How to pay for funeral arrangements.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can do a budget cremation for around $1k. It’s absurd to blow $15k-$20k on a funeral.

15-20k is crazy. Does she want a big service and all the bells and whistles? My mom recently died and cremation was $1,500. we had small gathering at house

[Anonymous]

OP here:

Thanks for all the replies.

Dad was military buried with veterans so we need to buy a plot. I like the idea of buying that now. (I will speak with her about that). Also- I didn’t know you can pre-pay arrangements. I will call local funeral home and ask how that process works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do a budget cremation for around $1k. It’s absurd to blow $15k-$20k on a funeral.

15-20k is crazy. Does she want a big service and all the bells and whistles? My mom recently died and cremation was $1,500. we had small gathering at house

OP:

Yes- her church family alone plus family it will be a big service.

[Anonymous]

You know spouses can be buried in veterans cemeteries right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not OP, but always wondered, what happens if you pre-pay for cremation and the place goes out of business? wouldn't you be out of luck.

Great question… or they sell the funeral home and no longer honor the pre-payment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know spouses can be buried in veterans cemeteries right?

OP: I did not know that was possible.

[Anonymous]

Who's the executor on her estate? Either she pre pays now or the estate pays for the funeral (or worst case you pay and the estate reimburses you). She can't pay for anything once she's dead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here:

Thanks for all the replies.

Dad was military buried with veterans so we need to buy a plot. I like the idea of buying that now. (I will speak with her about that). Also- I didn’t know you can pre-pay arrangements. I will call local funeral home and ask how that process works.

Is he in a veterans cemetery? Usually they bury the spouse in the same plot as the service member (most are vaulted and have multiple layers). The headstone will have the service member on the front, and the spouse (and sometimes minor children) on the back.

[Anonymous]

1600 back - if its a veterans cemetery you need to ask about how a service works. My grandparents were buried in a veterans cemetery in a different state and the funeral services at the cemetery were 25 minutes (hard stop - no extra time).

Others have different rules.

[Anonymous]

When my parent died, they had pre-paid about $10,000 worth of expenses but there were some additional costs I had to pay with a check at the time of death when we made arrangements. They didn't take credit cards. Most around here probably do though.

The life insurance took several weeks to make payment (because you have to wait for the death certificate to be issued and then fill out forms and wait for a check).

I was listed as the beneficiary of their checking account and got that money once the death certificate was issued as well. I was able to reimburse myself for funeral expenses once I was named official executor and had a checking account set up, but that took about 4-6 weeks in our case.

Its a confusing process at an emotional time. I think if you are concerned about the money, have your mother give you $10,000 and put it in a separate account that you can access if you need to pay for things. We had to take over payments of home utilities, income taxes, etc. for example, immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. It is not your money
2. It is not your money.

OP isn't fretting about wasting estate assets on a funeral, they are asking a reasonable question about how to access cash in a timely manner when the account owner has died. It also sounds like they are currently helping their parent manage their accounts and thinking through these things and assisting with planning is part of what they do to help their parent, not some kind of money-grubbing. Geez.

[Anonymous]

OP:

Thank you all very much. Also good to get different perspectives.

I called State Farm about senior citizens policies and learned they offer a single premium policy: pay $15k, receive $15k at death, with no interest. It doesn’t make financial sense due to the lack of no-interest, but I want to simplify the process since I’ll be handling it alone. Explaining to Mom that it’s an insurance policy, not a random online savings account, will prevent misunderstandings. She can keep the policy with her other paperwork, benefiting everyone.

I just don’t like idea of pre-paying a funeral home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP:

Thank you all very much. Also good to get different perspectives.

I called State Farm about senior citizens policies and learned they offer a single premium policy: pay $15k, receive $15k at death, with no interest. It doesn’t make financial sense due to the lack of no-interest, but I want to simplify the process since I’ll be handling it alone. Explaining to Mom that it’s an insurance policy, not a random online savings account, will prevent misunderstandings. She can keep the policy with her other paperwork, benefiting everyone.

I just don’t like idea of pre-paying a funeral home.

Get a prepayment funeral policy. You don’t pay a specific funeral home. It is basically an insurance policy, invested with a guaranteed return made payable to you at time of death to be used at a funeral home of your choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can do a budget cremation for around $1k. It’s absurd to blow $15k-$20k on a funeral.

15-20k is crazy. Does she want a big service and all the bells and whistles? My mom recently died and cremation was $1,500. we had small gathering at house

OP:

Yes- her church family alone plus family it will be a big service.

You should be able to have the service and reception in her church and keep the cost low. For a donation, Many Churches have a committee to bring in sweets and sandwiches for the funerals of members - if they don’t, just bring in a few Costco platters and cake. You really don’t need much. You do not need the funeral home to do anything. You can investigate now for the less expensive places for cremation.

[Anonymous]

My Dad put my sister and I as payable on death for his bank account. We got the money within a week of submitting the death certificate. If you have POA, you can make sure she has enough money for a funeral in her bank account.