As you work through your estate planning checklist, you’ll eventually have to decide whether you’d like to pay the costs for your funeral expenses in advance. An easy way to do so is with a Preneed Funeral insurance plan.

A Preneed Funeral insurance plan, also known as burial insurance, covers funeral expenses that can include everything from the casket to flowers to transportation for the family. In order to create your policy, you’ll need to spell out your wishes in a preplanning appointment with a Preneed agent, who is associated with a funeral home. The Preneed agent will total the costs, and that amount is the basis for your Preneed insurance plan. Upon your death, the funds are given to the funeral home to pay for your funeral, rather than to a beneficiary.

Prepare for your preplanning appointment

Your Preneed agent will walk you through the four steps to preplanning your funeral, but you’ll also want to go into your preplanning appointment prepared. So, as hard as it is, you’ll want to consider details like where you want to be laid to rest and what features you want included at your memorial before your preplanning appointment. Ask yourself questions like:

• Do you want a burial or cremation?
• Where would you like your body or cremated remains to rest eternally? 
• Do you want a traditional service or a celebration of life?
• Do you want a green funeral with eco-friendly services? 
• Do you know where you want the services to be held?
• If you are a veteran, do you want military funeral honors?

With Preneed Funeral insurance, you can be as thorough with your service as you want to be. This means that if you have a preference for the specific details in your service, you should consider those before your appointment as well. Details you may want to think about include:

• Readings
• Hymns
• Flowers
• Prayer cards

If you’re having a hard time making any of these decisions before your appointment, or if you just don’t know how to plan a funeral, we are here to get you started. Sometimes people just don’t know what they want to do. In that case, it can help to start by asking yourself what has been traditional for your family. If your family doesn’t have specific traditions, you may be able to start new ones with your preplanned service. 

You can always ask the funeral professional what they recommend as well, and you can get quotes on types of services to help you narrow down your choices. 

Ask questions at the preplanning appointment

You’ll also want to make a list of questions to ask your Preneed agent at the preplanning appointment, such as:

• What are my options for creating a meaningful, unique service?
• Can we have a funeral if we are choosing cremation?
• Can we hold the funeral service somewhere other than the funeral home?
• Can you explain what’s covered and what’s not covered with my policy?
• What if my family wants to make a change?
• What if I change my mind after I sign the contract?
• What if there’s not enough money to pay for the funeral when I die?
• What if we move away and need to use a different funeral home?
• Is there any other information I need to know?

Inquire about plan and payment options

Once you’ve made your funeral decisions, you’ll want to ask your Preneed agent what your plan and payment options are. For example, Wellabe offers Preneed Funeral insurance plans with a variety of payment options. A Preneed agent can describe each plan, so you can determine which one is right for your situation. 

Call 800-995-9010 or visit our regional managers page to connect with a funeral home partner near you. 

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