Why You Should Plan Your Own Memorial Service

As discussed in last January’s article, “Life Insurance: Preparing for the Inevitable”, planning for death is not something people get excited about. Most of us enjoy living and experiencing everything life has to offer. However, there is no getting around the fact that we’ll all eventually breathe our last one day, making it very practical to plan our own memorial services while we’re still alive.

 

There’s usually a lot of important arrangements to be made when planning for a memorial service. While they can seem trivial today, these decisions can have a strong influence on how the people you knew will honor you when you’re no longer around.

 

 

Doing It Your Way

 

Planning for a memorial service today is not the same as it was fifty or so years ago. There’s a lot more thought that goes into these services today that can sometimes be overlooked.

 

You have a lot more options when it comes to all the ceremonies and rituals that accompany your memorial service, for instance. In the same way, you can also choose whether to be cremated or buried. You can even choose where your remains are to be stored. Perhaps you want to join your family in a previously purchased vault, you can arrange for that. Whatever your final wishes may be, there’s likely a way to make them happen.

 

But, unless you plan ahead and advise your surviving loved ones of these wishes, they may not necessarily know what you want and opt for something that’s convenient. Pre-arranging while you’re still alive enables you to have the final say in how you’ll be laid to rest. It’s a way for you to personally ensure that your heritage is preserved and your memory continues to live on among those whose lives you touched.

 

Above all else, it saves your surviving family members from having to make these hard decisions themselves, lifting a huge weight from their shoulders during a difficult time.

 

 

Saving On Expenses

 

It’s easy to just put all your final wishes down on paper and tell your family about it, but doing just that won’t cover any of the expenses needed for carrying it all out.

 

Do you really want to leave your family with the burden of unpaid funeral expenses?

You should know that the cost of memorial services in the country have been rising year-on-year. Surely, you don’t want your surviving loved ones to be footing the cost out-of-pocket. That can be a huge financial blow on their part.

 

That’s why there’s great value in purchasing a memorial plan, which usually covers the basic funeral services.

 

Like insurance, memorial plans safeguard your family’s financial resources by letting you honor your last wishes in the most cost-efficient way possible. The costs of funeral services are significantly lower when pre-arranged than when arranged on the spot.

 

Because, you’re not using it yet, you also have time to canvas and weigh different options. This offers you some flexibility in being able to fit your arrangements within your allotted budget.

 

On top of all this, most, if not all, memorial plans offer installment payment options, making the cost a bit easier on the pocket.

 

Planning for your own memorial service when you feel strong and healthy can be a daunting task. It admittedly takes some courage to do it. Yet it’s also very rewarding if you think about it, as it brings you and your family some peace of mind in knowing that you’re prepared for any uncertainty.