INDUSTRY INSIGHT
O
FUNERAL SERVICES
ver the years I have written many times about funeral
preplanning. For this issue I decided to write about the
four most common questions or statements that I hear
when people want to avoid funeral planning:
I already have an insurance policy, why should I preplan?
Having an insurance policy is a great start. That policy can help
relieve the financial burden on families at the time of passing. Here
are a couple of things to think about. Having the financial aspect
of preplanning is only one of the three crucial things needed in
preplanning. You also need to have your wishes in writing and have
your vital information on file. Insurance policies only take care of
one of those aspects. Also insurance policies can change over time.
Some increase in value while other types decrease. Furthermore
many types of policies have a cash value that can be considered an
asset. This can affect government benefits. By preplanning, we can
answer these questions and help ascertain if the policy will be the
right choice for you to buy future funeral plans. Lastly insurance
policies often time take 14-30 days to payout once the company has
received all the claim forms and signatures. Many items associated
with a funeral need paid for immediately leaving a gap in funding
for the surviving family.
All of my wishes are in my Last Will and Testament. A Will is
an incredibly important document that instructs an executor on
how to disburse your remaining assets. Unfortunately probating
a Will doesn’t take place until weeks after a
funeral has occurred. Particularly
in Pennsylvania, the law is very
clear that certain family members
are in charge and have the rights
to decide your final disposition
before a Will is probated. By
preplanning you can make the
decisions yourself and have a
legal document in place that
makes those decisions taking the
burden off others before a Will is
even probated.
What if the funeral home isn’t
around in the future what would happen to
the money I gave them? Although this does
not happen very often, occasionally a funeral
home will cease operations. The State Board
of Funeral Director’s and Pennsylvania Law
state that any funeral director that accepts
SPONSORED CONTENT
prepaid monies for future service must put 100% of those funds
into financial accounts in the name of the person preplanning.
It also states that the accounts creation be reported to the State
Board. When a person chooses to preplan they should NEVER be
asked to make the check or monies out to the funeral home or
director directly. The monies need to be deposited into a third party
and not commingled with other peoples funds. Therefore the funds
are still the monies of the person preplanning and can only be
withdrawn at passing.
I just want to be cremated, we don’t have to preplan that. Out
of all the legalities surrounding funerals in general, cremation tends
to be the most complex. Basically this is the case because cremation
is an irreversible process. So it is very important that all the legal
decision-makers sign off on the authorization to have the cremation
occur. So if a surviving parent has multiple children they must all
sign the authorization. This can be an issue sometimes if a family
member lives out of town or maybe hasn’t been in contact with the
family for years. By preplanning, you have the ability in Pennsylvania
to preauthorize your chosen form of disposition avoiding the pitfalls
of finding family and having them all agree on your choice.
These are just an example of four questions that are often asked
when people discuss preplanning and there are many more. As a
third-generation funeral director, I understand the complexities
and questions families have. I am always open to answer questions
honestly and give the pros and cons to different
aspects of preplanning.
What is most important is taking the step to
have the difficult and open conversation as to what
your final wishes are and how will they be paid
for. Remember planning your funeral in advance
guarantees your wishes will be carried out as
you want. Not a guess by remaining family at an
emotional time.
If you have questions about us or our
services, please feel free to call or find us
on Facebook. You can also learn more
about our family and services by visiting:
www.sperlingfuneral.com
Sperling Funeral Home, Inc.
700 Blazier Dr. • Wexford, PA 15090
Jarett D. Sperling, Supervisor
724.933.9200
NORTH ALLEGHENY
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FALL 2019
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