Tips for Making Funeral Arrangements

When making funeral arrangements, most people spend more than they have to because they’re not in the mood to bargain or do proper research. The following six tactics can help you keep funeral costs reasonable:

• Learn your rights. Funeral homes are prohibited from charging certain fees, and they must disclose prices and certain laws.
• Preplan. Having a conversation with your family about your desires will prevent them from ordering everything on the funeral home menu.
• Don’t pre-pay. You could lose money if you change your plans or if the funeral home goes out of business. It’s smarter to create a funeral trust or a pay-on-death account.
• Consider pre-owned plots. Purchasing a plot in advance has historically been a common practice, but be careful if you intend to move in the future.
• Compare funeral home prices. Shop around even if you plan on picking the same funeral home that your family last used.
• Shop around for funeral goods. You can purchase many goods from places other than the funeral home, including caskets, urns, flowers, reception books, etc.

See Kelli B. Grant, How to Cut Funeral Costs Now, SmartMoney, Aug. 30, 2010.

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) for bringing this to my attention.