Can You Pay For Your Own Funeral?
It usually is not the most exciting or delightful conversation, that is, discussing what you want to happen for your funeral once you pass on. Thinking of one’s own demise or reminding loved ones that no one’s life lasts forever can be a sad realization to have to broach. Still, it is an important one that must be had.
When you put together your estate plan, there are many issues you can tackle and account for. A comprehensive estate plan will achieve multiple objectives, all of which can be customized per your preferences. There are several estate planning tools at one’s disposal that may be used to accomplish one’s wishes both in life and after death. Planning and paying for a funeral is one.
For all of your estate planning questions, The Villages, FL trust administration attorneys at Millhorn Elder Law Planning Group can meet with you to go over things and provide more information.
How Does a Funeral Trust Work?
You can provide instructions for what to happen during your funeral in your estate plan. Ideally, you will have those who manage your estate follow your directions and ensure everything is right. But, funerals can be very expensive, costing thousands of dollars depending on what is done and what services are utilized.
On top of mourning the loss of a loved one, the additional task during this time for planning a funeral can be incredibly difficult as it is. Then, adding to the potentially painful undertaking is figuring out how to pay for everything. Combined, the whole process can be quite stressful for loved ones.
To help, you can put together a funeral trust as a part of your end-of-life documents that can make the process go a bit more smoothly. Taking care of the finances ahead of time can go a long way to helping your family celebrate your life and mourn their loss without having to fret over where to find the financial resources by themselves.
A funeral trust allows you to pay for the expenses that will come with your funeral. You put money aside in a trust that the funeral home manages, and when it is time for a funeral to take place, the funeral home will use what is in the trust to pay for everything. Some of the expenses that can be included and funded by a funeral trust include:
- Caskets
- Burial plots
- Urns
- The cost of the funeral home venue
- Transportation
- Flowers
- Clothing
- Entertainment
A funeral trust can be the means you use to make sure your loved ones are not burdened by figuring out how to pay for your end-of-life expenses. Though, it is important to do your research when reviewing different funeral homes to establish a trust. Funeral homes with positive reviews and highly rated for being responsible arbiters of money will be the best options.
Speak to a Florida Estate Planning Attorney Today
Before determining if a funeral trust will be right for your circumstances, it is a good idea to discuss this estate planning option with an experienced attorney. For help with your estate plan and for more information on funeral trusts, please call the Florida estate planning law firm, Millhorn Elder Law Planning Group, to schedule a free consultation at 800-743-9732.
Source:
consumer.ftc.gov/articles/funeral-costs-pricing-checklist
