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How You Can Help Your Family Be
Prepared
A Guide to Funeral Planning & Government Benefits
(Continued from Home Page)
- Peace of Mind - We often have special wishes as
to where to be buried, who is to receive our personal effects,
and how we are to memorialized. Making funeral arrangements today
permits time for you to tend to every detail. You gain the confidence
that results from making unhurried, informed decisions, and your
family and others who care for you will be assured the arrangements
reflect your true wishes.
- Lower Costs - Planning ahead prevents emotional
overspending and protects your family's interests. While many
of us have life insurance or funds reserved for retirement, there
are not intended to meet funeral expenses. You can plan ahead
by investing in a funeral trust account or a final expense insurance
policy. In most cases, funds invested today will be sufficient
to cover the total cost of the funeral at a time of need.
- Securing Benefits
- Social Security - Upon death, dependents and
survivors may be eligible for certain benefits such as Death
Payments, Survivor's Benefits and Medicare. Qualifications
depend on age, marital status, number of dependents involved
and if employment was under Social Security. You should verify
your Social Security account periodically to be sure contributions
are properly posted. Payment is not automatic and benefits
must be applied for. Since qualifications vary, we recommend
meeting with us to discuss your particular situation.
- Veterans' Benefits - There are many misconceptions
regarding Veterans' death benefits. Honorably discharged veterans
may qualify for cemetery plot and burial allowances, headstone,
and burial flag, as well as a pension for survivors. Since
qualifications and benefits vary, we recommend a personal
review of your situation.
- Medicaid - Few people are aware of provisions
under Federal Title 19 whereby an individual can shelter for
funeral arrangements. We can explain these options to you.
How To Plan
- A Will - People often delay making a Will because
they feel they have little to leave behind. Yet, a Will is vital
both to insure belongings are properly distributed and to avoid
excess taxes. A Will allows you to name an executor - someone
in whom you have confidence - to carry out your wishes. An attorney
should prepare your Will to be certain legal requirements are
met. Since a Will is most often read and administered after the
funeral, the practical, safe approach is to have a separate document
for funeral requests.
- Organize - Insurance companies report that life
insurance benefits are often unclaimed because survivors were
unaware a policy existed. All our important documents - military
discharge papers, Social Security numbers, bank accounts, safety
deposit box keys, insurance policies, relatives' addresses - should
be organized to eliminate frustrating hours of searching and to
be certain everything will be found. We can give you a form to
help organize your personal information, and we can assist you
in making a permanent record of your wishes.
- Consider - Advance planning permits choices and
valuable input from those closest to you. These are some considerations
for your funeral service:
- Have you selected a cemetery or memorial location?
- Have you prepaid the funeral service?
- Are certain religious or fraternal customs to be followed?
- Do you wish a military service?
- Do you prefer a particular charity as recipient of memorial
gifts?
- Do you wish to name pallbearers?
- Do you wish to be buried in particular clothing or jewelry?
- Are there any special readings, biblical passages, or musical
selections you prefer?
- Would you prefer a casket of metal or hardwood; protective
or non-protective?
- What type of monument or marker do you prefer?
- This list, while far from complete, gives you an idea
of all that's involved when planning a funeral.
- Decide - To protect your family, you'll need to
make some decisions and arrangements. As experienced funeral directors,
we can assist you in all stages of planning, from completing paperwork
to helping and counseling the bereaved. We retain a complete record
of your plans to insure they're carried out on your behalf. A
funeral trust account or final expense insurance arrangement,
can be an important benefit for your family. By deciding on funeral
costs now, you help your family avoid emotional overspending and
safeguard life insurance benefits. Finally, be sure to advise
your family of your decisions and the arrangements you have made.
Knowing everything is taken care of will give both you and your
family peace of mind.
Questions You May Have
- What If I Move? - If you move, your funeral plans
can be transferred. We can even recommend a reputable funeral
home in your new community.
- What If I Die Away From Home? - Your survivors
should contact our funeral home immediately if you are traveling
or visiting another city when death occurs. We'll make the necessary
arrangements with a funeral home in that location to assist with
transfer.
- What If I Change My Mind? - Our funeral home is
established upon service to families. We respect your wishes and
work hard to meet the special needs and requests from you and
your family.
- What If Your Funeral Home Is No Longer In Business?
- State and federal regulations protect your funds, regardless
of operations at our funeral home. However, the Curvin K. Council
Funeral Home has an impeccable reputation, and is committed to
serving the many families who have placed their trust in us.
- Are Funerals Expensive? - The cost of a funeral
depends on what you prefer. We offer many services to choose from
and a wide selection of caskets, vaults, and other memorials.
Knowing the costs is part of "being prepared," so you'll
feel comfortable with the selections you make. We can discuss
specific costs with you. Advance planning also helps you prepare
for the expense and permits you to set aside the funds over a
period of time.
- What Type Of Funeral Service Do Most Families Select?
- Most people prefer a traditional funeral. However, we offer
many other choices to make the service meaningful to the family.
Memorial services, special musical requests, cremation, military
and fraternal tributes are just a few of the options we make available.
We try to honor any special preferences or requests.
- What About Monuments and Memorials? - Often families
prefer to arrange for monuments or memorials in advance. It's
important to know the differences in quality, material, and workmanship,
as well as cemetery requirements before the need arises.
- How Can You Help My Family "Be Prepared?"
- As experienced funeral directors, we know what needs to be done,
and can provide a pre-planning checklist to be certain no detail
is overlooked. Our counselors can answer questions on benefits,
help you choose cemetery property and other memorialization, give
you valuable guidelines for selection of monuments or markers,
and make complete funeral arrangements. We will explain the benefits
of advance payment, help you organize, and even prepare a permanent
record that outlines your wishes in detail. Because we realize
individual wishes and situations are personal, we want to assure
you of our high respect for complete confidentiality. We welcome
the opportunity to meet personally with you and your family to
discuss our services more fully. When you meet with one of our
qualified funeral planning counselors, you will have taken the
most important step towards "being prepared."
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