Do you ever wonder how your end of life service will be conducted? Also, do you wonder how family members will bear the expenses of those services? The answer is simple, you can opt for a prepaid cremation plan. You will have to start by meeting with crematoriums and funeral homes in your city and select a prepaid cremation plan from the choices they offer.
Though, it might take planning but opting for a prepaid cremation plan takes off a burden off your shoulder. With the knowledge that your loved ones will not be burdened with the financial responsibility of your cremation will definitely be something that you might want to consider.
Taking this decision and having it executed in the correct way will reduce the stress of your family members upon your demise. The process reduces the overall cost of your cremation. Some plans by service providers also allow the amount to be paid in installments.
Selecting a prepaid cremation plan has you signing a contract with the selected service provider. It details the type of plans you have selected and paid for. It also has details of the person who will be redeeming the package when you pass away.
What are the pros and cons of a prepaid funeral?
Opting for a prepaid funeral has its pros and cons attached with it. Though it does appear to be an appealing option, one should know the depths of the plan before taking one up. We discuss pros and cons of prepaid cremation briefly below.
Pros of a Prepaid Funeral:
- Privilege of One’s Personal Decision
In life, one likes to make their own decisions. By opting for prepaid cremation services, you have the privilege of your personal decision being followed post your death too. Opting for such services the individual leaves the world with the thought that they will be laid to rest as per their wishes.
- Family Has Reduced Burden
When you have taken the services of a prepaid cremation, one of the major pros is that you have reduced the burden of your family by saving them thousands of dollars. When your family loses you, they are already in emotional grief. You taking care of the funeral plans while you were alive makes it a less stressful situation at that time.
- One’s Choice of Funeral Home
After your inquiries, you can choose the funeral home of your choice where you would like to be buried or cremated. Your family will have to adhere to the plan or package you have opted for.
- Option Of The Present Price
When you select a prepaid plan for your funeral, you select it at the current price. If in the future, the prices go up, it will not affect your family then for the extra chargers to get your funeral conducted. It should be noted that funeral homes have economical plans when you take up a prepaid funeral package.
- Saving On Taxes
In most cases if you pay for your prepaid funeral plan from your estate, it comes under tax deduction. You should take the services of your tax professional for this.
Cons of a Prepaid Funeral:
- Going Out Of Business
If the funeral home from where you took your prepaid funeral plan closes down by the time of your dismissal, your family might not get a refund. This will be a loss of money and extra burden on your family to find an alternative funeral home.
- Non-Alteration Of Plans
If you want to alter some plans after you take the prepaid funeral plan, the funeral home will not allow you to do so in most cases. These Prepaid cremation policy are inflexible in
- Some Additional Payments
Your family might still have to pay for some additional payments for the services in spite of you taking a prepaid funeral plan. So, it is advisable to read the fine print in detail of the prepaid direct cremation plans before signing up on a plan.
- Blocking Up Funds
Another con for opting for a prepaid cremation plan is that you spend your present funds.
- Miscommunication With Family Members
Miscommunication with family members is another con factor of booking a prepaid cremation plan. If you don’t inform your family members of the plan, they will not be aware of it and will host a cremation of their own when you pass away. The amount that you had spent on taking up the plan of the cremation prepaid will hence be wasted.
- Overbooking
If the service provider is overbooked, there might be a possibility that they just refuse to honor the agreement that you had made with them.
- Plan is Non- Transferable
You can have taken a prepaid cremation plan from a service provider but suppose you change cities or states, the funeral plan will not be transferable. This is true in the case if the service provider you have chosen is not a national service provider.
What are the 4 types of cremation?
If you’re planning to take up a prepaid cremation plan, you might want to know what types of cremation plans a funeral house has to offer. Mainly, there are four types of cremation plans. We discuss the plans here.
- Direct Cremation
In direct cremation, there is no ceremony involved. The deceased body is cremated right after the demise. No visitation and viewing is permitted in this type of cremation. There is no embalming done too. Prepaid direct cremation is considered the most economical option among the types of cremation.
- Cremation Along With A Traditional Service
A funeral service is conducted followed by the cremation in this type of cremation. Embalming can be done if requested with extra charges.
- Cremation Along With A Memorial Service
In this type of cremation, a memorial service will be held after the cremation. It is not necessary that the memorial service will be held immediately after the cremation. It can be held weeks, months or even a year after the cremation is done.
- The Body Donated To Science After The Cremation
When an individual has decided to donate his or her body to science after the cremation, this type of cremation is paid for by the scientific organization. This type of cremation is also called a no cost cremation. It is a way of leaving a legacy for future generations. The family members also get a letter on how the body made an impact on science.
What is Alternative Cremation?
Nowadays, there is an alternative to traditional cremation which is called Aquamation. In this cremation process, the deceased body is completely immersed in a mixture of water and a strong alkali for a few hours in a pressurized metal cylinder. The cylinder is heated at 150 degree centigrade.
The organic materials break down by this leaving behind fragments of bone and a neutral liquid known as effluent. Alkaline Hydrolysis is another term used for this type of cremation wherein there is no flames involved. The resulting effluent consists of amino acids, salts, sugars and peptides.
No DNA and tissues remain after the completion of the process. The effluent liquid is discarded with other waste water. This liquid is not harmful or toxic to the water systems. The procedure is similar to the decomposition of the body during burial procedure.
What is Liquid Cremation?
Aquamation is known as liquid cremation. This type is also called green cremation, water cremation, flameless cremation or chemical cremation. Recently, the body of Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desomnd Tutu was cremated using the liquid cremation technique.
Family members with friends and dignitaries gathered together at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town. He was given a state funeral after which according to his wishes, he was cremated via the alkaline hydrolysis method.
There is no casket used for liquid cremation. Medical devices like the pacemaker can be retained in the body during the process and it can be separated from the ashes after the process is completed.
Conclusion
Death is inevitable. Opting for prepaid cremation funeral plans should become a criteria in one’s life. It gives a sort of control to your funeral proceedings. If you decide to prepay your cremation with a service provider, do it carefully after analyzing all the pros and cons. Go through the documents carefully and discuss the matter carefully with your family members.
You can purchase a prepaid cremation plan from the service provider of your choice. Preferably, do not leave it to the last moment. It will be easier for your family after your passing away. After getting the prepaid cremation plan, you can get it stored electronically.
