Funeral Plans

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Pre-paid funeral plans - Getting Started

Even the most simple funeral is not cheap, and the idea of paying for your own funeral in advance is catching on in the UK. The advantages of a pre-paid funeral are that you can choose the type of funeral you want and you don't have to feel a burden to relatives by leaving them to pick up the tab.

Planning ahead

It is also easier to shop around for the best deal when you are planning ahead.

Very few people feel inclined to shop around different funeral directors immediately following a death in the family.

Typically, a pre-paid plan works like this:

• You choose a funeral and pay for it at today's prices - either by handing over a lump sum or by making installments spread over a period of time; typically five years.
• The funeral plan will pay for your funeral expenses, whatever the increase in funeral costs between now and then.

Relying on costs being met

In practice, you cannot always rely on all the funeral costs being met. You can divide the cost into two parts:

• The funeral director's fees and expenses which the plan normally guarantees to pay.
• 'Disbursements' - such as doctors' fees, church fees, the cost of a minister, cremation fees, the burial fee, the grave digging fee and the cost of a burial plot.

Next: More about pitfalls to avoid with funeral plans