Among the
products and services you can
prepurchase:
- A casket or urn
Cremation
Embalming (not legally required
unless there will be a public
viewing)
Burial vault or grave liner
Grave marker
Hearse and other funeral
vehicles
Flowers
Digging and filling the grave
The plot
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A checklist for
buying burial
insurance:
- Find out
your state's
laws on pre need
insurance.
- Before
buying a burial
policy, discuss
your options
with your family
and lawyer to
make sure it is
consistent with
your will and
estate planning.
- Determine
how much of the
plan value you
will actually
receive in death
benefits.
- Verify the
license of the
agent, funeral
director or
company before
doing business.
- Take
advantage of any
"free look" laws
your state might
have to review
your policy
before you are
locked in.
- The Federal
Trade Commission
requires funeral
homes to give
you a written
price list of
available goods
and services.
- Funeral
directors may
choose not to
provide price
guarantees,
which means the
money you pay
today for a
funeral might
not actually be
enough to cover
the costs later
since you
haven't locked
in the prices.
- Have a
companion on
hand to help you
sort through the
paperwork or to
help you shop
for a casket or
other products.
- Do not
accept any
documents that
have not been
completely
filled in and
signed in your
presence.
- Make sure
the funeral
arrangements can
be moved to any
funeral home at
any time (in
case you move,
for instance).
- Find out if
your state
requires that
the money you
pay to funeral
directors for
preneed funerals
be made
available to you
upon request at
any time.
- The location
of the grave
site should be
spelled out by
section, row and
plot number.
- The policy
should specify
what type of
outer burial
container you
have purchased
(e.g., grave
liner vs. a
vault, and what
it's made of).
- The policy
should specify
what kind of
marker you have
purchased,
including size,
material, and
style,
preferably with
a sketch.
- Find out if
opening, closing
and
marker-installation
costs are
included (the
costs of digging
and filling a
grave aren't
generally
included in the
cost of the
plot).
- Find out if
there are extra
fees if you buy
a marker from a
monument dealer
instead of the
cemetery. And
what about
buying a casket
from your own
supplier?
- Find out
what happens if
the cemetery
ownership
changes hands.
- Know what
recourse you
have if the
cemetery runs
out of money and
defaults on your
arrangement.
- Ask what
happens if your
chosen cemetery
runs out of
burial space.
- Survey your
desired cemetery
to see how well
the upkeep is,
particularly
after a
snowstorm.
- Look at the
contingencies if
the items you
have selected
will no longer
available at the
time of the
funeral.
- Make sure
you receive your
funeral policy
in a timely
manner.
- Make sure
you receive at
least one
statement each
year detailing
the status of
your account.
- Know what
happens if you
decide to cancel
your policy. You
may be refunded
for products and
services, but be
stuck with the
plot.
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