Author Archive for Mike Testa

What does cremation with services mean?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Monday, May 20th, 2013

This article explains cremation with services.  Families choosing cremation have two options: direct cremation or cremation with services. 

Cremation with services often includes elements similar to what you would find in a traditional funeral; however, instead of a casketed body serving as the focal point of ceremonies, the cremated remains are the centerpiece of a memorial service.   

With cremation the body is exposed to high heat and reduced to the consistency of sand.  In the case of cremation with services, the cremation itself could occur after a traditional funeral has been held or the body could be cremated first and the cremains used as the focal point during a memorial service.

A memorial service is any type of service that commemorates the life of the deceased while an urn containing the cremains (i.e. ashes) is in the room.  A funeral service is any type of service that commemorates the life of the deceased while the casketed body is in the room. 

Depending on the timing of cremation, the body may need to be embalmed.  If the body is cremated before any type of formal ceremony is held, embalming is usually not necessary.  If cremation takes place after the body is viewed, embalming is usually required.

To summarize: cremation with services

When you choose cremation with services the body is removed from the place of death to the funeral home or crematory.  The body is then prepared for viewing and visitation, followed by a funeral ceremony and then cremated.

Alternatively, the body could be cremated immediately upon arrival at the funeral home and the cremains used as the centerpiece in a memorial service.

Click here to learn more about cremation.

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Basic facts about the cremation process

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Friday, May 17th, 2013

This brief article shares facts about the cremation process.  Most bodies that are cremated are placed in something combustible.  Typical cremation containers include heavy cardboard trays, cardboard or wood caskets, or canvas body bags. 

Only 15 percent of cremations include the use of a casket.  This means nearly 85 percent of cremations take place using a less expensive cardboard container or canvas bag. 

Cremation process

The typical cremation process takes somewhere between one and two hours to complete.  The actual time varies in proportion to the size of the deceased, with larger bodies taking slightly longer to cremate. 

Cremation heats the body and container at a high enough temperature to reduce all contents to cremains.  “Cremains” is the technical term for “ashes.”  A normal adult body yields between five and seven pounds of cremains, enough to fill a 12″X 4″ container.

Cremains are generally gray in color and have a consistency similar to playground sand or fine gravel.  From an environmental standpoint, cremains are sterile and non-polluting.

Most funeral homes return cremated remains in a small cardboard box fitted with a plastic-bag liner.  Sometimes the funeral home will stamp the word “temporary” on the box in an effort to sell the family a more permanent – and expensive – urn.  However, you do not need to purchase an urn because any container, including the simple cardboard box, is sufficient for storage purposes.

You can learn more about the cremation process in the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

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What are the benefits of planning a funeral using the Funeral Saver’s Kit?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

People purchase the Funeral Saver’s Kit either because someone they care about has died, is expected to die, or because they need help planning their own funeral. I created this kit after experiencing much of the same anxiety, frustration, and sadness that goes hand-in-hand with planning any funeral.

This kit is designed to guide you quickly and easily through the decisions that need to be made regarding funeral arrangements. Special emphasis is placed on reducing expenses and ensuring the arrangements are meaningful to you and your family.

You can be confident that this information is objective, practical, and easy to understand and use. I have helped many people arrange funerals over the last 10 years – and I know the information in this kit really does work!

Benefits of using the Funeral Saver’s Kit
By following the simple directions outlined in this kit you will experience many benefits:

• You will realize substantial savings in overall funeral expenses
• You will spend less time making funeral arrangements
• You will experience less stress when making funeral arrangements
• You will learn enough to allow you to make appropriate and satisfying decisions
• You will eliminate sales pressure from funeral home employees
• You will have access to a wider selection of goods, services, and options from which to choose

The Funeral Saver’s Kit has worked for many families just like yours…and it can work for you too.  Click to learn more about the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

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Save money on funeral costs by making arrangements at a low-priced funeral home and cemetery

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Saturday, May 11th, 2013

Many people don’t realize that prices can vary greatly between funeral homes.   Over just the last three years many family-run funeral homes (and local cemeteries) have been taken-over by big global corporations.  These big corporate funeral homes often keep the original owner’s family name on the door so they don’t scare away their old customers.  Unfortunately, these corporations often raise prices by 30% to 50%. 

