Funeral Plans

By Author: Lecia Selbo
Total Articles: 49
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There are several advantages to paying for your funeral in advance. It tends to be a bit cheaper, as you are basically pre empting the effects of inflation on funeral costs, and it reduces the financial and organisational burden on your loved ones at what will be an upsetting time for them.

Funeral plans can be purchased from insurance companies such as Legal and General, dedicated funeral plan companies, or from funeral directors. Before you purchase a funeral plan there are several things that you need to establish to ensure that you are making the right choice.

It is vitally important to find out what would happen should the company you have your funeral plan with go out of business. It is better to go with an established firm for this reason, and you should find out if the money would be refunded to you personally or your estate.

It is important to know how the company you are dealing with will invest the money you give them. Usually, it will be invested in an insurance policy or a trust fund. If it is in a trust, you should ensure that the trust deed clearly states that the money is intended for funeral ...
... costs, and that the trustees are not affiliated with the company in any way.

Find out if the firm is a member of any professional associations, such as the National Association of Funeral Directors or the Funeral Planning Authority, as this will mean that they have to abide by the associations code of practice, and that there will be an established complaints procedure in place.

If you have any preferences about your funeral, such as a funeral director you would particularly like to use, or a certain type of ceremony, you should check to see if you can do this under the terms of your funeral plan, as there may be restrictions.

The transportation of the body can also be an issue, particularly if you die outside the UK. The majority of plans include transportation as long as it is within a certain radius, and it may cost extra if you need to be transported from outside this radius.

If you purchase your plan through a local company, it is important to bear in mind the possibility that you might move to a different area in future. Find out if there are additional charges if you need to change the arrangements. Lecia Selbo had Legal