If you’d like to relieve your friends and family’s duty of planning while ensuring you’re honored the way you prefer at the end of your life, funeral pre-arrangement offers the opportunity to do so. There is a range of factors to acknowledge, so be sure to ask the funeral home essential questions to make the correct choices for you and your loved ones.

What to Ask Your Funeral Director

1. What Services Do You Offer?

Whether you have existing ideas for your funeral or are looking for new ones, it’s important to know all your options. As you begin the funeral pre-arrangement process, talk to your funeral director about all the possibilities, then narrow it down from there.

2. Cremation or Burial?

The choice between burial in a casket or cremation is personal, and you should take your time making this decision. However, cremation and burial each place different constraints on your funeral budget and timeline, so it’s important to decide in advance.

3. What Is Included?

If you choose a pre-payment plan with your funeral home, it’s vital to specify what is and isn’t covered by your payment. Make sure to get the details in writing before you finalize your deal.

4. Is My Plan Transferable?

If you’re paying in advance, check what will happen if you move or if you decide on a different funeral home. Most prepayment plans are not refundable, yet some have policies in place to transfer your plan to another location.

5. What If the Price of Services Changes?

When you pay in advance for services, the price may change before the funeral, so ask your director about their pricing policies. Some establishments will “lock you in” at today’s cost, while others will charge your estate for the difference.

If you have any questions or concerns throughout the funeral pre-arrangement, don’t hesitate to ask questions. Contact Jacqueline M. Ryan Home for Funerals, in Keansburg, NJ, to ease this difficult process. Since 1947, they’ve offered compassionate and skillful funeral services. For more information, or to begin planning today, call (732) 787-1177, or visit them online.