Lower funeral costs by taking advantage of any military benefits due the decedent

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Saturday, April 20th, 2013

Before spending thousands of dollars at the funeral home and cemetery, check to see if the decedent qualified for free funeral items from the government.  Why pay for something the government is willing to provide for free?  After all, the decedent has already earned it! 

Many military veterans are eligible for free grave spaces and headstones.  You can search online for information about military benefits or check out section five of the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  It’ll show you which services and goods are provided at no cost by the U.S. government and how to claim your benefits.   

Note: be aware of so-called “free grave” scams that are sometimes offered to veterans.  This is where the veteran is offered a free grave site, but upon death, the family has to pay an unusually high price to have the grave site dug. 

Because many surviving spouses want to be buried next to their deceased spouse, the cemetery may also double the price of all surrounding graves.  This allows the cemetery to make up any profits lost on the veteran’s “free” grave. 

Not surprisingly, these scams end up costing surviving spouses and children thousands of unexpected dollars every year.

Get copy of the Funeral Saver’s Kit and learn how to claim free funeral benefits from the Federal government.

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Save money on funeral costs by choosing lower-priced options

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Wednesday, April 17th, 2013

 Choosing certain types of funeral or cremation arrangements can eliminate many unnecessary funeral costs.  Choosing wisely will prevent you from being charged for lots of “extras” no one told you about. 

 

Since most families do not plan funerals very often, they usually don’t realize what’s included (or excluded) in the decisions they make.  All too often a family simply agrees to the funeral director’s recommendations – only to end up surprised when their final bill is 30% higher than expected.

 

Even though many of the goods and services offered by a funeral home are priced on an individual basis, certain selections you make will automatically trigger additional costs.  Unfortunately, most families don’t find out about these additional costs until after the service is over and they get the funeral director’s bill.

 

Here’s an example of how this works:

 

When meeting with the funeral director he might suggest a “traditional” funeral priced at $500.  You agree….thinking $500 isn’t too bad.  However, what you didn’t realize (and what the funeral director failed to mention) is that a “traditional” funeral also means that you will need:

•             embalming (another $500)

•             casket ($1,500)

•             viewing or visitation ($500)

•             cemetery space ($1,000)

•             open & closing the grave site ($750)

•             outer burial container ($1,000)

•             headstone ($1,500)

•             announcing the funeral in a newspaper ($250)

•             use of a hearse ($200)

 

….so when the funeral director said the “traditional” funeral service costs $500 – he meant it would cost $500 to hold the actual 45 minute funeral service.  But, by choosing a “traditional” funeral service, you were also agreeing to purchase all of the other things that are required to conduct a traditional funeral.

 

In this case your total cost would be closer to $7,700.  This is a realistic example (the average traditional funeral costs nearly $8,000).  Simply understanding what’s included in the decisions you make can help you avoid such a nasty financial surprise. 

 

You can use a resource like the Funeral $aver’s Kit to learn about the types of funeral, burial, and cremation arrangements from which you can choose.  Section 2 of the kit identifies costs associated with each service and clearly shows which expenses will be included (or excluded) based on the choices you make. 

 

Generally, your least expensive options (in order of increasing price) are:

•             medical donation

•             direct cremation

•             immediate burial

•             cremation with service

•             traditional funeral

 

Click to learn more about the Funeral Saver’s Kit.

 

 

 

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How much does the average funeral cost?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Sunday, April 14th, 2013

This article provides average funeral cost data for American funerals. 

The average cost for an American funeral, like other goods and services, has been steadily increasing over the last two decades.  Anyone that has seen a late-night television commercial for funeral insurance knows the typical American funeral costs more than $6,000 – but is this an accurate estimate?  The short answer is “no.” 

Unfortunately, this $6,000 estimate is several years old and doesn’t take into consideration the additional expenses associated with burial in a cemetery and the purchase of a headstone.  Once all funeral-related costs are factored in, the typical traditional funeral service will cost the average family closer to $8,000 - $10,000.  But before we discuss specific funeral costs, we need to spend a few minutes discussing how the funeral industry works.  This will help us understand where our money goes when planning a funeral.