This is why you should NOT automatically use the same funeral home you have used in the past UNTIL you check to see if they have SINCE become part of one of the big funeral corporations – as so many have!

Choosing a reasonably-priced local funeral home instead of one of the many corporate funeral homes can substantially reduce your out-of-pocket funeral expenses. …often reducing your overall funeral bill by $2,000 – to $4,000 for the same exact items.

This same principle applies to cemeteries.  These funeral corporations have also been buying up many of the older, better established cemeteries across the country.  They realize that if you already have a family history with a particular cemetery you are more likely to pay their larger fees just to be buried next to a deceased relative. 

So what can you do about all this?  Well, the first thing you should do is call a few funeral homes in your area and ask them if they are now owned by one of the big corporations.  If they’re still a family-run business they’ll be proud to tell you so.   

If you don’t feel comfortable calling and asking funeral homes about this, check out section 3 of the Funeral $aver’s Kit to learn a neat little trick that lets you to use your computer to find out each and every corporate funeral home in your area.  You can do it right from the comfort of you home in less than 5 minutes and it’s completely free. 

After eliminating the really expensive funeral homes, you’ll want to find out which funeral homes offer the most reasonable prices.  Again, you can do this simply by calling funeral homes in your area and requesting their price information. 

Although funeral homes are NOT required to send you price information when you ask for it over the phone, some are still willing to do this.

Unfortunately, a lot of families have trouble getting accurate price information from funeral homes….so the Funeral Saver’s Kit now includes detailed price estimates for all funeral, burial, and cremation goods and services….this makes it easier to know what to expect in terms of costs.

Once you get price information from several funeral homes, simply compare prices for each of the goods and services that interest you.  Families using the Funeral Saver’s Kit have access to both a computer spreadsheet and a simple paper form that can be completed with just a pencil and calculator.  These forms make it easy to see which funeral home in your area offers the lowest overall price for the type of service you want. 

You can repeat this same process for cemeteries in your area.  Once you have identified the funeral home and cemetery that offer the most reasonable prices, contact the funeral home and schedule an “arrangement” conference.

If you need to save money on funeral costs, check out the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

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The advantages and disadvantages of donating your body to science

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

Many people consider donating their body to science in lieu of choosing a funeral followed by burial in a cemetery.  Body donation (or medical donation, as it is sometimes called), has advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of donating your body to science

One of the chief advantages related to donating your body to science is that this option is often considerably less expensive than other funeral options.  By donating your body to science, you avoid costs associated with body burial in a cemetery.  You may also be able to lower or reduce costs related to the headstone or memorial marker.

A body donation can also be fairly simple to arrange: normally you file basic paperwork with a donor program (usually a medical school) and then notify the donor program immediately following the death.  Representatives from the medical school will dispatch professionals to pick up the decedent and transport the body back to the medical school.

Moreover, the donor program or medical school accepting the body usually takes full responsibility for handling the eventual cremation and burial tasks.  Families are usually given the option of having cremated remains buried at the school site or returned to the family once the school is finished using the body for teaching purposes.

Donating your body to medical science also has an altruistic advantage in that your donation helps train future doctors and surgeons and may help find cures to a variety of diseases.  While this may not be a high priority in some families, other families take solace in the fact that they are able to make a positive impact on future generations.

Medical donation / Body donation – disadvantages to consider

While medical donation offers many advantages, there are also disadvantages you should consider before finalizing your plans.

You need to plan carefully to ensure that the body will be accepted regardless of the manner of death.  Some donation programs exclude bodies that have expired from certain conditions.  Should you (or a loved one) die in a manner that is excluded under the terms of the donor program, surviving family members would be responsible for making alternative arrangements.  This means even if you were planning on donating your body to science at relatively no cost, you could end up with unexpected funeral bills.

