3 reasons you should consider funeral planning

You’ve lived a one-of-a-kind life. After you’re gone, your end-of-life celebration should reflect your story, values and experiences, and feel uniquely your own.

Pre-planning your funeral service takes the burden off your family members, both financially and emotionally and ensures the service is personalized to you.

Take your time thinking about your final arrangements, and make your funeral service a chance for the ones you love to celebrate your life with these funeral planning tips. Financial Planning Expert Julia Chung explains the importance of documenting your end-of-life wishes.

Why pre-planning your funeral is a good idea

Making final arrangements for your funeral or planning a memorial service in advance has a lot of benefits. You can reduce stress for your family members, give yourself full control over your budget, and ensure your service reflects your values and who you are.

With a funeral plan sorted, you’ll rest easy knowing you're not leaving your loved ones with any unexpected financial burdens or difficult decisions.

“Not preparing a thorough estate plan or funeral plan can mean your friends and family will be left with an expensive administrative nightmare on top of managing the grief of loss. This can create incredible strain on each individual and the relationships they have with everyone else in your family.” - Julia Chung, Financial Planning Expert.

1. Providing financial support

Funeral costs tend to rise yearly, so pre-planning your funeral will likely cost less today than a few years down the track. If you arrange your funeral service in advance, payment can be locked in and taken care of, so you and your loved ones won't have to worry about any costs. This may differ between services and vendors.

Pre-planning your funeral allows your family to focus on grieving and healing rather than having to worry about planning and paying for a funeral service. Canadians are spending, on average, over $9,000 on a funeral service, which can be a big, unexpected expense.

But planning ahead and taking out final expenses insurance means your loved ones don’t have to front this cost. Instead, they’ll receive a lump-sum payout (usually anywhere from $3,000 to $25,000) that can be put toward any final expenses, including funeral costs.

2. Reducing stress for you and your family

Family disputes can happen when there are disagreements over end-of-life care and funeral arrangements. By pre-planning your funeral service, your loved ones won't have to make assumptions about what you may have wanted, which can reduce the chance of conflict and arguments.

There are many common expenses that need to be taken care of in the first 24 hours after someone dies. With a funeral plan and final expenses insurance in place, you can ease the burden on your family during an already difficult time.

3. Honouring your final wishes

Proactively planning your funeral allows you to consider which memorial ideas feel right for you without time constraints.

Taking the time to document your funeral plan ensures your final wishes can be followed, such as whether you’d prefer a burial or cremation and even which songs you’d liked played at your funeral.

Things like cultural or spiritual preferences, poems you'd like to be read, or even your preferred cemetery or grave site are all important final arrangements that you can nominate ahead of time to give you peace of mind in your final days.

How to pre-plan your funeral in Canada

Pre-planning your funeral involves a few steps, and you don’t have to do it alone. Getting someone you trust to help you can make the process feel fulfilling and give you peace of mind.

When making your final arrangements, be sure to document your choices clearly and let your family members know where to find your will or estate plan.

“Without a thoughtful estate plan, the management of your final affairs is left in the wind. Things can go wrong, meaning minor children can be left without a guardian, the administration of your estate may have to be sorted out via the relevant authority of your province, and the distribution of your assets may be determined by the intestate laws of your province.” - Julia Chung, Financial Planning Expert.

Important steps in pre-planning your funeral are:

• Decide whether you would prefer a burial or to be cremated
• Nominate your preferred cemetery or cremation site
• Pick a casket or urn that feels right for you
• Decide on a service style, music, readings or eulogies
• Consider specific personal items included in your service and attire for the service

The cost of funeral planning in Canada

The cost of a funeral depends on a range of factors, like whether you opt for a burial or cremation, the burial plot you select, and the style of service you arrange.

The average cost of a funeral in Canada is just over $9,000, but this can vary significantly depending on what your unique final arrangements are. Cremation can be cheaper than a traditional burial funeral, and taking out FiftyUp Final Expenses Insurance can ensure your loved ones are supported financially, even after you’re gone.

Memorial and funeral service

Planning a memorial or funeral service includes big decisions such as choosing a funeral home, deciding whether you would prefer a burial or to be cremated, and choosing the type of service you want. Special elements of this service, like music or poems, are also a good thing to think about.

Planning ahead allows you to personalize your arrangements. This gives you control and autonomy over your end-of-life celebration, like deciding on any favourite clothing you would like to be dressed in, heartfelt photos to be included, or any specific treasures or mementos you want to be with you.

Wake

A wake is a way for your loved ones to connect and celebrate your life. Often a more relaxed and intimate service than the funeral, a wake is a chance for your guests to share stories and memories about your life. Choose the right venue, like a family or friend's home, or your favourite local park. Add any personal touches you like, and make the wake a reflection of who you are to your loved ones.

Get a free quote for final expenses insurance

Pre-planning your funeral service and taking the burden off your family members is easy with final expenses insurance. You could leave your loved ones with up to $25,000 to help with your final expenses with FiftyUp Final Expenses Insurance.