Free funeral planning lunches set for May, June

When planning for the inevitable, you alleviate the burden on your family and friends of making difficult funeral planning decisions on your behalf. They won’t wonder what you  wanted; they’ll know. Likewise, if you are supporting a friend or family member with their planning, you’re helping provide peace of mind for them and their families. That’s why we’re bringing back our popular Lunch and Learn event. 

Attendees will enjoy lunch while learning what they need to know to make important decisions about end-of-life planning. The presentation provides information about funeral and cremation planning with plenty of time for your questions.  Michele M. Phaneuf-Plasz, a fourth-generation funeral director, hosts the luncheon. Choose from: 

• Noon to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday May 24 
• Noon to 1:30 p.m., Tuesday June 21

Different funeral planning approaches 

Planning ahead happens anytime you make arrangements for end-of-life services, whether in a casual or formal way. There are many ways to do this, and it can be as simple as having a conversation about your wishes with someone who will be there at the end, such as a child, spouse or friend. Writing down basic information to capture those wishes is a great way to begin the process. That’s a casual approach. 

You can take your advanced planning one step further by reaching out to us at Phaneuf to make your end-of-life wishes known. That way, when the time comes, we can inform your family about your wishes.

Taking one more step, you can  formalize your end-of-life arrangements with us. This means choosing all the details of your end-of-life services. Then, you have the option of paying for your services in one lump sum, or using a payment plan to pay over a time period that you choose. 

Benefits of funeral planning

• One, you lock in your wishes. Once the arrangements are made and paid for, they cannot be changed after you’re gone, unless this is stipulated in your arrangements. (You can  update your wishes and arrangements while you are still alive.) 
• Two, once your arrangements are paid for, that price is locked in and does not change, even if you thrive for several more decades. You won’t — and your family won’t — owe any more money. There is a guarantee fee to lock in the price. (Note that your family may owe for third-party items that increase in time, such as cemetery fees or obituary costs.) 

Planning means the services you arranged and paid for will be provided (or as comparable a service as exists at that time). It also means  your heirs and survivors won’t need to pay for the cost of a traditional funeral and burial ceremony. An unexpected expense, such as a funeral or cremation, can cause a financial hardship for many families.

Consider this planning the final, gracious gift you can give your family. You are allowing them to focus on their grief and celebrate your life. They are not left wondering — or arguing — about what you would have wanted.

Generally, there are between three and five days when someone passes and final arrangements are completed. Whether this is an anticipated death or not, your family is already dealing with loss, and there are lots of moving parts. If you can take the decision making and payment worries off their plate, that’s an amazing gift.

Funeral planning starts at any age

• In your 20s and 30s: Getting married and having kids can be a trigger to take care of those details.

• In your 40s and 50s: When your parents begin to show signs of aging. When someone you know is sick. When there’s a death in the family or a death of someone close to you.

• In your 60s: Meeting with a financial planner or making life insurance arrangements. (Some may not be thinking that far ahead before they get close to retirement age, and others who are ahead of the game may make updates or refinements to existing life insurance plans).

RSVP for our Lunch and Learn event here.