Most donor programs have counselors that can clearly explain which methods of death are acceptable or excludable under their program guidelines.  By talking with the donor program counselor and reviewing their literature, you can reduce –and in many cases eliminate- the risk of an expensive surprise.  Some programs will agree to accept the body regardless of the manner of death – even if the school determines they cannot use the body for teaching purposes.

It is also important to remember that medical donation may not be a viable alternative for “at need” cases.  Most donor programs require program registration prior to the time of death.  Because most medical schools require the decedent to be delivered immediately upon death, there often is not enough time to register for medical donation after the person has died.

This means you should have a backup plan when choosing medical donation.  You want to have a “plan B” just in case your donation is not accepted by the medical school because of an excludable manner of death or because the body could not be transported to the medical school within a reasonable amount of time.  Again, the donor program counselor will be able to provide clear guidance as to what manners of death and what time frames for delivery are acceptable.

Also, because most medical schools use bodily organs in their research, they usually do not accept bodies whose organs have been donated.  So if donating your organs is important to you, the medical donation option may not be available to you.  Similarly, autopsied bodies are usually not eligible for medical donation for the same reason.

Note: most medical schools do allow you to donate your eyes without jeopardizing a full body donation.

While donating your body to science can be a wonderful way to serve future generations, the process may not celebrate the decedent’s life as the family wants.  Because time is of the essence when donating a body, there usually is not time to hold a funeral or memorial service with the body present.  This doesn’t mean the family can’t hold a memorial service anyway; it just means that they will have to hold the service in the absence of the body or cremated remains.

Because some families find that holding a funeral is therapeutic and helps them begin the healing process, forgoing a funeral for body donation, may be less satisfying to some  surviving family members.

Although all medical schools hold a community memorial service to pay respects to the bodies used during the previous semester’s classes, this ceremony usually does not occur until approximately 18 months after the date of death.  This extended “waiting period” often may delay the family’s feeling of closure.

Lastly, because the body needs to be preserved for a long time period (usually until the next school semester starts), the medical school will be required to embalm the body.

Donating your body to medical science has many advantages and disadvantages.  The above considerations can be used as a starting point for making an appropriate decision.

You can learn more about donating your body to medical science here.

 

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How to plan an affordable funeral

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Sunday, May 5th, 2013

This article teaches you how to plan an affordable funeral.  With the typical funeral now costing more than the price of a good used car, many families need help making more affordable funeral (and cremation) arrangements.

Affordable Funeral Costs vs. Typical Funeral Costs

Most American funerals now cost between $8,000 and $10,000.  Unfortunately, as baby boomers age, demand for funeral services will grow and drive funeral prices up even further.  Some experts predict that within three years the average traditional funeral will cost nearly $12,000.

Fortunately, with a little planning you can realistically cut out-of-pocket funeral expenses in half.  This means you can save between $4,000 and $5,000 when planning a traditional funeral service or between $1,500 and $3,000 when planning a standard cremation service.

Why It’s Hard to Plan an Affordable Funeral

Even though many people complain about funeral prices, the cost of cremating or burying a loved one continues to increase every year.  Before we identify the things you can do to plan a more affordable funeral or cremation service, it may be helpful to discuss why funerals are so expensive.

First, a few facts about funeral homes: 

  • funeral homes (and many cemeteries) are in business to make a profit
  • many funeral homes are now owned by large global corporations
  • the more things they can sell you, the more profit they make 
  • the income for many funeral directors now comes entirely from sales commissions

Unfortunately, most people have no idea what funeral goods and services are required when a loved one dies, nor do they know what those goods and services should cost, so they end up buying whatever the funeral director recommends.  Funeral directors know this, so they simply don’t tell families about less expensive options. 

While there isn’t anything wrong with running a profitable business, many funeral homes achieve their above-average profits by misleading weary and grieving consumers.  Unfortunately, when it comes to funerals, it is easy to mislead consumers. 

Until recently most funeral planning information came directly from funeral directors.  This meant the only information available to families was what they were told by the very people trying to sell them something.   

Unfortunately, many funeral homes only provide information about their most expensive options, so families have little objective information to consider when making final arrangements.  Simply put: the majority of families don’t know how to find more reasonably priced options. 

