Funeral Homes and Services:

Trying to plan a funeral can be a daunting task depending on how sudden the death of the loved one was. Finding a quality funeral home or funeral service can really take a burden off your shoulders in this time of crisis. With sudden deaths, family and friends are in shock and can't think straight to organize a funeral and all the details that go with it. A funeral home will assist you with funeral arrangements, contacting clergy, acquiring death certificates, contacting friends and family, writing the obituary, buying funeral flowers, locating the will and notifying the lawyer or executor, and much more. Funeral homes do this for a business and they know how to make the process as painless as possible. Funeral home directors are trained to deal with all the issues that come up when someone has died. Many funeral directors say that grieving spouses or loved ones just aren't capable of making sound decisions in the immediate days after the death. Having time to grieve after someone has died is most important, so let a funeral home handle the details of planning the funeral itself.

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Where can you find a local funeral home or funeral service? There are websites setup to help you locate those businesses and some are complete directories of the United States with phone #'s, addresses, and URL's to get you started. Funeralnet.com and Funeralhomes.com are 2 informative sites that we highly recommend. You can search by city and state to located a funeral home near you that is reputable. Before going online to look for a quality funeral home, talk with immediate friends and family to see if they can recommend a local funeral service company that they are familiar with or have worked with directly. Unfortunately some funeral parlors are notorious for gouging recent widows or widowers in their most vulnerable state. There is such a thing as the "Funeral Rule" that is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) which states that funeral directors have to give you an itemized price list in person or over the phone if you want. Keep this in mind when talking with your local funeral home director because often you are offered "packages" which include certain services and items for the funeral. You have the right to buy only certain goods and services and can reject anything you don't want. Many people have caskets made elsewhere than the funeral home and don't want to have to buy a casket directly from the funeral home with high markups. You do have rights and choices when purchasing services from funeral homes so use them wisely and don't feel inclined to pay for everything they offer.

Funeral Cost:

How much will a funeral cost? Experts say the costs of a funeral rank among the most expensive purchases many people will have to make in their lifetime. All funeral service providers charge basic fees ($500-$2000) that can't be avoided like funeral planning, acquiring copies of the death certificate, sheltering the remains, making necessary arrangements with the cemetery or crematory, and many other things. There are lots of optional services a funeral home may charge for like embalming, memorial services, use of equipment and staff, use of a hearse or limousine, caskets, cremation, burial containers, or interment. The casket will most likely be the most expensive item involved in a funeral - caskets range in price from $2000 to $10000. Even a cremation urn that is tiny can cost $1000 or more. Shop around for these items elsewhere to get the best price. The most cost effective burial is one in which cremation is done first and then the ashes are spread somewhere or stored in an urn in your home. That way you eliminate the casket cost and burial plot which can run into the $1000's. We heard from many funeral home directors that people feel "inclined to spend lots of money to show they loved the deceased person". Don't put yourself into debt or deplete your life savings to bury your loved one. Giving them an honorable funeral without the lavish flowers, casket, service, etc. is just as good. My wife recently had to shop for funeral services for her father and found out that funeral homes vary in pricing by quite a bit and many offer services in their packages that are really useless. Call several funeral homes and visit only those you have a good feeling about and get all pricing in writing beforehand so you can compare funeral costs.

Funeral Director:

The key to having a successful funeral is finding a proven funeral home director that will work with you on your budget and plan the funeral according to your wishes. A funeral director has a similar position to that of a wedding coordinator. They have to work with you to plan and arrange the funeral in a way that makes you feel comfortable. We read on several funeral service sites that you should interview and meet at least 3 funeral directors (if you have the time) before deciding on one. Each funeral parlor has it's own way of doing things but you want one that is flexible enough to accomodate your needs. Many funeral directors will try to sell you on their "packages" of services and many are priced fairly, while others are extravagent with unnecessary items. Many services offered by funeral homes are negotiable and some can be dropped from the list altogether. Ask plenty of questions either over the phone or in person and be sure to get the price list and estimate of the entire cost.

Obituary:

As I mentioned, my wife had the task of planning a funeral for her father recently and she found that almost all the funeral homes and directors she spoke with will get the obituary into papers FREE of cost to you as long as you go with one of their packages. Remember that the pricing on a package deal is often inflated by the funeral home even for the most basic services, so the obituary being free is not a great savings in the grand scheme of things if you are overpaying for the casket and other items. Even if you have to pay for the obituary but save money on services you don't want or need it's worth it. Filing an obituary with your local newspaper is pretty cheap to do.

Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.

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