 

Average Funeral Costs: How the Funeral Industry Works

Most people planning a funeral use the services of a funeral home.  The funeral director is either the owner of a funeral home or, more commonly, an employee of a large corporate-owned chain of funeral homes.  In most cases the funeral director’s compensation is tied to the profits he generates for the funeral home or the sales commissions he earns by selling related goods and services.

While the funeral director will serve as the family’s main service provider when arranging a funeral service, other businesses are involved as well.  In addition to the funeral home, most families will need to use the services of a cemetery and a headstone dealer.  Often times, the funeral director will coordinate the purchase of goods and services between the family and the cemetery and headstone dealer.  While this is certainly convenient for the family, you need to remember that you are really buying things from three separate business entities: the funeral home, the cemetery, and the headstone dealer.

The funeral director’s main responsibility is generating profits for the funeral home.  Unfortunately, this often means the funeral director’s main objective is to increase the amount of money you spend at the funeral home, leaving cemetery and headstone costs as a separate expense for the family.  This is why the typical funeral service is publicized as costing $6,000 – because the family often pays about $6,000 to the funeral director.  However, the family still has to pay the cemetery for the purchase of a grave spot and the dealer for the price of a headstone.  It’s these additional goods and services that add another $2,000 to $4,000 to the price of a funeral.  Unfortunately, many families do not find this out until after they have signed a contract for the funeral services with the funeral director.

  

Average Funeral Costs: Three Key Components

Because the typical funeral home charges $6,000 for their services, but the average family often spends closer to $10,000 when all is said and done, it makes sense to break funeral costs into their three main components: what’s paid to the funeral home, what’s paid to the cemetery, and what’s paid to purchase a headstone or grave marker.

First, the funeral home

It’s no surprise that most families call a funeral home when someone they love dies.  The funeral home dispatches a funeral director to pick up the body and bring it back to the funeral home.  The funeral director then schedules a meeting with surviving family members to help them arrange the funeral service. 

The family spends approximately $6,000 on goods and services purchased from the funeral home.  Here is a price breakdown of some of those typical costs:

  • casket – $2,300
  • funeral director’s basic services fee – $1,500
  • embalming and body preparation – $600
  • funeral ceremony and viewing – $1,000
  • miscellaneous (hearse, death certificates, obituary, etc.) – $600

Next comes the cemetery

The average traditional funeral service is followed by body burial in a cemetery.  While most cemeteries used to be owned by non-profit organizations, nowadays many are owned by the same for-profit corporations that own the funeral homes.  The average family will spend approximately $2,000 for goods and services at the cemetery.  Here is a price breakdown of the typical costs:

  • grave space – $1,000
  • cost to dig the grave ( sometimes called the open/close fee) – $1,000

Many families are surprised to learn that the price they pay for the grave site does not include the cost to dig the hole for burial, but this is how it works.

Don’t forget about the headstone or grave marker

While the typical family has spent close to $8,000 by now, there are still more costs involved in completing the funeral transaction.  If the body is buried in a cemetery you will also need to purchase a headstone or grave marker.  The type of stone you are required to buy depends on the section of the cemetery in which the body is buried.  A headstone is typically a two-piece granite rock that sits on top of the grave site.  It’s typically two feet high.  A grave marker is typically a flat granite or bronze plaque that lies flat on the ground on top of grave site.  Here is a rough approximation as to what you can expect to spend on a headstone:

  • Headstone – $2,000
  • Grave Marker – $1,000

Again, the funeral home may coordinate the purchase of the cemetery space and headstone on behalf of the family – it just depends on the funeral home.  While this can be a great convenience to the family, the price can be higher because the cemetery or headstone dealer will have to pay an additional sales commission to the funeral home.

