In our society, we take pride in being prepared for certain events in our lives. We plan and prepare for such things as a wedding, the birth of a child, a vacation, a child’s education, and retirement. But when it comes to preplanning a funeral, most of us fall short. Planning for a funeral is another event in our lives we need to be prepared for.

Advantages of Planning Your Funeral Arrangements

• Pre-Planning will express your wishes.
• Pre-Planning relieves your family from making difficult decisions.
• Pre-Planning will give you the peace of mind knowing that all arrangement are made.
• Pre-Planning will let you make decisions at a less stressful time.
• If you choose, you can Pre-Pay and save money.

The funeral of a loved one is something that you do not experience on regular basis, and for most people, preplanning a funeral is not an easy thing to do. However, it is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and your family. By sitting down with us, either at your home or ours, we can discuss all of your options and make some important decisions. The advantage of preplanning is that you are making these important decisions without the stress that normally occurs with a death. People who plan ahead always tell us how relieved they are that everything is taken care of, and how much easier it was to make those decisions in advance.

Another part of being prepared is having a “Last Will and Testament”. This is an important document that guides your loved ones what you would like done when you are gone. However, placing instructions for your funeral in a will is not recommended. The problem with putting any type of instructions for the funeral in your Will, is that most of the time, the Will is not even looked at until after the funeral, thus your wishes are not fulfilled. If you do not have a Will, contact your attorney.

When preplanning a funeral, people have the option of also prepaying the funeral expenses. Many people think that you have to prepay the funeral expenses when you preplan the funeral. This in not true. Prepaying the funeral expenses is an option. Everyone’s situation is different, but in most cases it is beneficial to prepay.

It assures that funds will be available at the time of death. If an individual chooses to prepay, they can do it two different ways. They can choose to place the funds in a Bank Trust Account, or in an Annuity or Insurance, both of which can guarantee the funeral is paid in full. As an example, we will use an Annuity, which is payable to the funeral home at the time of death. The funds are place in the Annuity and will gain interest up until the time of need. At the time of need, the interest accrued on the account is used to offset the increased cost of the funeral. In most cases, there is more than enough money in the account to pay for any increases due to inflation. The Bank Trust Account works basically the same way.

In Pennsylvania, all licensed funeral directors are governed by the Pennsylvania State Board of Funeral Directors, and are required by law to place 100% of all funds received for prepaid funerals in qualified accounts. That guarantees the funds will be available when needed.

Pre-planning can involve some or all of the following;

• Recording vital statistic information. This information must be accurate and will be used for the death certificate and obituary notices.
• Decide what type of funeral service you want.
• Choose the type of burial: earth burial or entombment.
• Choose the cemetery (if burial or entombment is desired).
• Select merchandise: Urn, casket, outer burial container (vault), clothing, cross or crucifix, etc.
• Determine cost associated with the type of service, merchandise and burial.

If you are ready to begin the Pre-Planning process, please call
Dalfonso-Billick Funeral Home and Cremation Services
at 724-684-8750, or complete the form below.