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♦ TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2006
6A
How To Pre-Plan A Funeral
It may be a gift for those
you love.
It was Ben Franklin who said that
nothing is certain but death and
taxes. This article does not deal
with taxes, but rather, the other
certainty of life. It is a fact that the
ratio of death to the population is
V. 1. Everyone dies, so a discus
sion of funeral planning is never
irrelevant.
When someone we love dies, there
are varying stages of anger, confusion
and numbness. The funeral is one of the
most significant means we have of
dealing with grief. The funeral ritual
helps us focus our emotions and brings
a sense of meaning to death. It confirms
the reality of death and provides a
catalyst for mourners to begin talking
about the deceased. Experts tell us that
being able to talk about the life of the
deceased loved one is one of the first
steps toward accepting death.
Prearranging Your Funeral
Prearranging your funeral is not much
different than any other planning you
have carried out during your lifetime.
You buy insurance in case of fire, flood,
theft or death. These coverages are
purchased as an act of love and
responsibility for those you love in case
an unfortunate incident occurs. A
pre-planned funeral accomplishes the
same goals.
A pre-planned funeral can prevent your
family members from having to make
a number of significant decisions when
they are confused and upset. They will
have enough on their minds dealing
with grief without having to make
several important emotional and
expensive decisions in a very short
period of time. Experts tell us that there
are an average of 50 decisions to be
made when arranging a funeral.
Adding to the need for pre-planning is
the fact that our lifestyle is more
complex in today's world. Family
members often live in different states,
complicating rapid decision making.
Further complications stem from
frustrations that occur when dealing
with government agencies in different
A Simple
3-Step Process
Planning a funeral is really as easy as 1-2-3. Your funeral
director can walk you though each step and even make
suggestions if you 're not sure about something.
STEPI
This is just a matter of putting down all you
biographical information about your life,
your career, and your family. All the facts
you’ll want everyone to know and
remember. This is also a good time to write
down all the personal information that will
make your funeral more meaningful, things
like hobbies and special interests.
STEP 2
With this step, you’ll sit down with your
funeral director and make choices about
things like burial or cremation, what type
casket or urn, the services you want, and
other details. Your funeral director will
explain all your options, outline the costs,
and make recommendations, if you like. It’s
painless, it’s easy, and it only takes about an
hour.
STEP 3
Your funeral home offers Forethought ®
funeral planning, which lets you alleviate
the financial burden on your family. Your
funeral director will work with you to set up
a funeral plan to fit your budget. Should you
move or relocate, your plan is transferable to
a funeral home in your new community.
states. A solid pre-planning session can
prevent these complications which can
loom very large during time of pain and
sorrow.
Often, we have special wishes that
others may not be known to even those
closest to us. Discussing these wishes
with your family permits you to form
logical, well thought out plans. Grief
counselors say families are comforted
by knowing that their loved one's funeral
reflects his or her own wishes.
The Funeral Director's Role
A call to a funeral director is a good
beginning in making sure you have
covered all your bases in your planning.
Fie or she can lead you through a pro
cess to ensure that you don't forget vital
information in your plan. Some funeral
directors offer free booklets that provide
a "punch list" of topics to think through
and record your wishes.
How To Plan
Topics in these guides include funeral
details ranging from visitation, the
memorial service, and alternatives from
burial, cremation, or entombment. These
are the obvious decisions, but other
important topics include categories that
will provide an excellent helping hand
to your family. These additional topics
include organizations to be notified with
phone numbers, persons to be notified,
medical history, estate information,
banking information, real estate
holdings, and insurance policies. Many
also include obituary information
outlines, personal property inventories,
and special instruction and information
pages. There may also be information
regarding the importance of your will
and how to go about ensuring it is
accurate and updated.
You also need help in prompting
answers to several practical questions
which will make things much easier on
your family members. These questions
include:
• Flave you selected a cemetery or
memorial location?
• Are certain religious customs to be
followed?
• Are there any special readings,
biblical passages or musical selections
you prefer to use in the memorial
service?
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Funeral Home
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1208 Main Street
Perry, Georgia 31069
478.987.2423
478.987.8601 fax
www. watsonhunt. com
Serving Middle Georgia for over 60 years
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• Do you want to have a military
service?
• Do you prefer a specific charity or
organization as the recipient of
memorial gifts?
• Do you want to name pallbearers?
• Do you wish to be buried in particular
clothing or jewelry?
• What type of casket do you prefer?
• What type of marker or monument do
you prefer?
Prefunding your funeral is also an
important consideration. Your funeral
director can show you the options which
will save your family from any possible
financial burden later. You may take
out a life insurance policy which would
cover funeral expenses, or invest in a
funeral trust account or final expense
insurance policy. In most situations,
funds invested today will be sufficient to
cover the total cost of the funeral at the
time of need, since interest earned by
the funds will offset the effects of
inflation. Government regulations
safeguard your investment so funds will
always be available for the intended use.
Another important component in your
plan is to make sure your loved ones
know where your recorded wishes can
be found. Each year millions of dollars
in government and insurance death
benefits go unclaimed because family
members do not know where to find
the information they need at the time of
death.
Some considerations that also need to
remain in the forefront of the
pre-planning agenda:
• Social Security: Upon death,
dependents and survivors may be
eligible for certain benefits such as
death Payments, Survivors, Benefits,
and Medicare. Qualifications depend on
several factors such as age, marital
status, number of dependents and
whether employment was under Social
Security. Your Social Security account
should be verified periodically to ensure
contributions are properly posted. All
benefits must be applied for since
payment is not automatic.
• Veterans Benefits:
Flonorably-discharged veterans are
entitled to benefits that may affect
decisions about funeral arrangements.
For example, veterans may qualify for
cometary plot and burial allowances,
a headstone and burial flag, as well as
pension for
survivors.
• Medicaid: There are provisions under
Federal Title 19 that allow an individual
to shelter funds to serve the family later
by providing for funeral arrangements.
Since qualifications vary for each of
these options, it is best to discuss your
particular situation with your funeral
director.
The Top Five Things You
Should Know...
1. The funeral ritual helps
us focus our emotions and
brings a sense of meaning
to death.
2. A pre-planned funeral
can prevent your family
members from having to
make a number of
significant
decisions when they are
confused and upset.
3. A call to a funeral
director is a good
beginning in making sure
you have
covered all your bases in
your planning.
4. Things to discuss with a
funeral director include
ranging from visitation, the
memorial service and
alternatives from burial,
cremation, or
entombment.
5. Another important
component in your plan is
to make sure your loved
ones know where your
recorded wishes can be
found.
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IN THE WRONG DDKS!
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TES TIMONIAL
“When our Mother passed away, our
Father decided he wanted to relieve
his family from having to make such
important financial decisions
during a period of great stress and
grief, therefore, according to his
wishes, he prearranged and prepaid
those expenses. Even though I live
out of town, the burden on me as
well as my siblings of not having to
make those difficult decisions was
truly a blessing and a wonderful gift
from my Father to this family.”
Lynn S. D#vl»
Left ot Right:
Gene Dukes,
Lisa Hays, Dawne and
Draper Watson,
Owners,
Michael McDearmid,
Larry Gary, and
Marie Howell.
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
00040174