Archive for Funeral Costs

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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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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Categories : Funeral and Cremation FAQ's, Funeral Planning Guidance
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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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Funeral Costs: How much does an average funeral cost?

By Mike Testa · Comments (0)
Tuesday, March 12th, 2013

Many times you’ll people say that the average funeral costs around $6,000.  However, that estimate is based on a price survey taken several years ago.  Funeral prices, like everything else, have increased with inflation.

Today, the average North American traditional funeral costs between $7,000 and $10,000.  This price range includes the services at the funeral home, burial in a cemetery, and the installation of a headstone.  While cremation is gaining in popularity, the traditional funeral is still the most popular manner for disposing of the deceased.

Although funeral prices vary considerably between funeral homes and geographic areas of the country, here is a reasonable “ballpark” estimate of the main costs that are involved:

  • fee for the funeral director’s services: $1,500
  • cost for a casket: $2,300
  • embalming: $500
  • cost for using the funeral home for the actual funeral service: $500
  • cost of a grave site: $1,000
  • cost to dig the grave: $600
  • cost of a grave liner or outer burial container: $1,000
  • cost of a headstone: $1,500

In this example, total costs would approximate $9,000….and that’s just for the “main” items.  There could be additional charges for things like placing the obituary in the newspaper and buying flowers.

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to reduce the cost of funeral services to a more reasonable level.  Learn more about reducing funeral costs.

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