 

Average Funeral Costs: Can they be lowered? – YES!

It is fair to say that many families are truly surprised when they add up all the costs associated with a funeral.  Fortunately, proper funeral planning can yield considerable savings.  I have spent nearly ten years helping families plan more affordable funeral arrangements, and I have found that with a little planning and knowledge, the typical family can realistically reduce their out-of-pocket funeral expenses by $3,000 to $5,000.  If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can find my money saving funeral guide here.

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If you need help paying funeral costs, request or negotiate a discount from the funeral home and cemetery

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Thursday, April 11th, 2013

Contrary to popular belief, most funeral directors are willing to give discounts to families that ask in an appropriate manner.  Many goods and services provided by a funeral home can easily be discounted by several hundred (or even several thousand) dollars before the funeral home starts to lose money.  Since most funeral homes buy their merchandise from the same few suppliers, they should be able to sell their goods and services for a similar price. 

However, if you come across a particular funeral home that is selling its merchandise for considerably more than other funeral homes in the area, they may be a good candidate for negotiating a lower price on funeral costs. 

If you don’t want to do the legwork yourself you can use a resource like the Funeral $aver’s Kit to quickly gauge which items are negotiable and how much of a discount is realistic.  The kit also shows you the proper way to discuss and negotiate a discount with the funeral director.  This simple, non-confrontational method has been proven to increase your chances of getting a fair deal.    

Click here to learn more about negotiating a funeral discount.

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Cost considerations when choosing direct cremation

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Monday, April 8th, 2013

This article will discuss the costs involved in choosing a direct cremation.  There are two basic ways to arrange for direct cremation: through a funeral home or directly through a crematory.  A crematory is a business that only performs cremation services.

Generally speaking, most funeral homes do not perform cremations themselves.  Instead, they contract out their cremation services to a crematory and include the crematory’s fees as part of the funeral home’s bill.  Many times the funeral home will add a separate handling fee to the crematory’s charges. 

This means it’s usually less expensive to arrange direct cremation through the crematory.  Doing so allows you to eliminate any extra fees from the funeral home.   

Average Direct Cremation Costs

The average cost of performing a direct cremation through a funeral home is between $1,600 and $3,000.  Costs can run as high as $5,500 if you purchase a casket to be used in the cremation. 

The average cost of performing a direct cremation through a crematory is between $1,000 and $2,200.  Again, costs can be significantly more if you cremate the body in an expensive casket.

From a practical standpoint, there isn’t a good reason to purchase a casket for use in a direct cremation.  You’ll be fine using a less-expensive cardboard box, sometimes referred to as an “alternative container.”

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Donating your body to science – what you need to know about body donation

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Friday, April 5th, 2013

Many people consider donating their body to science in lieu of choosing a funeral followed by cemetery burial.   

Donating your body to science:  a basic description

When you choose to donate a deceased body to science, you are essentially donating the body to aid medical research – usually to teach medical students about anatomy.

When you donate a body, a representative from the medical school picks up the body and takes it to back to the school school where it’s embalmed and stored.  The body is used to teach anatomy to medical students during the following semester’s classes.  After the semester ends, the body is cremated.

The cremated remains (i.e. cremains) are either returned to the family or buried in communal plot in a cemetery near the medical school. 

Families choosing to donate a body to science can still choose to hold their own memorial service after the death; however, in cases of body donation, the cremains will not be present during the memorial service (because the body needs to be transported to the medical school immediately following death).

The medical school usually holds a single memorial service for all of the bodies used during the previous semester’s classes, and surviving family members are invited to attend the ceremony.   The medical school’s memorial service occurs approximately two years after the date of death.

After the school holds their memorial service, the cremains are usually buried in a cemetery near the medical school.  However, the family can also request the cremains be returned to the family.  Again, this occurs nearly two years after death.

Body donation – typical requirements

Medical schools have specific rules that must be followed in order to donate a body for their use.  Most schools only accept fully-intact bodies (because they can also use the organs in their research).  This means most schools will not accept a body that has been autopsied or that has donated bodily organs.  

