Planning Ahead


Prearrangements:

Prearrangements are designed to gather information that will be needed at the time of death and to make one's wishes known. A form, which contains these details, is available that may be completed and left with the funeral home. As much as no one cares to think about death, it has been our experience that it is much less stressful when families have the opportunity to discuss wishes with their loved ones and gather information at their leisure than at the time of need. We realize circumstances do change so these forms are easily updated with a phone call or, preferably, a letter or e-mail. We would be happy to make copies for you to keep or to leave with a loved one. Feel free to call the funeral home to set up an appointment to meet with us to discuss your wishes, this is best done in our office but if needed we would gladly meet wherever is convenient for you.

Prearrangement Form



Funeral Pre-funding - Insurance & Assignments:

Funeral Trust Agreements by way of pre-funded irrevocable burial insurance are a means of setting aside funds to be used solely for a person's funeral or cremation expenses. The funds are applied to the funeral home's charge for services, merchandise, as well as cash advance items (i.e. clergy honorariums, flowers, obituary expenses, grave opening and closing, musician honorariums, etc). When faced with the necessity of nursing home placement and application for medical assistance, the Department of Human Services will advise families to set up these trusts while funds are still available.

Pre-funded burial insurance can protect assets during long-term car or illness; using an insurance mechanism can help alleviate potential financial burdens on those you love. Because we know not every situation is the same, we offer three different options so families can choose the one that makes the most sense for their budget; those options are: single pay, multi-pay or an annuity. One benefit to a pre-funded burial insurance is that the state currently allows an individual to set aside funds for not only themselves but for their spouse, children (including their spouse) and their siblings (including their spouse as well) to help them in the spend down process to become eligible for medical assistance. We understand this can be a complex process and would gladly meet with you to walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

If you already own a policy from a different company, you can opt to complete an irrevocable assignment to the funeral home so that you might qualify for medical assistance benefits. We can assist you with the required paperwork.