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Funeral Plans
www.funeralplansnow.com
FREE FUNERAL PLANS ADVICE
SPRING EDITION
13
ways to save
money on
funeral costs
Top 5
Funeral Plan
Providers
How much are you
likely to spend on
funeral
plans?
Funeral Plans Now
HOW TO GET THE BEST VALUE
FUNERAL PLANS
Gloria Payne
Funeral Plans Consultant
Being proactive in these types of situations can make a hard and unpleasant time become
more manageable. Having a plan in place gets most of the difficult decisions out of the way
early, and will ease the stress on your family as well as saving them money. A funeral plan
ensures the costs of the ceremony are completely covered and will give your family some
much-needed direction as to how to fulfill your wishes.
A
t FuneralPlansNow.com, we work with funeral
experts across the UK to provide top advice
on funeral planning to help you throughout
the process. The key benefit a funeral plan offers is the
peace of mind for both you and your family that all
of the major decisions have already been made. You
won’t have to worry about your loved ones stressing
over the logistics of a funeral and they won’t worry
that the service is not carried out the way you wanted,
because you can be the one who planned it. Having
a plan can be as detailed or as flexible as you like and
when the time comes the funeral director will be with
your family to help every step of the way.
A funeral plan guarantees the costs are completely
covered by placing it into a separate and secure fund
and will only be transferred to the funeral director
when the service takes place. The arrangement is
transferable, if something happens to the funeral
home or director mentioned in the plan, you can then
name another funeral director and the funds for the
plan will be transferred to them. Everything included
in the funeral plan is bought and paid for at the time
of the plan and is not affected by inflation or any other
cost increases.
Funeral plan providers generally accept any applicants
over the age of 50 and there no medical or credit
requirements needed. Having a plan simply makes
sense. Paying for it now means saving your loved ones
so much more later.
How much are you likely to
spend on funeral plans?
When a close relative or a loved one leaves this Earth it is never an easy time.
On top of the grief, there is the not only the stress of organising their final
goodbye but the cost of the ceremony has to be taken into consideration.
Having a funeral plan can protect your family from the financial burden and
make the organisation a lot easier.
» The Cost
» The Extras
The average funeral can cost between £3000 £4000 with costs expected to rise above £5000
by 2018. This cost can vary between basic funeral
services and more elaborate added extras. It is a
significant amount of money, but you should never
feel pressured into spending more money than you
can afford in order to carry out the deceased wishes.
If you feel it is appropriate you may want to ask close
family and friends to help contribute. You can also
enquire if you are entitled to financial aid from social
funds if you are claiming related benefits.
There are things that people think are mandatory
to make a beautiful funeral but sometimes the
simpler the ceremony, the more intimate it can be.
Limousines can cost between £200 and £400 each
which will provide transport to the service and follow
the hearse. Flower arrangements are completely
dependant on local flower shops, but the funeral
home will generally have used and tested packages
for between £100 - £200. Informing peopleof the
death locallly can cost approximately £150 this
includes a death notice or obituary and a funeral
notice which will announce when the ceremony will
take place. To hire an external venue and catering on
average costs between £400 and £600 which will
give guests a gathering where they can express their
condolences to the family.
» The Details
Burials are generally more expensive to organise than
cremations. Burials will cost between £1500 - £2000
whereas a cremation will be between £500 - £800.
Both services will have added extras which can be
removed or added to upon request. A cremation,
however, will require you to obtain a death certificate
from a doctor which is an added cost of £165. If you
feel like you cannot perform the service yourself, the
cost of a minister to perform can cost between £100
- £200.
» Advice
YFor more information and advice on organising a
funeral, you can contact your local council, local
funeral director or the Natural Death Centre. They
can provide you with information on services as well
as advice on how to save money.
Is my money safe?
The Guarantee
Each customer has a right to be sceptical of the guarantee as, lately, in this financial economy it has
been anything but stable. To clarify, a funeral plan is not a financial product, it is not an investment
that you hope will grow in order to be sufficient enough to cover the costs when the time comes,
you are buying the services you want right there and then at today’s prices. The money is then put
into a separate fund controlled by the Funeral Planning Trust that will have sufficient assets to cover
your plan when you need it.
Recession Proof
In the current climate, there has been an increase in the number of funeral plans purchased. This
could be down to a number of factors: an increase in popularity of plans, an aging population or the
fact people are trying to cover their essential expenses while they are able to do so.
