Pre-planning Frequently Asked Questions

What is Pre-planning, or Pre-arrangement?

When you plan in advance, you are making choices now based on your wishes as to how your final arrangements will be carried out. Thus, you can reduce family concerns at the time of your death.

What do I need to do to preplan?

At your convenience, you can meet with a member of our staff to discuss your options
and your preferences. When you make arrangements in advance, you’ll want to consider your service preferences, types of merchandise and funding options. By making some or all of these decisions now, you give your family peace of mind, and also benefit financially.

What are the advantages of advanced planning?

There are many advantages when you take care of your final arrangements in advance. The most obvious benefit is financial, but there are a number of emotional benefits, too. When you make arrangements in advance you have a better opportunity to make informed choices. If you decide to prepay, you guarantee today's prices, and can take advantage of affordable payment plans. We can provide additional professional advice on pre-planning and pre-paying.

What is the difference between pre-paying and pre-planning?

When you pre-plan, you do not need to pay for everything in advance—your estate or family can pay for the services at the rates being charged when your funeral is held. When your plan is complete, the funeral director will keep it on file until it is needed. However, if you pre-pay at the time you make your pre-arrangements, you pay at today’s prices and receive a guaranteed funeral contract. We offer several affordable payment and investment options. We’ll be happy to discuss these options with you and help you make a decision that best suits your needs.

Where does the money go that I pre-pay into a plan?

Typically, 100% of the money you pre-pay will be used for your service requests. Once we receive pre-plan money from you, we will deposit all of it into a trust where it cannot be released to us until after the funeral you have chosen has been provided for you.

• Types of Trusts:
• A Revocable Trust (bank trust) is a trust that any amount of money may be deposited into. At anytime, you may ask for this money and the interest it has made. At the end of the year you will receive a 1099 statement on which you must pay taxes on the interest as it is considered income.
• An Irrevocable Trust (insurance policy) is most commonly purchased by someone who eventually might need care in excess of his or her assets. Once purchased, it can be used for burial purposes only. 

What if the cost of the services/products I pre-pay is greatly increased at the time of my death?

Once you pre-pay for your services, the terms both parties agree to are permanently in effect. For other types of services, the funeral home cannot guarantee that the fund of money established by the purchaser will be sufficient to purchase those services. However, the interest earned by a fully funded account should offset any reasonable price increase.

What if your funeral home is no longer in business at the time of my death?

Because your money is held in a bank trust or insurance policy, it will always be there for you, even if our business were to be purchased or go out of business.

What information will I need to provide on the On-line Pre-planning/Pre-arrangement Form?

This easy-to-use form should take only a few minutes to complete and will require contact information, biographical information, and your service or memorialization preferences. You’ll have the option to select services, based on your preferences and the associated costs. View or complete the On-line Pre-planning Form now.

How do You Pay for a Funeral?

You may select one of two ways to pre-pay for a funeral:

Pre-payment in Full

The first method is to make payment in full. This will guarantee the price of the funeral and merchandise selected.  The money will be deposited into an insurance policy or annuity.

Pre-payment through Financing

We have numerous financing options available through insurance products to fit any budget or financial need.