Join to see when we post new obituaries

Your email will not be used for any other purpose and will not be shared. You may unsubscribe at any time.

What’s the Benefit of Paying for My Funeral in Advance?

Sep 13, 2024

Planning for your end-of-life ceremony, your funeral, has many benefits. Some of them are practical, some are emotional, and some are financial. For some, planning in advance actually helps them live a better, more purpose-driven life.

When a person pushes past the discomfort of considering their own mortality and considers how they would like to be remembered, it can tighten the focus about how they are living life now. If one wants to be remembered as a good parent or kind person, what are they doing today to support that goal?

Planning the ceremony as well as setting the tone and direction of the service that takes place can be done with or without paying for the funeral in advance. However, there are some often overlooked advantages to paying for your funeral before death occurs.

Side-Step Inflation

We all understand that financial considerations change as the times change. We all know costs tend to increase overtime. Just 20 years ago in 2000, a loaf of bread cost on average $1.99. Twenty years before that in 1980, it cost $0.50. Today, well you know, it costs more. Funerals also inflate in cost over time. That cost increases at a much slower rate (6.6% 2016 to 2021 according to the NFDA) than the bread, but still, the cost increases. When planning in advance, be sure to ask your advance planning funeral professional how you can pay in advance and avoid the impact of future cost increases.

Cover the Cost / Pay in Affordable Increments

When a person dies and the family plans and pays for the funeral, the full cost is typically required before the service takes place. Covering the cost of an advance funeral plan can be done in affordable flexible payments. Many funeral homes offer programs that will cover the entire cost should you die during the payment period. When planning in advance, ask your advance funeral planning professional about payment plans.

Remove the Emotion from the Cost

The death of a family member, a spouse, or a parent is a crushing emotional experience. We should feel … and we do. However, it is not necessarily a good time to make buying decisions. Emotions are high, we loved in full and all too often that makes us equate spending more with our overflowing love. Plans made and paid for in advance are completed in an atmosphere of emotional neutrality. Choices are still made with love, but they are not charged with emotion.

Eliminate the Financial Responsibility for Family

Even if you are leaving a good size estate for your family, those funds may not be available until the estate is settled. This can take months. Some states require probate or an estate to be settled in a specified time frame while others have no requirements. This can extend the time it takes for the estate to settle to a year or more. The family has the responsibility for covering the cost of the funeral while they wait for inheritance to be distributed.

When a person pushes past the discomfort of facing their own mortality and not only plans but also funds their funeral in advance, they not only set the tone and direction of the service, they also assure that the cost of the funeral reflects their values. Those who lived frugally, or modestly, or were fortunate enough to be able to spend with exuberance can be sure their funeral reflects the life they lived.

www.bisslerandsons.com

Bissler & Sons Funeral Home and Crematory has served families in Kent, Ohio, and all of Portage County since 1913. The company transitioned ownership in 2018 when Rick Bissler retired and arranged to merge his family’s funeral home with the Billow family’s funeral homes, who carry on the tradition of high quality funeral, burial, memorial and cremation services. Their privately owned and operated crematory ensures that loved ones never leave their professional care. Visit bisslerandsons.com to learn more.

< Older Post Newer Post >

How Can We Honor Our Family Member Who Died and Keep the Holiday Celebratory?

30 Oct, 2024

There are those people in our lives who we connect with on certain holidays. When we think of Christmas, Hanukkah, or the 4th of July, this person comes to mind. It might be the cookies they baked, the blessing they said, or the fireworks show they were known for. Regardless of what they did, it is difficult to imagine the holiday without this person. Celebrating the holiday, especially for the first time, following their death can be hard. The goal is not to lose the celebratory nature of the holiday in the void created by the death of the person we loved. It is to incorporate the memory into the celebration of the holiday.

What Should Be Included in a Funeral Program?

26 Oct, 2024

There are so many aspects of putting together a funeral that it’s easy to overlook some things. But every element of funeral planning is vital for different reasons. One often-overlooked component is the funeral program.What exactly is a funeral program?And what do you find in one? What is a funeral program? Funeral programs serve the essential purposes of giving attendees information about the service and of being a tangible memento that honors the life of the decedent. These programs may be the size of one sheet of paper, a card, or a larger booklet. Most often, they are provided to funeral attendees either when they enter the room where the service will be held or placed on the seats before the guests arrive. What goes in a funeral program? Funeral programs can be as unique as the service itself, but there is a general order to what goes into these pages. Here’s what you may find in a funeral program: 1. A cover honoring the decedent The cover of a funeral program often consists of the name of the person whose life is being honored, a photo of them, and the years of their birth and death. Making a cover this way makes it clear whose service guests are attending. However, a cover may also consist of other elements that show more of the decedent’s personality. For instance, a funeral program’s cover may also have one of the decedent’s most beloved quotes, poems, prayers, or song lyrics. Just as an obituary doesn’t have to have a somber tone if the decedent was known for their humorous personality, it’s fitting to make the funeral program show off that personality. The cover is a good place to set that tone. 2. The obituary Within the pages of a funeral program, it’s customary to find the decedent’s obituary. Although you may have previously shared the obituary on your funeral home’s website, a website dedicated to obituaries, social media, local newspaper, or other locations, writing it in the funeral program helps to immortalize that spirit of your loved one. 3. Service information Because a funeral program is a memento of the service, it should include the service information. You’ll want to write the date, time, and location of where the funeral is being held. 4. Order of service As the name suggests, the order of service is the order in which the events of the service will be held. Some events may include the introduction, prayers, readings, musical performances, eulogies, additional speeches, and closing remarks. If you’re having a religious service, you may want to talk to a religious leader to ensure that your order of service fits the traditional funeral ceremony performed by that religion. For example, traditional Catholic funerals do not include a eulogy. Whether you’re holding a religious ceremony or not, you should also talk to your funeral director to make certain that you know the proper order of the service before writing the program. Alongside each element of the order of service, you should also write who is leading that portion of the service. 5. Where to find prayers, hymns, and scripture readings If you’re holding a religious service, you should include in the funeral program where to find prayers, hymns, and scripture readings. Doing so allows the guests to read and sing along when the time arrives. Especially if you’re expecting a large service, it may be hard for some guests to hear the officiant. By providing directions to where to find the readings, no guest will have to worry about missing important information. 6. Song or hymn lyrics Similarly to why you would provide where to find readings, you may want to write the lyrics to songs or hymns that you may wish the funeral-goers to sing along to. If anyone is unfamiliar with these songs or hymns, they will be grateful you provided the lyrics. Even if guests don’t sing along, these songs were chosen to be a part of the funeral for a reason. It’s meaningful for guests to be able to study those lyrics, which were important to the decedent or hold great significance. 7. Pallbearers and flower bearers While the names of the eulogists, singers, and other speakers will be included in the order of service, you may also want to share the names of the pallbearers and flower bearers in the funeral program. If you do choose to write them, you should remember to also include anyone who is an honorary pallbearer or flower bearer. 8. Additional service information If there’s a committal service or reception after the funeral, you should also share directions and information about these services. You should write when and where they will be held, as well as any additional pertinent information.