FAQ

Ever asked yourself “What Does A Funeral Cos? Well, it largely depends on the type of funeral you choose. One thing however, is very clear, and that’s how many people are surprised by funeral costs at a time when they can often simply not afford the added expense, especially at such an emotional time.

The Lowest Funeral Costs Start Around $6,000

While an inexpensive, “traditional funeral” can cost anywhere from around $6,000, but add on to that the flowers, the limos, the acknowledgements and obituary notices and that can soon raise to way over $10,000, a pretty tidy sum you’re sure to agree. Of course, there are cheaper options available. A funeral is one of the most expensive things you’ll ever have to pay for in your lifetime, that’s for sure, with a range of services to pay for which you probably wouldn’t have even thought about:

• the price of embalming and dressing the body (not necessary for some quick cremations)
• the rental cost of the funeral home for visitors and perhaps even the funeral service itself
• the rental cost of the hearse and other limousines or vehicles
• the casket cost
• the plot in the cemetery along with many other “incidentals”

Often the deceased will have debt from a credit card, a mortgage or other financial obligations. You can purchase a funeral insurance plan large enough to cover these expenses so your family won’t be financially burdened.

One thing, however, which may offer some comfort, is that your chosen funeral provider must, by law, give you an itemized price list of what’s included in the funeral cost and optional extras you have chosen, so that no “hidden extras” can be added to the final expenses.

Ever wondered “What is Cremation?” Cremation is often a cheaper option than the traditional type of funeral for many different reasons. If you choose to have a direct cremation for your loved one (or they pre-chose it themselves) then it really is the cheapest option available, yet can still be carried out with dignity and love. Splashing out on a lavish funeral is really not necessary to show the world how much the deceased meant to you.

People have a general understanding as to what the term cremation means – it is burning the body until it is converted to ashes. A more technical definition of cremation is: “The mechanical and/or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments.” Cremation includes the processing and usually includes the pulverization of the bone fragments. This definition covers a variety of technologies that may be applied in order to achieve reduction to bone fragments, including traditional flame-based cremation, calcination and alkaline hydrolysis

If you chose a direct cremation, then it all happens very shortly after death which eliminates any need for the costly business of embalming (there are generally no visitations etc). This also cuts down on paying the funeral home for providing a suitable room for visitations to take place. The cremated remains will be placed in an urn or some other container and can be kept at home, buried on a plot or scattered in some special place of the deceased or family.

Cremation also cuts out the need for a costly casket. If your funeral home provides a direct cremation service then they must also provide you with a suitable unfinished wooden box or some other alternative container which can be used in place of a casket. One other option is to rent a traditional casket from the funeral home which can be used for effect but not actually burned. This idea is certainly worth asking your chosen funeral provider about.

After a direct cremation it is perfectly commonplace to hold a memorial service for the deceased, even if the remains are not present. This can take place at a later, more convenient date when all family and friends are able to attend. This can also be tied in with scattering of the ashes which can be a memorable and poignant way to say your last goodbyes.

Having a burial final expense insurance policy means you are covered for your entire lifetime including FUNERAL EXPENSES and BURIAL COSTS. It also provides those left behind the means and the ability to pay any remaining expenses or outstanding debts. One of the largest differences between final expense life insurance (which is also often BURIAL INSURANCE) and traditional life insurance is that there is a huge difference in the costs. Specifically, the face value of most final expense policies is much lower than that of traditional life insurance.

You may purchase a traditional life insurance plan that amounts to the amount of debt you have, including mortgages, and provides for the living expenses for your family over a long period. However, many of the policies for final expenses insurance only have a face value of $10,000 to $25,000, sometimes even less. The goal of these funds is to pay for your actual funeral expenses. Also note that this also means that the cost of final expense life insurance is much lower than the cost of a traditional policy to you. It does not pay as much and therefore does not cost as much to you.

