You are probably hearing more today than ever before about
the idea of “prearranging” your own funeral. There are many advertisements
on television and radio, newspapers or in the mail. The purpose of this page
is to provide you with information that will assist you in making this important
decision for yourself, or for someone you love. We simply ask that you read
the following information and respond to us on the “contact us” page.
We will be glad to help you avoid pitfalls that are common and to provide you
with a plan through Kerr Brothers Funeral Home.
Why Prearrange?
Kerr Brothers Funeral Home provides hundreds of prearrangements
each year. These are for a wide variety of persons and needs. We assist a
variety of ages, backgrounds, faiths, and financial situations. In spite of
the diversity among the people who prearrange, there are some common reasons
for prearranging. When we ask those who prearrange their funerals why they
are doing so, the reply we hear most often, is that they are doing it for their
family. Many times the person making prearrangements has had the experience
of making funeral arrangements for someone they love when death has occurred.
They tell us that while the funeral director that directed the funeral was
very helpful in making the arrangements, it was too much to do at a very difficult
time. Simply put, many people tell us their main reason for prearranging is
to make it easier for everyone else.
The second most common reason for making prearrangements is
that they want the funeral done their way. Some people want their funeral
to accurately reflect important things in their life like military service
or religious beliefs. Others want it done their way so that no one is
left to make all the decisions regarding the funeral. Some of these people
have said they are concerned that their children cannot agree on the details.
The third most common reason for making prearrangements
is to remove the financial consideration from your survivors. Many people
tell us that it's not only a matter of if there will be enough money for their
funeral. They don't want their family to have to deal with it. Prefunding
your funeral makes good sense; death is inevitable for all of us. Therefore,
the cost of death is inevitable as well. It makes good financial sense to
have an inevitable future expense paid.
What is involved?
Every once in a while we hear someone say that all of their
funeral arrangements have been taken care of, when actually all they have done
is purchased their cemetery property or bought a life insurance policy. Completing
prearrangement involves three distinct areas: Information, Selection and Funding.
INFORMATION :
Certain information about you is needed for your funeral prearrangement.
This information is needed for the funeral home to complete the required
documents at the time of death including the death certificate and the social
security notification. Some of the information needed includes your mother's
maiden name, level of education and military background. Recording this
information ahead of time only takes a few minutes but can make it much
easier for your family. Many times the funeral director asks for information
when a death occurs and the family doesn't know the answer. They have to
make phone calls or search through information at the deceased home to answer
the funeral directors questions. We have the form designed to record the
necessary information for prearrangement that will answer the funeral directors
questions at the time of death. The information is kept safe and confidential.
SELECTION:
The next area of the prearrangement includes the selection
of goods and services that make up the funeral. This includes the elements
of the type of ceremony that you want including music and religious expression.
The casket and outer burial container are also a part of the selection process.
Once all the elements of the selections have been made we can determine
the current price of the funeral. By making selections like these you are
eliminating emotional decision making by your family. When we write down
the selections you make we also ask what you want done with any jewelry
that you wear such as a wedding band. It will help your family to know your
wishes for things like wedding rings and other personal jewelry.
FUNDING:
After the price is determined the funding portion of the prearrangement
can be considered. There are several reasons it makes sense to fund your
prearrangement. When you fund your funeral prearrangement Kerr Brothers
Funeral Home guarantees that your plan will pay for the funeral you prearranged
regardless of how long you live or how much the funeral cost has increased
since the time you made the prearrangement. Funeral prices increase over
time just like everything else. When you prearrange, the funding is based
on the current price of the funeral. It may be twenty or thirty years before
death will occur, during that time the funeral price may increase substantially.
Our plan is guaranteed to cover the increased funeral cost at the time of
death. This means that your family will not be responsible to pay for anything
that was guaranteed in the prearrangement. In addition, our funding options
qualify for Medicaid exemption should you ever become eligible for Medicaid
benefits.
There are several options to funding your prearrangement. You
should consider what works best for your current situation. One option is
that you can pay for the funeral all at once with a single payment in the
amount of the funeral. Another option is to make periodic payments either
monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually. The payment plans can be set
up for three, five or ten years. Many people choose one of these options
because it works well for their budget.
HOW KERR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME PREARRANGEMENT PROGRAMS WORK
Kerr Brothers Funeral Home offers a free service to record your
information and selections for the funeral. At the same time we can show you
the cost of the arrangement you desired and the options for taking care of
that ahead of time. In order to complete a funeral cost estimate it is first
necessary for us to know what your wishes are for the services and merchandise
involved in your arrangements. In addition, we can show you the options available
for funding your prearrangement in the way that works best for you. All of
this is done under no cost or obligation. We feel that it is important for
everyone to have the information that we make available. One of the most common
statements made when a family is making arrangements for deceased family member
is "I wish we had taken care of this years ago".