Note: usually, you are allowed to donate the eyes without jeopardizing the full body donation – but check with your specific donation program first, just to be sure.

Here is an index that identifies body donation programs.

I live near the Cleveland Clinic, and they also have a reputable medical donation program.

There is usually no cost associated with donating a body to a medical school, as long as you deal directly with the school itself.  Many funeral homes will help arrange a medical donation, but they usually charge a fee (about $1,000) for doing so.

If you are thinking about body donation as a way to avoid the expense of a funeral, considering consulting the Funeral Saver’s Kit.  Its helped thousands of families reduce burdensome funeral expenses and choose the end-of-life options that are right for them.  It includes even more information about donating a body to science.

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What makes up a “traditional” funeral?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013

A “traditional” funeral involves the laying out of a casketed body for friends and family to pay respects.  The casket itself may be either “open” or “closed”.  An open casket is one in which the casket lid is left open so that the deceased is visible throughout the ceremony.  A closed casket ceremony means the ceremony is held in the presence of the casket, but the casket lid is closed.  The decedent’s family decides which option they prefer after considering the manner of death and condition of the body.

During a traditional funeral, some type of remembrance ceremony is held.  This ceremony gives friends an opportunity to “say goodbye” to the person who has died and comfort surviving family members.  The funeral ceremony may be open to anyone that wishes to come, or it may be restricted to invited friends and family members.

With a traditional funeral, the body is removed from the place of death and transported to the funeral home.  At the funeral home, the body is embalmed and cosmetically repaired (i.e. the hair is combed, cleaned, and set and makeup, if needed, is applied).  After the body is prepared, it is laid out in a casket. 

Usually, a viewing or visitation ceremony is held the night before the actual funeral service.  This gives friends and well-wishers an opportunity to pay their respects even if they can’t attend the actual funeral service (which is usually held during normal work hours).  If the casket lid is closed during this time, it’s called a “visitation” ceremony; if the casket lid remains open during the ceremony, it is known as a “viewing.”

The actual funeral ceremony is usually held the day after the viewing ceremony.  This is the formal ceremony in which the eulogy is given, often by a religious official.

Immediately following the funeral ceremony, the body is transported to its final resting place – usually a cemetery or mausoleum.  A committal service (i.e. separate service held at the grave side) may also be held right before the casketed body is buried or entombed.

Learn more about traditional funerals.

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What you must know before planning a funeral

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Saturday, March 30th, 2013

Before planning a funeral you should know that death care in America is a business.  There are service providers (e.g. funeral homes, cemeteries, and headstone dealers) and there are consumers (people like you and me who need to make funeral arrangements). 

 

Like any business, funeral homes and cemeteries should provide their goods and services on an honest and fair basis.  Unfortunately, this rarely happens as several characteristics unique to the funeral industry place the consumer at a significant disadvantage when making funeral arrangements. 

 

Unique characteristics inherent in planning a funeral:

 

·        disorientation caused by bereavement

·        infrequency of purchase

·        lack of objective information

·        the need to make decisions quickly

·        social taboos surrounding death

·        lack of standards by which to judge funeral goods & services

·        the fact that most people:

o       fail to view funeral arrangements as a business transaction

o       are ignorant of the law as it pertains to disposal of the dead

o       know very little about how a funeral home operates

 

Together these characteristics place consumers at a significant disadvantage when making funeral arrangements.  Funeral homes are staffed by experienced salesmen who deal with the business of death every day.  These professional salespeople square off against emotionally distraught families forced to act hastily with little or no information about legal requirements and available options.

 

The profit-obsessed nature of the funeral industry creates a conflict of interest between the desire for sales and the consumer’s need for meaning and affordability.  The funeral home can make substantially more money if they can manipulate a family into buying unnecessary and overpriced items.  In this unbalanced and highly charged environment, purchase decisions are often based on what the funeral home offers to sell instead of what the family wants (or can afford) to purchase.  This increases consumer costs and decreases consumer satisfaction with the goods and services received. 

