Pre-Plan Funeral Lawyer in Salem, MA
Pre-planning your funeral is an estate planning process you may have never considered, but it poses several benefits to you and your family. Our pre-plan funeral lawyers at Casey Lundregan Burns, P.C., can walk you through the process of pre-arranging your funeral, whether you just want to set funds aside or would like to plan every detail in advance.
What Are Prepaid Funeral Contracts?
A prepaid funeral contract is a contract with a funeral home to pay your funeral expenses in advance. The funeral home will place your money in an insurance policy or trust until your family is ready to use it. After you pass away, your personal representative can contact the funeral home and begin enacting your plans for your funeral.
Along with pre-paying for the funeral, you can also make any requests about the funeral service or burial. For instance, you can choose your casket or indicate any special wishes for the service.
Why Should You Pre-Plan Your Funeral?
As pre-plan funeral lawyers, we help clients pre-arrange their funerals for a few different reasons. You may want to pre-plan your funeral to:
Reduce Stress for Family Members
If you’ve ever planned a funeral, you know how stressful the process can be. Making funeral arrangements while grieving a loved one’s death and completing other time-sensitive tasks can be overwhelming. When you pre-plan your funeral, you allow your family to bypass this stressful process.
Your funeral contract can also ensure that your family has immediate access to funds to cover the funeral costs. Without a funeral contract, they may need to pay for the service out of their own pockets until the probate process concludes and the personal representative distributes inheritances.
Plan the Details of Your Funeral
Pre-planning your funeral gives you control over the details of the service and burial. Do you have certain funeral homes or funeral directors in mind? Do you prefer upbeat celebrations of life over somber funeral services? Do you want an open or closed casket?
When you create your prepaid funeral contract, you can include specific details about your wishes for the funeral. The funeral home and your personal representative will respect your wishes after your death.
Reduce Your Countable Assets
Paying for a funeral in advance can also reduce your countable assets. If you’re trying to qualify for MassHealth or other government benefits, pre-paying could improve your financial eligibility.
Special Considerations for Pre-Planning a Funeral
Before you pay for a funeral contract, make sure you fully understand the process and any potential risks. Ask questions like:
- Is the funeral provider trustworthy?
- Does the funeral provider offer refunds?
- What if the funeral home goes out of business?
Working with our pre-plan funeral lawyers can help you answer these questions and create a prepaid funeral contract.
Contact a Professional Pre-Plan Funeral Lawyer in Massachusetts Today
With over 90 years of experience as an estate planning law firm, we’ve helped numerous clients pre-plan their funerals and navigate other tasks involved in preparing for the ends of their lives.
If you’re considering pre-planning your funeral, contact Casey Lundregan Burns, P.C., today at 978-878-3519 to schedule a consultation.