Losing loved ones is the worst feeling in the world and at the same time, the disadvantages of prepaid funerals may collapse you. So, it is always better to have a prior idea of the possible dangers before any mishap. For those who don’t know about prepaid funerals. Prepaid funerals are a way to plan your final expenses in advance. The average funeral now costs nearly US$10,000 without the burial plot cost. End-of-life expenses can be a huge burden for a family if one doesn’t save hard. By preparing for your funeral, you can lock in today’s prices and avoid the burden of financial planning on your loved ones. So, it is necessary to make you aware of the disadvantages of prepaid funerals. Let’s go.
What Are The Disadvantages of Prepaid Funerals?
The list of disadvantages of prepaid funerals is given below.
- Absence Of Flexibility
- It Is A Big Bet On An Uncertain Future
- You Might Need That Money Before You Die
- Change In Prices Is a Possibility, Especially for Add-on Services
- No Formal Protections
- It Is Not Refundable
- It Is Not Transferable If You Moved To Another Place
Disadvantages of Prepaid Funerals
Let’s understand all these disadvantages of prepaid funerals,
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Absence Of Flexibility
Do you know? The best prepaid funeral plans even lack flexibility. But how? Let’s understand, if you move before you die, then you won’t be able to transfer that prepaid funeral to a new location. If you ask me, can you change a prepaid funeral plan? The answer will be a strict no. Many funeral homes are independently owned or operate as a regional organizations. In this manner, in the event that you move after prepaying for your burial service costs, you’re as of now bolted into an area in your old hometown
. So, the solution to this is, to buy the prepaid funeral plans only when you don’t have the plan to move to another place.
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It Is A Big Bet On An Uncertain Future
If you’re putting cash to purchase the burial service plan with a private memorial service domestic, you’re putting a huge wager on a questionable future. That is because by paying ahead of time, you are betting that business will still be around years or decades later when you need it. In the event of your selected home closing, you can get your prepaid service redundant, also, this can become a surprisingly difficult process, and finding alternative arrangements can become worse and more expensive too.
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You Might Need That Money Before You Die
Life is so uncertain, and you don’t know when and where you need money. So, putting your savings in a prepaid funeral plan may be risky for you. Because, before dying you might get hospitalized, and what if you don’t have enough money for your medical treatment? Therefore, never put all your money in the prepaid funeral plan, if you have surplus money then it is recommended you go for it.
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Change In Prices Is A Possibility, Especially for Add-on Services
What is not included in a prepaid funeral? Well, paid ahead-of-time memorial service plans incorporate certain things such as cemetery costs, clergy expenses, passing certificates, etc but, you might need to pay more than the original fees at the time of the funeral because of some additional services and these services are essential. For example, live streaming. It is not necessary, but a few years ago, the idea of people watching a loved one’s funeral on the internet would have seemed wild. This service was added by the organization after the Covid-19 pandemic.
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No Formal Protections
What happens if your funeral plan company goes bust? Simply, your money also goes to waste. Because of advanced funeral planning, prepaying for the funeral directly with the funeral home is your unsecured contract. There is no legal protection for private funeral funds in the state, and they are not usually protected by the FTC.
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It Is Not Refundable
Can you get a refund on a prepaid funeral?so, you can not get your money back if you prepaid for a funeral. That infers that in case your family is required to pay your therapeutic costs, they wouldn’t be able to do so with that cash. Therefore, before buying a prepaid funeral plan you need to understand that you are going to put your money in the non-refundable plan.
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It Is Not Transferable If You Moved To Another Place
One of the worst disadvantages among the prepaid funeral plans pros and cons is once you purchase a prepaid funeral plan, you can’t transfer it to another place. If you move to another city or state, your prepaid funeral plan may not be transferable. You would have to cancel the plan and purchase a new one.
Advantages of Prepaid Funerals
The advantages of prepaid funerals are,
- Your child or grandchild is covered
- Your lock-in prices on many things
- You make your wishes known
- Your loved ones can focus on comfort and healing
- You minimize disagreements between family members
- Your family doesn’t have to worry about money for the funeral
Everything has its disadvantages on Disadvantagess you will get to know more.
FAQ
What Is The Disadvantage Of Funeral Insurance?
Disadvantages of funeral insurance
Not everything is covered – your family may need to pay more for certain services that you or they would like. Non-refundable – you may not get back the money you’ve paid in if you cancel your plan.
What Happens To The Leftover Money From A Prepaid Funeral?
If there are any funds remaining after the coverage current costs, the remaining funds will go back to the estate of the deceased.
Can I Cancel A Prepaid Funeral Plan?
Yes, you can cancel a fully-paid plan at any time before a claim being made. If you cancel within the cancellation period, the person who paid for the plan will receive a full refund. If you cancel after that, the person who paid for the plan will receive a refund of the original amount, less the administration fee.
Is It Wise To Plan Your Own Funeral?
Planning your own funeral or memorial service can provide peace-of-mind to you and your family. By planning your service in advance you can design and specify the exact type of service you’d like, so that your friends and family celebrate you as you wish.
Conclusion
Above, you have learnt all about the advantages and disadvantages of prepaid funerals in detail. As people grow older they feel more pressure from their funeral costs because in old age income is almost zero. And also most families don’t want to bear the expenses of the funeral. Therefore, the prepaid funeral is a good idea for dealing with funeral cost tension. In this, you are pre-paying money for your funeral and you don’t want to depend on someone. But, while doing so, don’t overlook the disadvantages of prepaid funerals.
What are the problems with pre-paid funeral plans
What are the pros and cons of prepaid funeral plans?