We are often asked whether or not people should preplan their funerals, and my response is always (with a smile on my face), “Absolutely, assuming you love your family”. This is an the important conversation to have. Many professionals recommend preplanning a funeral because it will often be cheaper in today’s dollars than it will be in the future.  

Others recommend it because it is a legitimate spend-down for Medicaid purposes and other critical technical reasons. Those are good reasons, but the main reason that I recommend it is simply because it is a burden that you don’t want your family to have to go through at the time of your passing.

If you take the time today to think about all of those tough decisions, it is one less thing that your family has to think about in that horrific moment when they learn that you are no longer with them.  

While it might now seem like a big deal today, I assure you that when we were looking at caskets knowing that mom picked out the exact casket that she wanted with the rose trim somehow made things just a little easier. Whether the reason you want to plan is for financial reasons or for convenience for your family, the bottom line is that it is a real gift that you can give your loved one.

I recommend that the next holiday or other occasion when your family is in town, bring it up and say that you want to get it done for peace of mind for the family and for you, and I’m willing to bet that your family will thank you.  

Jeffrey Bellomo