The Importance of Planning Ahead
According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), funerals and burials are among the most expensive purchases older American’s make.
The average cost for an adult funeral ranges from $4,500 to $6,500 and is expected to increase over the next decade. Rising costs include caskets, burial plots, burial vaults and markers, funeral vehicles, flowers, legal paperwork and other necessary details.
One of the biggest advantages of prearranging is the ability to lock-in many of these expenditures at today’s prices, regardless of what they may cost in the future.
The number of people choosing to prefund their funerals has dramatically increased over the last decade. Most do so after witnessing or personally experiencing the complicated and expensive process of planning and paying for a funeral. The fact that more and more people are prearranging indicates that most people recognize it as a valuable investment, as well as a loving and thoughtful gesture.
Funeral planning involves the relatively easy process of making plans for your own funeral – or that of a loved one – well in advance of need. It is no less practical, no less important, and no more complicated than planning for college tuition, a future wedding, a new home or retirement. Likewise, the advantages and benefits are no less valuable.
