahead of time, there are several options available. Our staff can help arrange a payment option that’s right for you. Whether that’s monthly installments or a lump sum payment, we can create a plan that’s right for you. There are a growing number of options available to the public today when seeking to preplan and prepay for their final wishes. We can tailor a plan that's right for you. From single pay plans to automatic monthly bank withdrawals designed to meet anyone's budget concerns, our staff would be pleased to outline the choices available. Pre-paying can protect you and your family from future inflationary trends while providing the peace-of-mind of knowing that they will be cared for after you are gone.
There are two ways for you to complete your funeral pre-arrangement plan:
Pre-Plan Your Funeral Online
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. You'll be asked to create an account with a username and password so you can login at any time to complete or change the plan.
Turn to the Professionals
Many people are more comfortable making these decisions with funeral professionals. If you would like us to help, or have more questions about how to pre-plan a funeral, please call us or send us an email using the Contact Us form.