Funeral Planning Saves Money and Grief

Taking the time for funeral planning saves money and grief during a time when you simply don’t want any more pain or suffering in your life.

Funerals certainly are morbid affairs, aren’t they? All that talk about death, blah, blah. What a downer. But if you think you’re doing to die someday, it might be a good idea to think about funeral planning today (see our FUNERAL PLANNING CHECKLIST). Funeral planning saves money and grief for those who have to sit at your funeral and listen to that awful eulogy from your second cousin, twice removed.

When people are mourning you, they aren’t thinking about how much it’s going to cost to bury you. They’re just listening to the funeral director and nodding, just as the director wants them to. But when you have a burial insurance plan or funeral life insurance in place, you can save your loved ones money–you’ll have already paid for everything ahead of time. Sure, the funeral homes are supposed to provide lists of their expenses, but it’s hard to see those lists when you’re dealing with death, you know.

At the same time, your loved ones might feel like they need to spend more in order to really show they care (not that you’re going to notice). So, when you plan your funeral ahead of time, you can call the shots and prevent them from buying the titanium casket. Plus, who wants to haggle over prices with a funeral director? No one.

Instead, you can do the bargain hunting now while you’re alive and save them the hassle buy securing a sweet deal on a coffin and a plot–two for the price of one!

And while you’re trying to help your friends and family through what will be a difficult time, burial life insurance and planning also helps you be at ease. You don’t have to have another worry on your mind if you are sick or if you have a contract hit out on you. You can just know that your loved ones won’t have to deal with anything but their grief when it’s time for you to kick off.

Of course, you’re also saving your friends and family the grief of a $6,000 BILL, sometimes more.

A burial pre planning checklist checklist will quickly allow you to see what you still need to find in a BURIAL INSURANCE policy or a funeral insurance plan.

Checklists are wonderful things. Instead of having to think about your funeral, you can simply check off the FUNERAL PREPLANNING checklist and you’re done with this task of death. Of course, you’ll still need to die at some point, but they never seem to put that on the list. Huh, wonder why?

Let’s make death and all of its details a little easier on you and on your family:

• Do you want a CASKET or an URN?
• Do you want to be CREMATED?
• Do you want to be embalmed or not?
• Do you want a grave liner?
• Do you want a burial vault?
• Do you want a GRAVE MARKER? Headstone? Rolling stone?
• Do you want flowers at the funeral?
• Do you want music at the funeral? What kind?
• Do you want a mass at your funeral? What kind?
• Do you want a hearse? Other funeral vehicle?
• Who do you want digging/filling your grave?
• Where do you want to be buried?

These are a lot of things to think about, and they all come with a price tag. Start by figuring out what you want and then talking to the funeral insurance companies in your area. This way, you can start haggling over what’s covered and what’s not, which might just plan your funeral for you. After all, if the policy is only going to cover $10,000 in FUNERAL EXPENSES, that’s all you should include in your funeral preplanning.

Benefits

• Lifetime coverage and protection
•  Return of mortal remains when you are 75 miles or more away from your legal residence, anywhere in the world
•  We will provide a selected, licensed funeral home to care for the deceased
•  We will arrange everything for the preparation of the deceased before transport (including embalming or cremation if necessary for lawful transportation). 
•  Arranging for the transportation of the deceased to the selected licensed funeral home
•  Keep you up to date as the deceased is shipped to the selected, licensed receiving funeral home
•  No claim forms, no deductions, no age limits, no health questions
•  No transport dollar limits
•  Provide all documents including customs documents or diplomatic issues involved anywhere in the world

Primary residence needs to be in the continental United States, where at least 180 days is spent per year.

 If a Sepio Guard Service Agreement is purchased while away from the primary residence, the coverage does not begin until member returns to their primary residence.

 If a member who is paying their Sepio Guard Service Agreement off over 12 months passes away, the remaining payments are forgiven, and the member receives the full benefit.

If you haven’t selected a funeral home before death, we will help your family members choose one for you.