How Do I Plan My Funeral When I Don’t Know Where I’m Going to Die?

Where do you see yourself in five years? Even if it’s been ages since your last job hunt, this common interview question also happens to be helpful when planning your funeral.

The fact is, almost everyone has wondered about “when” they will die. Fewer wonder about “where” it will happen.

Yet with families increasingly spread out and many retirees relocating, figuring out “where” you want your funeral to take place is an important question to ask.

So, whether you’ve recently moved or you simply like to travel, here are a few things you’ll want to consider before making a plan for your funeral.

Get your final wishes down in writing

Before we go any further, let’s make one thing clear: the funeral plan itself is what takes priority. Thinking about your final wishes and getting them down in writing is how you’ll help your loved ones most when the time comes.

They’ll appreciate not having to second guess what kind of service you wanted or how you wished to be remembered. Instead, they’ll be able to focus on grieving and healing.

And if you happen to change your mind about anything, updating your plan is pretty easy.

First, get your plan on file with a local funeral home. Planning Daisies can help with this step. Schedule an over-the-phone consultation or use our online planning tool to get started.

From there, all you need to do is contact the funeral home directly should you wish to make any additions or adjustments to your plan. They’re always happy to help.     

A funeral plan is easy to transfer

This same willingness to help is also why transferring your plan to another funeral home is so easy. The funeral homes we’ve partnered with are run by purpose-driven people. They want to help, and they understand that families move and plans change.

Once your plan is on file, sharing it with another funeral home after you move is pretty straightforward. The rules vary between states, so you’ll want to make sure to ask a pre-planning specialist the details about plan portability and transfers.

Thankfully, Planning Daisies has funeral home partners across the country, all of them vetted for their high quality and excellent service. 

You can rest assured that if you choose one of our funeral home partners in your new area, they will honor the transfer of your plan, even if that entails handling the logistics of transporting your body back to wherever you choose to have your final resting place.

Prepaid policies can be transferred too

The other good news is that a prepaid policy is also pretty easy to transfer.

The big advantage of prepaying for your funeral is that the financial burden isn’t left up to your loved ones. A living trust or will is great, but these are usually read after the funeral takes place. This means any assets that could be used for funeral arrangements may be initially unavailable, leaving loved ones to pay for it out of pocket.  

Again, there is some variation between states, so you’ll want to ask a preneed specialist about the details or costs involved in transferring a preneed insurance policy to a new funeral home.

And here’s where exceptional customer service makes a difference. When Planning Daisies recommends one of our funeral home partners, we make sure the customer is always their first concern.

They pride themselves on caring for families, and they honor prepaid funeral plans because that is what families have asked for.

Protection away from home

Another point to consider comes from asking, “What if?”

The source of countless creative and scientific breakthroughs, “What if?” is also the source of sleepless nights and worries. It’s why parents give teenagers curfews and homeowners have insurance policies.  

It’s also a good question to ask when you travel.

One of the reasons we started offering an out-of-area protection plan is because of the uncertainty surrounding when and where death might happen.

Many funeral homes will pick up a body up to 25 miles away from their location. Farther than that, and there are additional charges and expenses that can add up quickly.

This is especially true if you’re visiting loved ones across the country or traveling internationally. In those instances, the cost of transporting a body alone can range from $2,500 to $10,000.

Having an out-of-area protection plan will cover these costs and will account for all the logistics involved in contacting the funeral home and arranging for transportation.

Many people find that it provides peace of mind knowing they won’t have to worry about handling any of these details on their own.

Interested in Out-of-Area Protection? Email us to learn more about Planning Daisies’ plans.

Conclusion

There are so many unknowns that come with planning your funeral. The most important thing, however, is having a clear plan.

Once that’s in place and you’ve selected a local funeral home, making changes or transferring a prepaid policy is easy.

The same goes for getting protection in case your death happens away from home.

With a plan on file and both of these concerns accounted for, it becomes that much easier to have peace of mind and simply enjoy life.

Schedule a free consultation and start your plan today.