| Many Americans are coming to view the planning | | | | that they'd prefer to plan their own funerals, only |
| of their own funerals as a part of estate planning. | | | | a quarter of had actually made any arrangements. |
| Such planning may or may not involve pre-paying | | | | The study was based on interviews with more |
| for the arrangements. As a point of reference, | | | | women (60%) than men, noting that women are |
| life expectancies are rising in this country. Based | | | | known to be the primary decision-makers when it |
| on National Vital Statistics data, men can expect | | | | comes to memorialization. |
| to live for 73.8 years, while women are living for | | | | Many of us find ourselves faced with the |
| roughly 79.5 years. | | | | unexpected death of a close friend or family |
| Pre-planning affords you the opportunity to shop | | | | member -- and don't know what to do. We tend |
| around for the best prices, the best services and | | | | to avoid discussing the logistics of death, which |
| a funeral home that suits you. Many people, | | | | leaves us ill prepared if called upon to cope. |
| particularly those who are ill and know that death | | | | It's not enough to make arrangements for your |
| is imminent, may find the process brings a sense | | | | funeral: you have to tell people that you've done |
| of relief, of tidying up, of control. They may also | | | | so. If no one knows of the plans you've diligently |
| decide to sign advance directives, documentation | | | | made and the services you've paid for, there's a |
| that authorizes another to make medical and | | | | real risk that your family may make -- and pay |
| financial decisions for them should they become | | | | for -- their own arrangements. Don't let that |
| incapacitated. | | | | happen. Make at least a couple of people aware |
| Remember that the Funeral Rule states that | | | | of what you want and any instructions and |
| consumers have the right to choose the goods | | | | related information. Write it all down. Grieving |
| and services they want, subject to state law, and | | | | family members, hastily gathered and swamped |
| to decline others. The funeral home must | | | | with organizational details, don't want to be arguing |
| recognize these rights in writing. | | | | about their recollections of your final wishes. |
| Pre-planning a funeral | | | | It's not a good idea to put such instructions with |
| A recent Worthlin Worldwide report on American | | | | your will; a will is often not found, or not read, for |
| Attitudes Toward Ritualization and Memorialization | | | | a few weeks after a death. |
| found that while 84% of those surveyed indicated | | | | |