At Chechele Law, we recommend that every client complete an appropriate estate plan. This will include power of attorney documents, a last will and testament, and possibly a trust.
In the last will and testament, we document the individual’s “final wishes”. Stating one’s desires concerning final arrangements (cremation, burial, cryogenics….) in the will is a good idea, but ultimately does not guarantee that your preferences will be honored.
How then, can you make sure that your desires for final arrangements are locked in and guaranteed? This is where your final step of protection comes in- completing a pre-need plan with a reputable company and a licensed pre-arrangement counselor.
Completing a pre-need plan is simple. You meet with a pre-need counselor. We recommend and refer our clients to the fellow in today’s illustration, Pete Mersch, with Dignity Memorial, the world’s largest funeral company. Pete will discuss and help you determine your final wishes, down to the smallest detail. He will prepare a contract that documents your wishes and locks the price in at the rates that apply today. This is very critical because the price of funerals, cremations, cemetery plots and other cemetery options are going up at several times the regular rate of inflation.
If you desire to make payments instead of paying in full, you will be given the payment plan options applicable to you. In most cases, you can make payments over several years. This allows you to budget for the payments instead of paying in one lump sum (which is always the case in an “at-need” situation). Your plan is transferable if you should later move to another location within the United States or Canada.
Dignity Memorial also provides “world-wide protection” with their pre-arrangement plans, which means that if you pass away while not in your home area, they will cover the cost and handle the arrangements for bringing you back. What an amazing protection for those who travel, frequently or infrequently!
Pre-need planning, just like estate planning, can be accomplished easily now when you are alive and well. Seriously consider completing your life protection plan by scheduling a meeting with Pete. We make our conference room available for these meetings and we are happy to refer you or even to schedule this appointment for you! Contact us today!