Advanced Planning

There are numerous decisions to be made when arranging a funeral.  Below are some common questions associated when making this decision.

What are some reasons why I should plan my funeral?

• It lets you make your wishes known, so your loved ones won’t have to guess.  They won’t have to worry if they did the right thing.
• It eliminates emotional overspending from grief or guilt.  Pre-arranging can bring peace of mind to your family’s decision-making.
• It gives you a chance to personalize your funeral service and makes it a “celebration of life.”  It’s a way to get your loved ones involved and make it a positive experience.
• It can relieve you and your family from future financial responsibilities and burdens.
• It gives you total peace of mind.  Pre-arranging- a thoughtful gift you can leave your family.

What information do I need?

You need facts about yourself, such as, your address, social security number, religious affiliation, military service records, and the names of your family members.  This is an opportunity to tell about yourself and the type of funeral service you prefer.  You should discuss your preferences with family and friends.  Feel free to ask these people to accompany you when making your pre-arrangements.

Whom do I contact?

Advice from a funeral director is absolutely essential.  A funeral director is well versed in all types of funerals, and is knowledgeable about the laws regarding funerals and final disposition, trusts, and insurance pre-funding rules.  A funeral director will arrange to meet with you at a date and time of your convenience- at your home or the funeral home at no cost or obligation to you.

What about pre-paying for my funeral?

For people who want to begin funding their choices either partially or completely there are two basic types of pre-need contracts, standard and inflation-Proof that are available in North Carolina. There is a provision within either of the contracts to make them revocable or irrevocable. A revocable contract means that the purchaser may at any time revoke the contract and receive monies back prior to death. An irrevocable contract means that the purchaser gives up the right to revoke the contract and unless the purchaser can obtain a court order they may not revoke the contract and receive monies back prior to death. If a contract is irrevocable it means that the money is no longer your asset and does not count against you for Medicaid eligibility (there are limits as to the amount of money that can be set aside and your social worker can advise you). Currently either contract will require you to pay a one time filing fee of $20.00 to the North Carolina Board of Funeral Service to register this contract with them.

A standard contract allows you to set aside monies or assign insurance benefits to be used for the expenses at the time of death. You can either choose to select goods and services ahead of time or wait and select them after death occurs. In a standard contract THE PRICE OF GOODS AND SERVICES IS NOT GUARANTEED. The purchaser may make this contract revocable or irrevocable

An inflation-proof contract means that you are paying for goods and services selected at today’s prices and that you and your family are guaranteed that no matter how much these prices change before death, you or they will pay no more for the guaranteed goods and services. THE PRICE OF GOODS AND SERVICES IS GUARANTEED. This contract does contain a section that is for cash advances and N.C. Sales Tax that is not guaranteed, these are not the funeral home charges they are outside charges that you incur, ex. death Certificates, obituary notices in newspapers, etc. The purchaser may make this contract revocable or irrevocable.

Both of these contracts may be transferred to a funeral home prior to death within North Carolina. After death the funds are available to be used for funeral expenses that are incurred anywhere. Please keep in mind that pre-paying for a funeral is a financial decision that may or may not be beneficial to everyone, but pre-planning is beneficial to everyone because it is fully portable.