REASONS TO PLAN AHEAD
With the passing of time comes a change in seasons. Some seasons are much less pleasant than others, but being prepared by planning ahead allows you to minimize any discomfort you, or your loved ones, might otherwise experience. Great peace of mind will come from preplanning, as it will prevent important decisions from being made at an emotional time.
Our Family Service Counselors at White-Emerson will help you put your final wishes in writing. Your loved ones won't question: "Did we do the right thing? Did we forget anything? Is this honoring his/her wishes? Did we spend too much?" There won't be questions if you have already provided the answers in writing.
Preplanning is the first step. Many people are also considering ways to fund their funeral. Both preplanning and pre-funding work together to assure you that everything is taken care of. There are 5 key benefits to preplanning:
- To ensure your thoughts and wishes will be fulfilled. Your family will want to honor your wishes, but, in order to do so, it is helpful to make those wishes clear.
- To alleviate difficulties for your survivors. At the time of loss, your family members need to be able to grieve. Preplanning your funeral will spare them the worry of having to make important decisions at an emotionally difficult time, and it may also help avoid family disagreements. After a thorough prearrangement, your family will basically have only 2 decisions to make... the time and day of the service.
- To avoid unnecessary overspending. Studies have shown that families making decisions under emotional stress typically spend more than people who preplan. Families also need to be aware that they will incur other costs related to the funeral such as: purchase of cemetery property, grave opening/closing, flowers, and minister's and musicians honoraria.
- To hedge against inflation. If a family prepays a funeral, the funeral home's goods and services are guaranteed at today's price and will not escalate with inflation. With funeral costs nearly doubling every 10-12 years, this guarantee can prove to provide substantial savings.
- To reduce your assets so that you may qualify for Medicaid if you come to require the care of a nursing home. When a person enters a nursing home, the nursing home is going to utilize all your funds before you can qualify for Medicaid. By using available money to prepay a funeral before funds are exhausted, the family can be assured that funeral costs will be taken care of while still qualifying their loved one for Medicaid.
Preplanning is flexible in nature, and prepaid funeral plans are generally accepted at any funeral home in the U.S. in the event that the pre-need holder moves or dies away from home. At White-Emerson, prepayment plans are also flexible in that they are paybable monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually at no interest or carrying charge. For over 115 years, White-Emerson has been helping families prepare for life's changing seasons by preplanning. You can be assured that your investment will be a safe one, as integrity is what we are founded on.
Regardless of whether or not you prepay your service, it is important to make a memorandum of your funeral arrangements so that your spouse and/or family can be made aware of your final wishes. Preplanning allows you to confer with your loved ones and make your plans together, thus resolving your most personal matters with a clear mind, in a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere, even in the comfort of your own home. In return, you will save the people you care about most from the emotional turmoil and burdensome decisions that an unplanned funeral can often bring. Please allow our family to serve yours in making these important plans today. Won't you make it your goal?
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Additionally, you may create a new or edit an existing Online Arrangement account by clicking on the links below.