The Funds Are Due At Time of Need

Time after time families are surprised when there is a death when they find that charges are due before the burial can take place.  Along with the grief and the stress of all the tasks to be accomplished in a very short period, there is the added stress of payment.  In my experience, the financial burden can be the most difficult to carry throughout this process. In one case I was working, the family was Continue reading

The Funeral Rule

As a consumer, your rights through a variety of shopping processes is protected by the federal government.  The funeral shopping process is no exception.  After some research, Federal Trade Commission found that the consumer was in a very weak bargaining position, particularly if there had been a death.  All of the grief, anxiety and a lack of education were distinct barriers the consumer would have to overcome, many times failing to overcome, in the bargaining Continue reading

What is it Like to Work with Families?

Most people consider my occupation to be macabre; some even it think it gross.  They believe that I work with dead bodies and cannot fathom how I can possibly stand it.  Their feelings about my occupation are merely a reflection of their personal feelings.  They truly misunderstand what it is that I do. My job, though it entails planning for someone that is deceased, is not actually working with them, but actually with those who Continue reading

What is a Casket?

Choosing a casket is one of the major tasks of the funeral planning experience.  There are many choices not only of the outside but also of the inside.  Funeral directors offer these choices to make the casket more personal to the deceased.  Some families make a choice based on presentation:  they may feel that they must choose an expensive casket so as to “keep up appearances.”  Is that necessary? I have been asked is a Continue reading

The Insurance Assignment

When the death of a loved one occurs, some families are very surprised at the expense incurred for final disposition.  One element of the process that is particularly surprising is that the expenses need to be covered before burial can occur.  The monies, in case you didn’t know, need to be paid before the service can begin. As has been discussed in a previous post, one method of payment that families employ when there is Continue reading

Thoughts at the End of the Year

As we prepare to watch the ball drop on Times Square signifying the end of another year we take time to reflect on the year ending and the new year beginning.  When I do this regarding the business I am in, thoughts turn to the families I serve. One family I served was arranging for the burial of their only child.  He was an adult that had not reached middle age.  The parents have remarked Continue reading

Frequently Asked Questions

There are many questions associated with funeral and burial that I am asked on a daily basis.  As food for thought I will answer ten of them here. 1. Is payment in full required for burial to occur? Yes.  One of the major reasons to make and pay for arrangements in advance is to prevent financial hardship at the time of death. 2. What are my choices in ground burial? There are single graves and Continue reading

Social Media- A New Area to Consider When Preplanning

I had a conversation a few months back with a Huber Heights City Commissioner who is also an attorney.  We were discussing various issues regarding end of life planning when he related a story about his brother. His brother had a profuse online presence.  He had many email accounts, social media accounts and the like, but there was one area that my friend noted a particularly large outpouring of grief and sentiment that my friend Continue reading

The Cremation Process

CremationProcessGraphic

Cremation today has become a popular option for final disposition.  Recent surveys indicate cremation preference to be 30% as opposed to 5% in 1975.  If you are considering cremation as your means of final disposition, there are a couple of videos I have found that are helpful to educate yourself about the process.  See them below: The Process Of Modern Day Cremation Video 1 of 2 The Process Of Modern Day Cremation Video 2 of Continue reading

Why I Do What I Do

Everyday I help families make hard decisions at the worst time of their lives.  The loss of a loved one is never easy, and having been through the experience several times in my personal life, I can empathize with each and every family.  Also, I recognize that every family’s situation is unique, and though all the questions that must be answered are the same, each answer is different respective to each family. I am sometimes Continue reading