24 Things People Said About Prepaid Funeral Plans
Planning—and paying for—your funeral and burial in advance benefits you and those you love. Again and again, we witness the peace of mind that planning ahead gives those who take this important step and the sense of relief that a family feels when their loved one has detailed final arrangements and taken care of payment.
There are many reasons to plan ahead. One family member we served put it like this:
"Pre-planning:
- Gives you peace of mind knowing that your loved ones know your final wishes.
- Saves you from additional stress and grief, if you would have to decide final arrangements when your loved one dies.
- Saves time; the funeral home staff keeps your final arrangements 'contract' on file, for review and implementation when you or your loved one dies.
"Pre-paying:
- Saves you money from increased costs for final arrangements.
- Saves you from having to 'find' the money to pay for final arrangements when your loved one dies."
My husband and I pre-planned and prepaid our final arrangements at Ocean View, 27 years before he died. We saved several thousand dollars, and it saved me so much stress in my time of grief.
—Janet M.
Thousands of families every year experience the benefits of planning ahead. You can read their testimonials below and learn more about why you should consider planning ahead here.
It’s the best gift you can give your children.
My husband lived one week after we were told there was nothing more to help him. He asked my mom if he could be buried with our family. She went the next day to arrange everything. I just had to pay the bill. Two years later my dad died and his funeral and burial were pre paid. It went smoothly. I took care of my arrangements the next year. I didn't want to leave this to my only child. He is aware and thanked me. He saw how little I had to do when my mom, who had prearranged, died two years ago. It's a gift to your loved ones.
—Nana G.
My mums prepaid made my life so easy at the time of her passing. It’s one of the best gifts she gave me. I’m forever grateful.
—Rowena L.
I don't think there is a greater gift to give my kids, than a prepaid funeral.
—Nancy R.
I have everything paid for, I did this so my children will not have to. I feel it is one of the best things I have ever done, and I did it all out of my love for them.
—Patricia S.
Planned & paid for. Our children don’t need the burden. Love our children to enjoy life without that hanging over their lives in today’s world.
—Mary G.
Our parents pre-paid and expressed wishes for church, reception, all arrangements paid except for flowers, reception. Both died—2016 & 2018. It was a gift to us—I tell friends to do it for their families.
—Verified Dignity Memorial Customer
The pre-planned, prepaid burial arrangement was the best gift my father could have left me. Everything went according to plan; the graveside military service arranged by Craig Hannah, our funeral director, was awesome. ... It really couldn't have been a better experience during such a difficult time.
—Charlotte J.
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It eases your family’s burden at an already hard time.
My late friend, Tom Johnson who had worked at Cook Walden in 2005, talked me into buying the funeral plans for my husband and me. It was the best thing ever. I paid it off in 2010. My husband was diagnosed terminal in 2011 & he passed in January 1, 2012. I am so thankful. I recently just finished paying a funeral plan for my current husband. My oldest sister's husband died unexpectedly in 2017. They didn't have anything in place & she was scrambling to come up with the money for his funeral. I convinced her to buy one for herself. She did. Now I am trying to my friends and family. So sad that they are not listening. I am so thankful that mine & my current husband have a plan in place.
—Tu-Anh M.
My mother passed away unexpectedly in September 2020, so it put me in a tailspin. Because I have no siblings or children, it was such a blessing that I had purchased a prepaid plan for my mother, since I had to make only one phone call to Blount & Curry and, after that, there were very few decisions I had to make. Maria Stone, who handled all the details, was very professional, helpful, and efficient and made this sorrowful time much less trying for me. Additionally, since I had decided that I would have my mother's celebration of life at my church instead of at the funeral home, Maria quickly processed the paperwork for the refund for services not used from the pre-paid plan, so I received the refund in a very short time.
—Penny P.
I lost both my parents 4 days apart. My parents had their final arrangements made and paid for down to the details of what the headstones looked like. I don't know how we would have been able to give them such a beautiful celebration of life if they didn't pre-plan their arrangements. ... I am now preparing for my children the same gift, my parents gave me, prearranged expenses paid.
—Diane W
Totally agree helped me when my husband went to Heaven a year and a half ago walked me through everything. Several months later, I got my own plan so I wouldn’t worry about my daughter having to make arrangements for me. Wonderful caring people to work with when sadness is so overwhelming.
—James O’Gail G.
Set up your arrangements. The hardest thing to do is to make final arrangements for a loved one. Make them yourself save your loved ones from this extra heartache.
—Raymond A.
These arrangements were made by my parents & prepaid for which made my life much easier in dealing with their death. I highly recommend pre-planning.
—Verified Dignity Memorial Customer
My parents did prepaid. I really did not have to do anything but decide on the day we wanted the service. This made everything so much easier for me.
—Patsy J.
It gives you peace of mind.
It’s kinda difficult but once you actually do it you feel good about yourself that you didn’t leave it to your children/family. I just decided I was going to do it and did. So, just do it and you’ll feel better.
—Patsy J.
It was so nice having my parents do their pre-planned funeral arrangements all up ahead. It was so much easier on myself and my 3 siblings. My husband and I already did our prepaid arrangements, after my dad passed away in 2010. So much easier for our kids at the time of our passing later on.
—Verified Dignity Memorial Customer
You get the service you want, and your loved ones know they’ve fulfilled your wishes.
My parents were wise and thoughtful. They pre-planned their funeral wishes with the folks at Chase Funeral Home in 2011 ... 9 years ago. It was prepaid and they made all of their choices ahead of time. So, the tough decisions about 'what would dad want' were easy to answer, and we had confidence that everything that had to be taken care of was done exactly as dad had requested.
—Terry N.
Parents prepaid for their funeral and made arrangements ahead of time, which made the entire experience very easy on my part because there was no guessing about what my father would have wanted. Aside from a few 'extras' that we added, the cost for everything my father planned was covered.
—Kathy H.
Mom had her arrangements pre-planned and prepaid for years before it was needed. Knowing that what was chosen then is exactly what we would have chosen now, made our celebration of life more meaningful.
—Verified Dignity Memorial Customer
It's a money saver.
Saved thousands! Pre-need makes the most sense. At-need means you’re going to pay FULL price. You’re going to pay one way or the other anyway.
—Mark J.
We bought our plans years ago and saved $11,000 by doing so. I would suggest you plan ahead like we did.
—Verified Dignity Memorial Customer
Mike Gadell was very comforting, thorough, and professional from start to finish. His deep dive into our prior arrangements saved our family a considerable amount of money. We are deeply indebted to him for his compassion.
—William G.
Explore your planning options
When you pre-plan a funeral, you honor both yourself and your family. It's a loving thing to do. Most funeral homes and cremation providers offer pre-need planning to their client families. As the leading provider of prepaid funeral plans in the United States and Canada, Dignity Memorial® offers unique benefits, including Relocation Protection, Lifetime Flexibility and our 100% Service Guarantee.
With more than1,500 affiliated funeral homes, cremation providers and cemeteries, you may be surprised to learn there may be a location right down the street. Find a provider now or connect with a pre-planning advisor in your area to take care of this important responsibility.
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