Pre-Arrangement
What is pre-arrangement?
This term refers to making your funeral plans in advance. That is, to make arrangements for your funeral or memorial services without the assistance of others at the time of your death. You may want to arrange a conference with a funeral director or preneed counselor either at the funeral home or in the comfort of your home. Our service professionals will analyze your needs and suggest options which best fit those needs.
Do I have to pay anything now?
No, if you prefer to wait to. There are three different levels of prearranging your services. The first and most important level is to complete an information sheet which you will find on the "Biographical Information" icon. This biographical information is used for the obituary, the death certificate, and to express your wishes. This will relieve an emotional burden on your family, because only you know what you want and sometimes you’re the only one who knows the answers to some of the questions. Our information sheet is provided for you on this web site for your convenience. We want you to be able to share this information with your love ones and complete the form in the comfort of your home. The second level of prearrangement is to make your selections. If you have selected a traditional service in your church or our chapel, you will need to select a casket. You may also be required to purchase an outer container or vault, depending on the requirements of the cemetery you use. Making your selections in advance will relieve this emotional burden on your family as well. Finally, funding your services and selections will remove the financial burden on your family. You may choose to pay in full or set up monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual payments.
To whom do I make payments to?
We prefer to use insurance companies which specialize in funeral funding rather than bank trust accounts, even though we use both. Insurance companies generally allow you to pay in 3, 5, or 10 year terms. Payment amounts depend on your age and the amount of the funeral. This is a practical example of how payments may be of benefit to you: let’s say you have a Certificate of Deposit which comes due at a later date. You want to “freeze” today’s cost but can’t pay in full now. You can make monthly payments for now and exercise as “same as cash” option later when your C.D. comes due.
Are there any health questions?
The insurance companies will accept you whether you are healthy or not. The difference is how much they will pay, and when they will pay it.
Our insurance company has two health questions:
If you can answer both of these questions “no” then you are 100% covered as soon as your first payment is received at the insurance company, and they issue the policy. This is a major benefit, because the entire funeral will be paid in the event of loss any time after the policy is issued, even after just one payment, and no one has to finish the payments.
On the other hand,
if you must answer either one of the health questions “yes” then the
insurance company will issue the policy with a limited benefit. For
example, let’s say you are age 65 and have selected a $5,000 funeral. Your
monthly payment is $67.50. Your funeral benefit would be 35% of $5,000 the
first year, or $1,750. Let’s say 10 payments were made ($67.50 X 10 =
$675). The insurance company will pay $1,075 more than you have
paid. This is much better than saving $67.50 per month. In the event of death,
the bank will only give your $675 back, plus a nominal amount of interest. The
second year, your funeral benefit would be 70% of $5,000 or $3,500. Let’s
say 14 payments were made when death occurred. $67.50 X 14 = $945. The insurance
company will pay $2,555 more than you have paid. Once again, this
is much wiser than simply putting the money in the bank. Finally, your
benefit is 100% or $5,000 after the 24th month even if you have an
existing health condition.
Conclusion:
You and your love ones will benefit greatly should you elect to prearrange your services and provide financial funding. You lovingly cared for your children when they were young – paying attention to their every need – taking care of them the best you knew how. By prearranging your services, you can relieve their emotional burden, you can relieve their financial burden, and you can express your own wishes. It is one of the most loving acts a parent can provide for his/ her children.
At Kincannon Funeral Home, our trained professionals will assist you with a practical funeral plan that does what you want it to do. We give prearrangement discounts to reward those who plan ahead and remember, you will also “freeze” today’s funeral costs by funding the plan.