Why Pay for Your Funeral in Advance
The hours, days, and weeks after a loss can be hectic and emotionally overwhelming. Family members will need to make many decisions, handle multiple phone calls, settle financial affairs, and arrange a funeral, all while coping with the weight of their grief.
While there’s no way to make losing a loved one easy, there are ways to reduce the stress on your loved ones at the end of your life. Funeral preplanning can be a priceless gift to your loved ones. Not only does planning in advance allow you to ensure your final wishes are honored, but it also provides peace of mind for you and protects loved ones from unexpected costs.
Avoid Unexpected Final Expenses
The end of life can be expensive. Medical bills, lingering debts, and lost income can all put a financial strain on a family even before the funeral itself needs to be paid for. Knowing in advance what a funeral will cost and arranging that payment yourself lifts a tremendous burden from your loved ones.
When you
preplan your funeral, you lock in the price and protect against inflation and future price increases. Your plan is saved with the funeral home and can be transferred if you move or need to change locations for any reason.
Control Funeral Costs
Aside from protection against inflation, preplanning your funeral allows you to manage costs in other ways. When emotions are running high, family members can make decisions they normally wouldn’t. They may be tempted to over-spend out of feelings of grief and regret, or as an expression of love. The sentiment is well-meaning, but it may not match your values.
Preplanning allows you to prevent this kind of emotional overspending by choosing your funeral details at a time when you’re calm and able to think rationally. You can still incorporate input and preferences from your loved ones, but you can take some time to decide whether the $10,000 casket is a priority. Your funeral director will help you find the best choices for your budget, values, and personality so you can rest assured your plan suits you.

When the time comes, your loved ones will know that you chose everything to suit your preferences, so there’s no second-guessing what you’d have wanted and no need to agonize over whether their selections are “good enough” to honor your memory. Instead, they can focus on more important things, like sharing memories and supporting each other through grief.
Will Life Insurance Cover My Funeral?
Most regular term or whole life insurance policies are designed to replace the deceased’s income, not cover the cost of a funeral. It’s not unusual for a life insurance claim to take weeks or even months to process, leaving beneficiaries waiting for death benefits to arrive.
Working directly with the funeral home to arrange pre-payment ensures that these delays won’t affect your funeral. Your loved ones won’t have to worry about taking on debt or scrambling for funds to cover the funeral service and hoping for reimbursement.
Horan & McConaty offers
two prepayment options to suit your needs: you can pay in full in advance, or pay in installments. Both methods place the funds in a secure account and guarantee the price of the services you choose, giving you peace of mind that your expenses will be fully covered.
Begin Planning Today for Peace of Mind Tomorrow
Preplanning your funeral arrangements is a considerate and thoughtful action that provides significant benefits to both you and your family. By easing emotional and financial burdens, ensuring timely availability of funds, and allowing for personalized services, preplanning can make a challenging time a little easier for your loved ones.
If you're ready to begin planning your final expenses,
reach out today to get started. One of Horan & McConaty's preplanning specialists will reach out to begin the process so that you can have peace of mind for the future.
