No one likes to think about it, but at some point, all of us will pass away. In the United States alone, over 2 million people die every year. It might end up being a good idea to discuss pre-arranged funeral planning. Planning a funeral for a loved one can be
beneficial to the family while going through the death of a loved one and can end up saving them money in the long run.

When going over your funeral planning checklist, you get the chance to decide what you want and need. Your friends and family will be experiencing a lot of powerful emotions during this time so having everything planned before the event occurs makes things much easier.

Probably the biggest decision to be made in regards to the funeral pre-arrangements is where the remains will be scattered or the body laid at rest. You will have the final say in where you will find your final resting place, which takes a big burden off of the family members who would be deciding it otherwise. You can discuss this with your funeral director and choose the cemetery and decide if it is in the condition or location you deem best for you.

Should you decide you want to go down the path of prepaying your funeral as well, those options are available. You can choose to pay the whole amount or a partial amount to get a head start. That choice is completely up to you as there is no need to pay right now and, in fact, it can be detrimental if you change plans down the line. Funeral services can end up charging cancellation fees to those who decide to go another route. Depending on the state you live in, there can be varying protection laws to govern the prepayment of funeral goods and services; various states have laws to help ensure that these advance payments are available to pay for the funeral products and services when they’re needed. Unfortunately, in some cases with no laws protecting you, if a funeral service goes out of business, you could be out of a good chunk of money. Talking with your funeral director is the best way to decide if prepaying your funeral is right for you.

If you decide that you do want to prepay a certain amount, according to the Federal Trade Commission, you should keep the following in mind.

• What are you paying for? Will it be only a casket, or will you need services as well?

• What happens to the money you pay in advance? Does your state offer any protection for prearranged funerals?

• How much interest will you be looking at?

• Are you protected if they go out of business?

• Can you cancel your preplanned funeral and get a full refund?

• What happens if you die while in another state?

As with many other goods and services, prices fluctuate over time. Starting to pay your funeral director for the services you plan to have him carry you can either rise or drop as time goes along. Be sure to do the proper research and decide what is best for your situation.