Plan It Your Way
Our first installment

Planning For My Funeral? I plan to live for a long time!

No doubt you do, as do we all! Nevertheless, the importance of planning for the end of one's life cannot be overstated. Inevitably, everyone dies. No matter how careful a lifestyle we may follow, there is no telling when our life will end; some people will live until a ripe old age, while others may die earlier either through accident, illness or some other form of misfortune. Planning one's funeral should not be a task that is put aside for 'a rainy day' because often that day may never arrive.

To help ease your family's burden after you die, and to help them focus on coping with their grief, it is most thoughtful and considerate to have the details of one's estate and all financial affairs (including the cost of the funeral) arranged. Far from being a morbid task, planning ones funeral can be an emotionally freeing activity that one can (and ideally should) share with loved ones.

For relatively young people in their 20's or 30's, who may see their life opening up before them as they enjoy their careers, get married and so forth, it is understandable that contemplating the end of their life may be a repellent idea. By completing the arrangements and funding their funeral, taking out life insurance etc. they will be able to clearly focus on the glory days of their lives without the nagging concern that they are not leaving the strands of their personal and financial affairs swaying in the wind; their outcome uncertain.

What are the facts and advantages of preplanning and financing one's funeral?

The first step in preplanning should be to make a Will. Dying in testate (without a Will) leaves many unanswered questions, the risk of family factions fighting over funeral arrangements, the future of any offspring and the fate of your estate which most governments may try to seize.

Preplanning a funeral involves choosing one's preferred arrangements for the funeral. This will involve basic choices such as: the choice of funeral home, whether to be buried or cremated, to have flowers or perhaps request a donation to a charity and so forth.

Paying for the funeral ahead of time is easily achieved. After finalizing the arrangements with the funeral director you can pay the cost of the funeral which is then held in trust¹. Often there is interest on the trust money that is index-linked so that the fund will not fall short, as prices will inevitably rise as the years go by. Alternatively, you can take out a life insurance policy, which will cover the cost of the funeral as well as provide some financial comfort for your family. Update the policy as and when you see fit.

To elaborate:

• If you are forthright about your desires for your funeral, then this will save your family from the mental anguish of trying to decide for themselves while in the midst of grief. Additionally, people often have families from previous marriages or relationships and preplanning should stave off any conflict over how the funeral is to be carried out.
• Financing the funeral will eliminate a financial hardship that can often cause more distress for a family, especially as many families mistakenly believe that the amount of money spent on a funeral is a reflection of the love for the deceased. Therefore some families put themselves in difficult financial situations.
• Make a Will. Do not die leaving your affairs in disarray. Update this Will from time to time as your life's circumstances change.

Some Advice To Get You Started

You don't have to do this alone. On the contrary, it is better to ask for advice from a trusted family member. Begin by selecting a licensed funeral director of good repute - you may have friends or family who can recommend someone. Enquire as to how your prepayment will be made secure/invested. You may move house, leave town or the province/state during your lifetime, so ensure that this arrangement will be flexible and transferable should such a situation occur. Don't leave out any details of your preplanning that you may consider minor. While grieving, people can often blow such 'minor' considerations out of proportion.

Choices that you can make include:

• Choose a Funeral Home (if desired)
• Arrange a meeting with the Funeral Director
• Choose a location (for example Church) if the service is to be performed elsewhere
• Choose a type of service (i.e. religious, alternative, personalized, military, etc.)
• Specify burial or cremation
• Choose a Casket or Urn
• Choose a Vault or Crypt
• Flowers (yes or no)
• Music
• Select an outfit for the viewing / burial
• Choose the following members to participate:
• Pallbearers (if necessary)
• Scripture readings (if not to be performed by clergy)
• Deliverer of eulogy (if not to be performed by clergy)
• Provide relevant information (i.e. living family members) so that no one fails to hear about your death
• Specify a Charity for donations in lieu of flowers
• Ensure that multiple copies of the "Proof of Death" are ordered (for life insurance claims, survivor's benefits, etc.)

Online Funeral Planning

Plan It Your Way is being designed to aid those who want to preplan their funerals online. We anticipate the full launch to occur early in 2001. In the meantime, you can use our online directories to search for a funeral home, insurance provider and funeral insurance provider to start the process.

No matter what happens, it is your funeral: make sure the arrangements are what you wish for. Do ask questions if you don't understand something. Get a friend or trusted family member to review the contract with you before you sign anything. Then keep a copy of the contract in a safe place but do make certain that a trusted friend or member of the family knows its whereabouts, so that it can be easily located when the time comes.

Your Documents

Hopefully, if you've read this far, you should have been convinced about the benefits of not only having a funeral service but also about how thoughtful an act it is to preplan and prepay it. A good way to start preplanning the future of your estate is to get your personal documents in order. Having a record of all your personal documents, kept accessible to your immediate family and executor(s), will spare your loved ones from the additional stress of having to search for them whilst enduring their grief.

Use the form provided to help you make a record of your documents. Print it out as often as needed because your life's circumstances will alter over time and changes may need to be made. We recommend keeping 3 copies of this list in/with:

• A safety deposit box (or other location in which your important documents are kept) ·
• Your spouse or significant other ·
• Somewhere convenient for you to make adjustments as necessary.

We recommend that you keep at least 3 copies

1 This may differ in countries other than Canada.