You can take out a complete lump sum
The money is held in an independent trust and is now enforced by law. If the service company were
to go bankrupt, your appointed funeral director would receive payment from the trust directly after
the service is carried out.
Funeral Director
The funeral director that you have appointed only gets paid after the service has taken place and only
then is the independent fund released from the trust. If the director stopped operating for a number
of reasons, you will most likely be notified and you can either appoint a different director or one will
be appointed to you and your specific details will then be passed on.
You can find more information of how your money is invested and protected by contacting the
Funeral Planning Trust.
TOP 5 FUNERAL PLAN PROVIDERS
Pre-planning a funeral can be a difficult task, knowing which providers
you can trust will ensure that your plan is personalised, safe and your
funds are secure. Here are the top funeral plan providers across the UK.
Provider
What Makes Them Top 5 Material? Golden Carter is the largest independent funeral plan provider in the UK
working with over 3,300 independent funeral directors. Golden Charter use
their 20 years of experience to provide pre-paid funeral plans and other legal
services to ensure that your funeral costs and plans are completely covered
and protected.
Dignity aims to provide a personal, one-to-one and carbon neutral service,
working with over 1000 funeral directors across the UK to meet and exceed
your expectations. Dignity provide a respectful, compassionate and caring
service when it comes to funeral plans and have proudly helped over 600,000
people plan funerals up and down the UK.
Liberty have helped over 70,000 customers pre-plan and covered the costs
of over 24,000 funerals across the UK so far. Liberty work with a network of
over 2000 funeral directors to provide and administer pre-planned funerals
and have a dedicated customer service team to help with any questions and
provide impartial advice.
The Co-operative focus on providing a unique and personalised funeral for
every customer using a combination of sensitive, professional and caring staff
and informative guidance. The Co-operative are available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week to ensure that there is always someone you can talk to for advice.
Age UK provides support and services to the older population of the UK. Age
UK employ courteous and helpful staff and provide pre-paid funeral plans to
save you and your family from the costs and the worrying. You will be accepted
if you are over the age of 50 and they will help you plan your funeral in
advance and cover the costs when the time comes.
Funeral Plans Now
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13 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON
FUNERAL COSTS
Funeral Plan
Staffing
Having a plan in place that is already organised
and paid for will save your family from the
financial burden and stress of organising a
funeral for a loved one. Funeral plans are
guaranteed to cover the cost of your service
when the time comes because you effectively
pay for the service for future use right there and
then.
Asking family and friends to help out during the
ceremony can not only save money but can
make the whole affair more personal.
Burial or Cremation
A cremation is overall a cheaper option. If the
deceased has not specifically requested a burial,
a cremation might be the better option if funding
a burial service is problematic.
Online Headstone
Rather than spending money on an expensive
headstone, you can now set up online
headstones that everyone can conveniently visit
whenever they choose from the comfort from
their home. They usually include a charity that
is supported by the deceased and show their
support through donations.
Limousines
TLimousines are a nice touch but at the end of
the day using your own car will do the job. If
your car is not suitable, asking to use a friend’s
car can be a more economic option.
Catering
Family and friends are always looking for ways
to help and food is generally a popular outlet.
Asking friends and family to bring something for
the reception is a more than acceptable request
and you will most likely get a higher quality of
food.
Flowers
Flowers are nice but not a necessity. You can
ask family and friends to bring flowers or set up
a small charity for flower donations in your local
community.
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Shroud or Coffin
Coffins come in all shapes and sizes which
can vary in costs. If you are looking for a lower
cost option you can opt for a shroud which will
respectfully cover the deceased at a fraction of
the cost.
Embalming
Embalming is the process of preserving the body
and is only needed if you are going to display the
deceased during the ceremony. If you choose
to not display the body you will also save on the
process of embalming.
Body Display
During the service the body does not need to be
displayed, some people can find the experience
of seeing the deceased unsettling.
Venue
External venues can be quite pricey, using your
home or the home of someone close to you will
give you a more intimate location to allow family
and friends to express their condolences.
Funeral Notice
You could make homemade invitations and send
them to friends and relatives or spread the details
of the service by word of mouth rather than by a
notice in the local paper.
Obituary
This is a notice informing everyone that the
death has taken place. This is usually done using
the local paper, but you can just spread the word
yourself call family and friends and ask them to
inform everyone connected with the deceased.
Funeral Plans Now
www.funeralplansnow.com