Funeral Planning

If you haven’t thought about what you want your funeral to be like, then perhaps it’s time that you did. Whether we like it or not at some point we are all going to die and when that happens some kind of funeral is going to need to take place.

You might fall into the group of people who don’t care what happens to you as after all “you’ll be dead so won’t know’’ and that’s fine. However, if you care about the people that you’ll be leaving behind, you might want to put something together to make life easier for them. Some people have a very clear idea of how they would like their funeral to be but have been unsure of how to start the conversation needed to get their funeral organised.

The simplest thing to do to ensure that you leave your loved ones with neither the emotional, logistical or financial burden is to take out a pre- paid funeral plan. I don’t mean one of those products advertised on TV that always starts with someone in the kitchen or garden saying “are you over fifty?’’ as these are often just a policy or savings plan that may pay out as little as £1500 when you die, which unfortunately won’t cover the cost of even the simplest funeral locally, despite being presented as something to be used to cover the cost of your funeral.

What I’m talking about is a comprehensive plan that is paid for either in full at the time of taking it out therefore fixing the cost at today’s prices or over a few years- whichever you prefer.

Everyone I know who has had experience of losing a loved one who had a plan in place has said just how much easier it made things at a really difficult time for them and not just financially. Knowing that the send off that their loved one was getting was exactly how they had wished it to be was a huge comfort for them.

I appreciate that you might not like to talk to your family about the practicalities of dying for fear of upsetting them, but by having a plan in place the only thing you need to do is to tell them who to call when the time comes. Whilst detailing your funeral wishes in your Will is advisable, it doesn’t guarantee that what you want to happen will happen, as often a Will is read after the funeral has taken place! Not ideal if you wanted to be buried and you’ve already been cremated!

You can give as much or as little detail in a funeral plan as you like. You might like to detail readings, music, dress codes or you might just be happy that you’ve paid for it and leave the rest up to your family to decide when you’re gone. Either way you’ve made life a little easier for them at a time when they could really do with the help.

For more information on funeral plans or Wills and Lasting Power of Attorney please contact me on 01903 821010 or via email emma.wells@nsure.co.uk.