FUNERAL PLANNING

Funeral directors believe that the purpose of the funeral is to honor the person who has died while attending to the needs of those left behind. 

Funeral directors serve best when you tell them your needs and desires. They will help you arrange for an appropriate tribute taking into account your religious preferences, emotional needs, and your finances.

Funeral Planning

Funeral service selections fall into two general categories; the services of the funeral home staff and funeral merchandise.

Funeral Service Selections Usually Include: 

• Professional services of a funeral director and staff. 
• Embalming and other preparation. 
• Facilities and staff for visitation. 
• Facilities and staff for the funeral or memorial service.
• Funeral vehicles.
• Assisting with arragements with third parties (pastoral services, music, grave opening and closing). 

Funeral Merchandise Selections Include: 

• Casket, urn or both. 
• An outer burial container (cemetery vault or other selection). 
• Other merchandise and associated items such as flowers, acknowledgment cards, and transfer containers. 

The funeral home is required by law to give you a General Price List which contains the price of each individual item and service offered. In addition, it may contain packaged services to simplify the service selection process.

It must also contain information on embalming, cash advance items, containers for cremation and any required purchases. 

Cash advance items are goods and services that are paid by the funeral director on your behalf, such as a cemetery space, grave opening fee, flowers, obituary notices, and clergy honoraria. Most funeral directors charge you their cost for these items while others add a service fee to their cost. If a service fee is added, or if the funeral director receives a discount, refund or rebate for these items, they must disclose this fact to you. 

You may, of course, choose only those items you prefer. The funeral director will be able to help you with all of these decisions.  

After you have made your selections, the funeral director will provide you with a complete itemized statement of the funeral goods and services you selected.  They will also explain their payment policy to you. 

The statement should also clearly identify any items or services which are required and explain why. An example would be embalming, which may be required if there is a viewing planned or for other reasons. 

Furthermore, a casket is not required for direct cremations, but crematory regulations usually require that the body be in a sturdy container. While a vault is generally not required by law, many cemeteries require a vualt or other outer burial container to prevent grave settling and grave mantenance.  

If you have any questions along the way, do not hesitate to ask.

Planning in advance

If you are interested in pre-planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one, please refer to the section "Master Choice Funeral Trust." 

By preplanning you can not only relieve your family of the burden of making these decisions at a difficult time, but you can lock-in today's funeral prices--guaranteed by law.

Is Pre-financing Safe? 

What happens to my money? Indiana law governs all payments made towards the pre-financing of funerals. All funds must be placed into a trust fund, escrow, or used to buy an insurance policy to fund the arrangements you desire. The funds are irrevocably held for the purpose of paying for the arrangements you contracted for and are paid directly to the funeral home— outside of your will and without probate. Still there are steps you should take and questions you should ask to insure that you are protected. 

Be sure the sales person is an agent of the funeral home of your choice. It is illegal for someone to sell preneed contracts without being a representative of a funeral home. Don’t let someone sell you a funeral contract that “will be accepted by any funeral home.” 

Ask how your money will be invested. Escrow accounts are often used by cemeteries but they have a real disadvantage when used to finance a funeral. The law allows the interest to be removed from the account as it is earned. While your funeral is still guaranteed, if you move or transfer your account to another funeral home, you will only receive the original amount you paid and any growth will be gone. 

Make sure the contract specifies and itemizes the services and merchandise you selected. Since all contracts are guaranteed, they must specify what is included. A preneed contract can not be a deposit towards a future service. Do not accept a contract that just says “funeral service” or says you will select services or merchandise at a later date. 

Know where your money will be invested. You should be able to contact the trustee or insurance company at any time to confirm your money is properly invested. Keep them updated on any change in your address. 

Make your check out directly to the trustee or Insurance company the funeral home will be using to invest your money. Never make a check out to a sales person or pay in cash. 

Make sure you receive confirmation that your money has been deposited. If you don’t receive such notice from the trustee or insurance company with 45 days, call them or the funeral home. 

Tell your family that you have prearranged and pre-financed your funeral. Tell them which funeral home will be arranging services and where the documents are located to eliminate any confusion later.

Talk to an IFDA Member

You can find an IFDA member firm in your area by referring to the "Find an IFDA Member" section.