 

This website and the Funeral Saver’s Kit ”level the playing field”.  Together they give you, the consumer, objective information and tools needed to understand, evaluate, and make satisfying and affordable funeral arrangements. 

 

A major assumption that lies behind modern funeral practices is that “nothing is too good for the dead”….but you are NOT being disrespectful to the deceased by being practical regarding the arrangements.

 

Most people want to avoid looking cheap when making funeral arrangements.  They want to arrange “a nice, decent funeral”, but they have no idea what a nice, decent funeral looks like.  And everybody is concerned about price – so don’t feel guilty about wanting or needing to make less expensive arrangements.  Did you know that when President John F. Kennedy died, even his family didn’t want to overpay?  The Kennedy family’s accountant was hired to review the funeral home’s bill and identify unnecessary charges.  In the end, the accountant was able to save the family a substantial amount of money.

 

There will be a temptation to just throw up your hands and let the funeral director make all the decisions because of time pressures, uncomfortable decisions, and the emotional stress of dealing with all the pertinent details, but that can be an expensive and unnecessary mistake. 

 

Next to a house and car, a funeral is the third most expensive purchase the average American citizen makes during his lifetime.  Just as you are careful when buying a car or house, being careful when making funeral arrangements can result in tremendous financial savings.

 

The Funeral Saver’s Kit, along with this website, gives you honest advice regarding choices and prices…after all, you have to live the rest of your life with the decisions you make in an hour or two; if you waste money now, it’s gone forever.

 

The key to feeling comfortable and saving money is knowing the available alternatives and asking for them – and that’s what you’ll learn using the help you find here. 

 

Remember, stripped to its simplest form a funeral is merely saying goodbye and disposing of the remains…all else is really unnecessary.

 

Click here to learn more about planning a funeral.

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What makes up your overall funeral bill?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

 Funeral expenses really consist of three separate pieces:

 

1.     the services and merchandise provided by the funeral home

 

2.     the costs and services to dispose of the body or cremains (i.e. ashes) at the cemetery or elsewhere

 

3.     the cost to purchase and install some type of memorial (i.e. headstone, marker, monument)

 

Even if you end up paying for all three pieces through the funeral home, it’s best to break the cost of a funeral down into the above-three categories. 

 

When estimating your TOTAL funeral costs, you must add all three pieces together.  I think this is by far the best way to plan a funeral because it allows you to isolate and prioritize the goods and services that are most important to you.

 

While every family is different, the most common complaint I hear from families is “I wish I would have spent less on the funeral and more on the memorial”.  This makes some sense since the memorial is the only thing that lasts after the funeral is over.  

Learn more about reducing the funeral home’s bill.

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What costs are associated with a traditional funeral service?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Sunday, March 24th, 2013

This post provides price ranges for many of the items associated with a traditional funeral service.  Reviewing these considerations will help you identify the type of funeral service most appropriate for your budget.  

A traditional funeral service can cost nearly $10,000

While the average funeral costs nearly $7,500, many traditional funerals cost in excess of $10,000.  Here are the main components typically associated with a traditional funeral:

  • casket: $2,300
  • funeral director’s basic services fee: $1,400
  • embalming and body preparation: $600
  • viewing / visitation ceremony: $400
  • funeral ceremony: $450
  • transportation (pick up body, limousine, and hearse): $625
  • miscellaneous (certificates, permits, music, clergy, obituary, register book, service folders, obituary, flowers): $500
  • grave site $1,000
  • fee to dig grave site $500
  • headstone $1,500

The above costs represent national averages for many of the costs associated with a traditional funeral service.  Your actual costs could be higher (or lower) based upon geographic location, the funeral home you select, and the actual items you purchase. 

Click to learn more about the cost of a traditional funeral service.

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