But here is some good news: the Internet is making it possible for resources such as the [Funeral Saver’s Kit] to provide families with objective, accurate information that can help them make affordable funeral and cremation arrangements.  In fact, much of the information contained in this article comes from the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  

How to Plan a More Affordable Funeral

Fortunately funeral planning is one area in which a little education makes a big difference.  There are several things you can do that will help you plan a more affordable funeral or cremation service.  Here are three basic strategies: 

  • Choose a low-priced funeral home
  • Choose reasonably priced goods and services
  • Don’t be afraid to negotiate

 Choosing a low-priced funeral home

While most funeral homes offer similar services, they often price their services differently.  For example, Funeral Home A might charge a large fee for the funeral director’s time and add a small markup on the price of a casket; while Funeral Home B might charge a smaller fee for the funeral director’s time, but then make up for it by charging a much higher price for the casket.

Because you are now legally allowed to purchase your own casket from the Internet, funeral home B will usually be willing to discount the price of their casket in exchange for your business.  The combination of Funeral Home B’s lower fee for the funeral director’s time and the reduced price of their casket can save you thousands in unnecessary expenses.

Unfortunately, most families do not know which funeral homes in their area offer the lowest prices for the funeral director’s time.  That’s where resources like the Funeral Saver’s Kit come into play.  You can use the Funeral Saver’s Kit to find the funeral homes in your area that offer the lowest prices for the funeral director’s time.  The kit also shows you how to obtain a large discount on any model of casket. 

Choose reasonably priced goods and services

Most families have no idea what funeral goods and services cost, nor do they have any idea how large the funeral director’s markup is on the goods and services they buy.  It is common for funeral homes to markup the cost of their goods by 300% to 500%.  These markups can add thousands of dollars to the funeral home’s bill.

Consumers can be richly rewarded with substantial savings by understanding which funeral goods and services are required and knowing how much those goods and services cost the funeral home. 

Once you know which goods and services are required – and how much they should cost – you are in position to make appropriate choices based on your family’s preferences and budget.  You can consult the Funeral Saver’s Kit for a detailed listing of legal requirements and prices pertaining to all funeral and cemetery goods and services.

A key to affordable funeral planning is understanding how the service you select impacts the overall price of the funeral.  For example, choosing body burial as a means of final disposition means you will have to purchase a casket, outer burial container, cemetery space, and a headstone.

This means that simply agreeing with the funeral director when he suggest a “traditional” funeral can result in thousands of dollars in additional expenses.  Alternatively, choosing cremation – or a different type of funeral service – can eliminate many of these “add on” expenses.

However, you can no longer assume cremation will be less expensive than body burial.  Over the last few years a new trend has been emerging in the funeral industry: more families are choosing cremation in lieu of a full-blown funeral.  In response to this trend, many funeral homes have raised prices for their cremation services in an attempt to protect their profit margins. 

While cremation can still eliminate many cemetery-related expenses, a large portion of the savings previously enjoyed when choosing cremation are now eaten up by additional funeral home expenses – so it pays to understand what you are getting for your money.  Again, a resource such as the Funeral Saver’s Kit makes it easy to understand all of this so there are no surprises.

Don’t be afraid to negotiate

The death of a loved one is one of the most stressful situations any of us will ever encounter.  Not only do we have to deal with the emotional baggage and grieving that’s a normal part of losing a loved one, but we are forced to square off against a well polished funeral home employee working toward a large sales commission. 

And because most families do not want to look cheap when making funeral arrangements for a loved one, they end up paying the funeral home’s “sticker price” for the goods and services they are sold.

However, because funeral home goods and services include substantial markups, there is plenty of room for educated consumers to obtain legitimate discounts.  Many times the funeral home can easily cut their prices in half and still make a substantial profit off of the family’s funeral.

Unfortunately, most families are reluctant – and lack the necessary information needed – to negotiate an appropriate discount on a funeral service.  The key is in understanding how the funeral home’s prices compare to their costs.  Any funeral good or service that is marked up by hundreds (or thousands) of dollars is ripe for a discount.

