Preplan frequent questions

Pre-planning is making decisions about your funeral in advance, in as simple or as detailed a manner as you wish. Our Funeral Directors have had many years of experience in service to our community and can answer all the questions you may have.

Everyone financially concerned about funeral arrangements for their parents or themselves should consider pre-planning. If you have children, are planning retirement, live alone, or have specific funeral-related preferences, then pre- planning affords you the greatest protection – to be assured that your wishes are followed. It is both wise and responsible to make decisions about your future now.

Yes. Pre-planning is an approved form of trust. Our funeral directors can explain more about this in greater detail.

Most persons who pre-plan do so because it gives them peace of mind. It allows them to exercise their freedom to choose exactly what kind of funeral service is desired. It provides opportunity to discuss life’s greatest challenge with loved ones, in a relaxed setting – free from the stress of otherwise having to make detailed decisions at the difficult time that follows death.

Yes. The laws allow for Medicaid recipients to pre-finance without the loss of benefits. This is especially true as a legitimate spenddown in order to qualify for skilled, long-term care costs to be supplemented by the state. This is because the pre-funding product is invariably made “irrevocable” (i.e., not reducible to cash); and as such is a non-countable asset for eligibility purposes.

Yes. By choosing your funeral needs in advance and setting aside enough funds to cover the entirety of those costs involved, “prepayment” toward funeral home related goods and services at today’s prices shall be cost-protected against inflation. In other words, we promise that for whatever you pay ahead that the funeral home provides (services, use of facilities and staff, vehicles, casket, and certain goods) you will “never have to pay dime one more.” 

This funeral home guarantee makes pre-planning a win-win for the family being served, alleviating them from any concern as to how the funding product may grow over time – for if the product growth fails to offset the increased cost at time of need, the funeral home simply credits back that shortfall at time of need.

Yes. While regulations governing particulars of the funeral industry differ slightly from state to state, there are laws in place across the country, especially since the 1980s and 1990s, that protect consumers and limit funeral homes to utilizing pre-funding products provided only by certain, well-established insurance companies that enjoy excellent financial strength ratings or trust companies bonded / protected by FDIC.

Always call us first. It is best that we, as the primary funeral home in charge of arrangements, be the one who selects a funeral / shipping service local to where the death takes place. Whoever we select then acts as our agent; and your family is charged only minimal (wholesale) rates for the essential out-of-town services we contract for in your behalf – saving your family possibly thousands of dollars. 

Costs associated with these types of unanticipated situations can still be considerable, however. Costs can range from as little as $2,500 within the country to as much as $10,000 internationally, depending on where in the world. Notably, there is reasonably priced insurance available specifically designed to cover all associated costs, logistics, and transportation, including permits/documentation and dealing with foreign authorities. Our directors can explain the details of this special type of Pre-Planning insurance* – especially appropriate for folk who travel considerably, periodically visiting family, or seasonably move between residences. 

* Sepio Guard Away From Home Assurance® provides worldwide and lifetime coverage of all costs pertaining to the retrieval of your body from wherever you should die (if more than 75 miles away from your residence) and delivery into the care of your local funeral home.

Not a problem. Laws across the country require that only the funeral home who ultimately provides the funeral services at time of death shall be entitled to the PreNeed funds set aside. Any funeral home selected At-Need will simply claim the funds directly from the PreNeed Plan or will enlist the required cooperation of the initially selected funeral home, if necessary.

This means that should circumstances change for any reason – say, your family moves permanently out of the area, or the initially selected funeral home goes out of business, or you simply want to move your plan from one funeral home to another – you have every right to change funeral homes. And such selection can often be advisable to do while you are still alive. Our directors can explain more fully.