While the notion of arranging your own funeral and burial might give you pause initially, there are several compelling reasons to include a funeral planning component in your comprehensive estate plan. In fact, embedding funeral planning within your estate plan can be a lasting gift you give to both yourself and to your surviving loved ones. To better explain, the Essex Junction attorneys at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC discuss why including a funeral plan within your comprehensive estate plan is important.
The Financial Reality of Death
Though contemplating the financial cost of your death and funeral might be an uncomfortable thought, the reality is that funerals and burials can be expensive. As of 2024, the average cost of a modest funeral was around $8,000. That cost can increase significantly if upgrades and/or a more elaborate service are included. By acknowledging the financial realities associated with your death in your estate plan, you not only guarantee that your wishes are followed but also provide your loved ones with the means to cope with the decisions that must be made, and the expenses associated with your death.
How Funeral Planning Is a Gift to Your Loved Ones
For those who have experienced the loss of a close family member, the ensuing days, weeks, and months are often a blur of grief. Knowing that your surviving loved ones will likely experience the same grief, the benefits of funeral planning should become clearer. Thos benefits include:
- Relief from decision-making. Grief, and the heightened emotions that usually accompany grief, do not lend themselves to sound decision-making. By arranging your funeral and burial ahead of time, you relieve your surviving loved ones of the burden of making challenging decisions under emotionally charged circumstances.
- Preventing exploitation. The unsavory reality is that some people in the funeral and burial business take advantage of the grief and other survivor emotions by upselling or raising prices associated with the funeral and burial of a loved one.
- Conflict prevention. Those same heightened emotions can lead to family conflict if multiple individuals believe they know what you would want regarding your funeral and burial. By creating a funeral plan, you erase ambiguity and dramatically decrease the likelihood of disputes.
- Relieving the financial burden: In addition to the emotional turmoil your loved ones are facing following your death, they may also face financial hardship trying to come up with the funds to cover your funeral and burial. Â Funeral planning alleviates this potential financial burden.
How Is Funeral Planning a Gift to You?
It should be clear that incorporating a funeral planning component into your overall estate plan creates a lasting final gift to your surviving loved ones. That same plan, however, can be a gift to yourself as well. If you have clear wishes regarding how your body is handled after you are gone and/or about the service planned for your loved ones, the best way to ensure that your wishes are honored is by explaining those wishes in a funeral plan. Better yet, you may decide to create a funeral trust that can pay for your funeral as well as turn your wishes into legal enforceable trust terms that the Trustee is obligated to honor.
Are You Ready to Incorporate a Funeral Plan into Your Estate Plan?
For more information, please attend one of our upcoming FREE webinars. If you are ready to discuss how to incorporate a funeral plan into your overall estate plan, contact an experienced Essex Junction estate planning attorney at Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC by calling 802-879-7133 to schedule your appointment today.
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