Don’t be afraid to tell the funeral director you will purchase certain funeral goods from another supplier instead of buying them from the funeral home.  Because the funeral director realizes you can buy many of his goods much cheaper somewhere else, he will be ready and willing to offer a knowledgeable family a substantial discount off of his list prices in order to keep their business. 

You can find a list of reputable Internet suppliers in the appendix to the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  The kit includes a report card that rates the relative quality, prices, and selection of leading online funeral suppliers.  It also includes a detailed listing of the markups applied to common funeral items.)

The need for more affordable funeral options….

As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, demand for funeral goods and services will outstrip the ability of funeral homes to provide those goods and services.  Unfortunately, this means that funeral prices will increase by a substantial amount over the next two decades. 

Fortunately, technology and the Internet have made it easier for families to beat the funeral homes at their own game.  Consumer-friendly funeral planning tools, such as the Funeral Saver’s Kit, are saving families thousands of dollars in unnecessary expenses and helping them make more affordable funeral arrangements.

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of a traditional funeral service?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

 This article identifies a variety of considerations related to holding a traditional funeral service.  Reviewing these considerations will help you identify the type of funeral service that is most appropriate in your situation.  

 

Advantages of a traditional funeral service

A traditional funeral service is the most popular –and therefore, socially acceptable- type of funeral service in America.  The structured formality of the traditional funeral service may provide the family with a sense of comfort and closure not experienced in less formal service arrangements.

 

The traditional funeral affords ample time for friends and extended family to attend and support the surviving family members.  A traditional funeral usually includes some type of viewing ceremony held one or two nights before the actual funeral.  Since the funeral ceremony itself is almost always held during the daytime, this nighttime visitation allows friends to pay their respects, even if they work during the day.  Also, by scheduling the traditional funeral three to six days after the death, extended family members have time to make travel arrangements, if necessary.

 

The traditional funeral provides many ways to celebrate the life of the deceased.  Although the traditional funeral can be a fairly structured event, it also provides maximum flexibility in terms of casket choice, religious readings, flower arrangements, and eulogies.

 

Lastly, the expenses associated with a traditional funeral service leave plenty of room for negotiating a big discount.  Using a resource like the Funeral Saver’s Kit to plan your funeral can often slash several thousands dollars from the funeral home’s bill.

Disadvantages of the traditional funeral service

The main disadvantage of the traditional funeral service is its cost.  The traditional funeral service is the most expensive option in terms of service, disposition, and memorial costs.  The average traditional funeral costs nearly $7,500 and often exceeds $10,000. 

 

Many people also feel that traditional funeral services lack meaning.  This is often the case when the family fails to personalize a highly-structured traditional funeral service.  (The Funeral Savers Kit provides many useful tips that show you how to personalize the traditional funeral service for free.)

 

Holding a viewing during the evening, followed by the actual funeral service the next day, forces family and friends to make multiple trips to the funeral home (separate trips for viewing and funeral ceremonies).  This may be an inconvenience for family members that are ill, disabled, or have to travel great distances.  The traditional funeral also requires the greatest time commitment from the immediate family in terms of planning and attending ceremonies.

 

Unfortunately, the traditional funeral service is subject to the greatest amount of sales pressure from funeral home employees.  Because there are many funeral goods and services associated with a traditional funeral, there are a lot of opportunities for the funeral home to sell overpriced (and often unnecessary) items under the guise of “tradition.”

 

The traditional funeral service, like any other type of funeral service, has both advantages and disadvantages.  Considering both the benefits and costs associated with a traditional service allows you to make an appropriate choice for your family. 

You can learn more about traditional funeral services with the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

 

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How to use the Funeral Saver’s Kit

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Monday, April 29th, 2013

Since I don’t know your exact circumstances, I am going to make a couple of assumptions:

 

1.     you don’t want to become a funeral “expert” – you just need basic, reliable information that will save you money and allow you to make good decisions.

 

2.     you don’t have a lot of time to spend on learning this information – possibly because a death has already occurred – so you prefer to learn what you need to as quickly as possible.

