Most of us plan ahead. We plan our weddings, vacations and our retirement. We also purchase home, auto, health and life insurance in case of unexpected events. It only makes sense to plan ahead for our funerals as well.
Pre-planning your funeral is a thoughtful and practical decision to make for your family. Whether you prefer a traditional service, contemporary service or cremation service you should put those requests in writing. This will allow you to be remembered in a very specific and special way. Your requests are important to your family members and it will give them peace of mind to know that they have carried out your wishes. In addition, your family members won’t have to speculate about what you may have wanted. They can more clearly focus on the celebration of your life.
Pre-planning allows you to have time to explore your options so that you can make an informed decision without feeling rushed. These plans are flexible so if you change your mind and want to make revisions you can do so at any time.
There are financial advantages to planning ahead. You have the option to pay for your arrangements in advance. This will allow you to have a guarantee for service and merchandise cost regardless of when the plans are needed. Making these decisions ahead of time also eliminates the possibility of the family overspending at the time of death.
Also, did you know you can designate someone to carry out your final wishes? Under the section 540-982-2100 of the Code of Virginia you can appoint an individual to carry out your funeral or cremation plans. This person may be a relative, friend or just someone that you trust. Appointing a representative is especially helpful if you choose cremation. The funeral home must have authorization for cremation at the time of your death. The Appoint an Agent simple form completed by you, eliminates confusion and delay. For example, if an individual is widowed and has four children, all four children would need to sign the cremation authorization. However, if you completed the
Appointment of Agent Form
only one person is designated to see that your wishes are carried out.