Misconceptions about Funeral Planning (+Where to Find Help)

While it might be uncomfortable to think about and discuss, funeral planning, prior to one’s passing, is an important part of helping family and loved ones prepare.

Most Americans believe that holding a funeral is important to the healing process following the death of a loved one.  Pre-planned funerals or end-of-life celebrations can help those you leave behind to begin their healing journey while also honoring your wishes.

However, it can be tough to know how to plan a funeral or make preparations for the future when you aren’t involved in the funeral or life insurance industry. The complexities of funeral planning can cause some misconceptions which can make it harder to start planning your funeral.

There’s no reason to let those myths or misconceptions prevent you from doing the funeral planning that will limit decision making and decrease stress for your family once you’ve gone. With better understanding, you and your loved ones can be better prepared, and your family will be able to grieve and heal as needed.

Common Myths About Funeral Planning

Outside of insurance and funeral industries, death, dying, and funerals are not popular discussion topics. These myths exist, in part, because we don’t discuss these issues, but sometimes the myths prevent us from discussing funeral planning.

1. My family and loved ones know what I want.

We think about our final wishes far more than we talk about it. Often, we assume that comments we make in passing moments have registered with our loved one that our final wishes are important to us. Preneed insurance is one vehicle to help your clients ensure they have the final celebration or memorial they envision.

2. Once we’re gone, our final wishes aren’t that important.

The last thing we can do for our loved ones is honor their final wishes regarding memorials and services. It’s an opportunity for friends and family to come together and remember the person for who they were, and the best way to do that is to deliver the memorial and ceremony they wanted. Preneed insurance can help an individual ensure their final wishes are met.

3. There’s no need to plan now. We have time.

There’s an argument to be made for the fact that none of us truly knows how much time we have. While that’s true, talking about one’s final wishes while there is time means families can really consider what they want, without the emotional weight of someone’s passing coming soon.

People become free to imagine what a celebration of their life will look like. The advantage to preneed insurance is once the plans are made, they can focus on the things that matter, like spending the time they have with friends and family.

4. We’re financially secure, so we can wait.

Prolonged illnesses, economic downturns, legal issues, and accidents can change someone’s financial status in an instant. Further, finances and funds can face legal hurdles, meaning quick and easy access to money may be difficult after someone passes.

Preneed insurance also means families will spend only on the services they want and need and not have to worry about finances or funeral costs when they are grieving.

5. It’s too hard to discuss. 

Death is difficult to discuss. That’s true. But these conversations are even harder after someone has passed, especially when family members and loved ones don’t know the person’s wishes. After someone passes, there are a lot of decisions that need to be made, often in an emotional state, which can make it difficult to process.

Making plans prior to someone’s passing takes the burden of those decisions off their plate. In fact, nearly 90% of Americans  think this conversation is important. Starting the preneed conversation with your clients enables them to have difficult discussions about death, dying, grieving, and funerals.

Some may learn new things about their family members, and many will be grateful the conversation was started. What's more, by providing information about preneed insurance, you can help your clients stay proactive in saving money to combat the rising costs of funerals. 

Where to Look for Funeral Planning Help

There are a few places to look for help planning your funeral. Some of the most common places to get advice include:

• Funeral Homes. If you want to know more about how to plan your own funeral, consulting with one or more funeral homes is a natural choice. Funeral home directors are familiar with all of the ins and outs of funeral planning and can share their expertise with you.
• Insurance Agents. Independent life insurance agents who sell final expense insurance policies will often be knowledgeable about funeral preparation and planning—helping you identify costs and risks before you run into them. Additionally, independent agents can help you find a good funeral home to meet your needs since they may not be as biased to a specific business the way the funeral home director might.
• Your Attorney. If you have a personal attorney who specializes in estate planning, they might also be a good source of information and advice on planning a funeral. An experienced estate lawyer may have helped numerous other clients deal with complications and issues in making funeral arrangements and can provide advice based on those experiences, helping you streamline your end-of-life celebration preparations.

Starting Your Funeral Preparations with Preneed and Final Expense Insurance

Are you ready to get started on your funeral plans? ELCO Mutual is here to help with life, preneed, and final expense insurance plans that can be tailored to your needs.

Our network of dedicated independent life insurance agents will gladly help walk you through your options and help you pick out the right insurance plan to cover your needs.

If you need help figuring out the best insurance plan for your situation, contact us today to get started!