 

….with these considerations in mind, here is how I recommend you use the Funeral Saver’s Kit:

 

1.     Listen to the short audio message

 

2.     Read all of section 1 – it’s brief and to the point

 

3.     Read all of section 2 – you can get through this material quickly and it will help you choose the right funeral arrangements based on your preferences and budget.

 

4.     Make the following decisions (you will have enough knowledge to make these decisions after reading section 2):

a.     What type of services and goods do you want?

b.     How do you want to dispose of the body?

c.     What type of memorial (if any) do you need?

 

5.     Read the brief “introduction” to section 3 to learn how to get actual prices from funeral homes in your area.  

 

6.     Compare funeral prices using the simple “Cost Comparison” form and choose a reasonably-priced funeral home. 

  

7.     Use money-saving tips from section 3 of the kit to lower the funeral home’s bill by up to 70%.

 

8.     Make an appointment with the lowest-priced funeral home and finalize your arrangements.

 

Click to get a copy of the Funeral Saver’s Kit now.

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Instead of buying everything from the funeral home, you can often plan a more affordable funeral by buying certain items from alternate sources

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Friday, April 26th, 2013

Sometimes it makes more sense to buy certain funeral items from someone other than the funeral home handling your service.  These other suppliers usually offer more reasonable prices than the typical funeral home.   

Make an effort to locate other sources that sell funeral merchandise and see what they charge for the items you’re thinking about buying.  Even if you don’t buy from someone else, just knowing that less-expensive options exist can often get your funeral home to give you a big discount to remain competitive. 

Savvy families do this all the time and end up saving hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of dollars on caskets, urns, and headstones.

I give my clients a simple chart that shows them where to find various merchants that may be worth considering.  I also give them a handy “grade sheet” that compares each of the popular Internet suppliers of funeral merchandise.  This grade sheet makes it easy to locate lower-priced merchants and determine how the competition stacks up in terms of prices, selection, and quality. 

When you use this information you’ll be able to make sure you get a GREAT deal on everything you are forced to buy. 

You get both the list of recommended merchants and the handy grade sheet for free as part of the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

 

 

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What are the advantages and disadvantages of direct cremation?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013

Direct Cremation Advantages

Direct cremation offers an affordable alternative to traditional body burial. 

While direct cremation can significantly reduce funeral home costs, you can reap additional financial benefits from the cemetery and headstone dealer.  If you choose not to bury the cremated remains – and many people do not - you can eliminate many items that make the traditional funeral so expensive. 

Here is a list of costs you can eliminate by choosing direct cremation:

  • expensive casket
  • embalming
  • funeral home staff and facilities charge
  • cosmetic and hair dressing charges
  • funeral chapel or church fees
  • viewing or visitation charges
  • transportation fees (hearse, flower car, utility vehicle, etc.)
  • burial plot or mausoleum crypt
  • vault or grave liner
  • grave opening and closing costs
  • headstone or grave marker

But price is not the only advantage in choosing direct cremation.  Many people prefer cremation because the cremains (i.e. ashes) are portable.  This allows families to take remains with them when they move.  Many people also feel that choosing cremation over body burial is friendlier to the environment because no land is disturbed. 

Direct cremation is also simpler and more expedient.  The entire affair usually takes place in just two or three days; furthermore, direct cremation requires less time commitment from the family.  This can be especially important if surviving family members are ill, disabled, or live far away.

Cremation also offers a wide range of disposition options.  While most families decide to keep remains at home, other options exist.   You can find many creative cremation options in the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

 

Direct Cremation Disadvantages

While direct cremation offers many advantages, you also need to consider its potential disadvantages before finalizing your plans. 

Because many families find comfort in holding a traditional funeral service, a simpler direct cremation may not be therapeutic enough to satisfy surviving family members. 

In addition, direct cremation does not allow the family to celebrate the decedent’s life, nor does it give friends an opportunity to say goodbye.

And because the funeral home makes less money when providing direct cremation services, funeral home employees may try harder to sell you extras.

Lastly, even though you may not have to buy a grave site or headstone, you will incur an additional expense if you decide to purchase an urn.

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