Most everyone has some thoughts about how they would like things to be handled in the event of their death. Making some decisions today about type of funeral services and disposition in advance will mean comfort and peace of mind for your family at the time of loss and more importantly, prearranging will help ensure your wishes and expectations are met when you can no longer voice those desires your self. Our licensed professional staff is always available to discuss funeral service and disposition options and to answer any questions you may have on the subject. Some individuals wish to record only basic desires in regard to funerals and leave the final details to the direction of their family while other persons will plan all aspects of their funeral service and disposition including scripture to read, music to be played, clothing to be worn, and selecting casket and burial vault. While such discussions can sometimes be uncomfortable, providing your family with a clear direction in advance will mean confidence and strength for them tomorrow.

Another important aspect of preplanning arrangements, is the gathering of the necessary biographical information about an individual required for legal documents and obituaries at the time of need. This information includes date and place of birth, parents names, social security number, veteran status, education, employment history, spouse, family history, and type and place of disposition. When under the stress of a loss, families will often struggle to gather all this information or to provide correct dates or spellings. You are the very best resource for this information. Our firm offers a preneed guide that asks these questions with space for you to complete the necessary information. A version of this guide is available on our website or request a hard copy from our office. You can keep this guide and inform your family of its location or you can return it to the funeral home where it will be kept on file and consulted at the time of death. There is no charge or obligation for this guide or a preplanning conference; simply contact our office for a copy or an appointment. For your convenience, we offer appointments at our office at whatever time would be acceptable to your schedule or one of our licensed directors would be able to visit with you in your own home to answer questions and present options.

To utilize our web preplanning option, simply complete the information section of the page and forward to us. We will contact you to confirm your information and answer any questions you may have.

Once the decision is made concerning preplanning funeral arrangements, many people will also choose to explore prefunding options to pay for arrangements in advance of death. With soaring long term healthcare costs and assest limits imposed by programs such as Medical

Assistance, Title 19, and SSI, many people have chosen to set aside funds to pay for their own funeral services. Our firm offers two avenues of prefunding funeral arrangements through either bank trusting or an insurance funded vehicle. In either option, your funds and interest growth are protected and will be there to pay your final expenses. Our staff is available to discuss these options with you and arrange a prefunding plan that best meets your individual needs.

When comparing prefunding plans offered by various funeral homes, be aware of cost “guaranteed” and “non-guaranteed” arrangements. While a price guarantee may sound appealing, the guarantee allows a funeral home to keep all funds contained in a burial insurance policy including all accrued interest irregardless of the actual final costs. By issuing a “non-guaranteed” policy, the funeral home will only be paid for the actual cost of arrangements at the time of need with all remaining funds returned to your family or a beneficiary you name.

Many prefunded funeral policies today provide more than adequate interest growth to accommodate inflationary costs. If a shortfall situation presents itself at the time of need, your family has the ability to make changes regarding services and merchandise to work within available funds or can cover the difference themselves. With either bank trusting or insurance funded pre-arrangements, you maintain transfer control of these funds; meaning you can switch service providers and transfer these funds to the new provider without penalty. This aspect of control is important if an individual relocates to a new area or becomes dissatisfied with the quality of service available from the current prearrangement holder.