FUNERALS ARE FOR THE LIVING

Plan now to save your family $$ and aggravation later

Funeral Consumers Alliance of Maryland & Environs www.mdfunerals.org

Why plan for your funeral now? -- Planning a funeral takes time-- Making decisions when grieving should be avoided -- Nearest funeral home may be more expensive-- Funeral homes and private cemeteries are profit-

making businesses-- FTC found 1 in 5 funeral homes are deceptive &

manipulative-- Avoid on-line services offering to arrange low-cost

funerals or cremations-- Learn your options and then plan now to save your

family $$ and aggravation later

Funeral & burial options listing - from most to least expensive

-- Traditional funeral & burial (most expensive)

-- Green burial-- Traditional cremation & cremains burial

-- Home funeral

-- Immediate burial-- Direct cremation & save/scatter remains

-- Donate body to medical science & education (no cost)

Traditional funeral ($7,000 minimum – Not including burial)

-- Body transfer from -- Basic services ofplace of death Funeral Dir. & staff

-- Wood or metal casket -- Embalming-- Body prep. & dressing -- Visitation or viewing-- Funeral service -- Floral arrangements-- Transport of floral -- Hearse / limousine

arrangements to grave to gravesite -- Prayer / remembrance -- Death certificates

cards -- Death notice in newspaper

Typical burial of casket or urn($4,500 minimum – Not including funeral)

-- Interment service fee on a weekday; more if lateafternoon, weekend or holiday

-- Single gravesite; much more if “double depth”

-- Vault for casket or outer container for urn

-- Opening & closing of ground-- Casket lowering device, ground cover, chairs, tent-- Stone monument or bronze plaque installed

-- Administrative processing fee

Green burial - ($6,500 minimum)

-- Body transfer from place of death to funeral home-- Basic services of Funeral Director & staff-- Eco-friendly bathing & embalming, if desired-- Plain wood or wicker casket or cloth shroud-- Gravesite in a green cemetery (likely more costly

than the price of a traditional gravesite)-- Body transfer to gravesite-- Interment service fee on a weekday; more if late

afternoon, weekend or holiday-- Opening & closing of ground -- Casket lowering device-- Stone monument, if desired – Death certificates

Traditional cremation & cremains burial($5,500 minimum)

-- Body transfer from place of death to funeral home-- Basic services of Funeral Director & staff-- Embalming & body preparation if there will be a viewing-- Wood casket -- Viewing & funeral service-- Crematory fee -- Urn or other cremains container-- Vault or other outer container for urn/cremains container-- Burial of cremains in a cemetery or placement in a

columbarium-- Death certificates

Home funeral - ($1,600 minimum)

-- Body transfer from place of death to home (can be in a private vehicle)

-- Casket or minimum container-- Viewing & services at private home (no cost)-- Dry-ice to keep body cool for 2 to 3 days-- Body transfer to funeral home-- Basic services of Funeral Director & staff-- Burial or cremation (see charts on burial and

cremation options)-- Death certificates

What you need to know about caskets & urns-- Casket price list must be available to you at funeral home-- Casket prices typically range $2,500 to $10,000 from funeral

homes (less if purchased from Costco, Walmart, & Internet)-- Caskets available in all types of wood plus bronze, copper,

stainless steel and 16, 18 & 20 gauge steel in many colors-- Gasketed metal caskets available to keep out air, water &

other outside elements for a while-- Funeral homes cannot refuse to use or charge handling fee

for caskets, urns & other containers purchased elsewhere-- Minimum containers usually are available at funeral homes

in fiberboard, particleboard, cardboard, & cloth/vinyl shroud-- Wood caskets can be rented for viewing & services

Least expensive optionsImmediate burial ($1,200 minimum - Plus burial expenses)-- Body transfer from place of death -- No embalming-- No viewing or services at funeral home -- Minimum container-- Death certificatesDirect cremation ($850 minimum)-- Body transfer from place of death -- No embalming-- No viewing or services at funeral home -- Cardboard casket or-- Death certificates cloth/vinyl shroud-- Cremains returned in plastic bag & small box if no urn provided-- Scattering or keeping cremains costs little; burying cremains in a

cemetery costs many $$ (see chart on typical burial)Donate body to medical science & education (no cost)-- Arrange in advance with State Anatomy Board or medical school-- Phone Anatomy Board or school & they will arrange to pick up body-- Body later cremated & cremains returned, if desired

Prepaying optionsFuneral homes & cemeteries love prepayment (“pre-need” trust)-- Irrevocable or revocable trust -- Insurance-funded plansProblems with pre-need trusts and insurance plans-- Consumer may have emergency & need money back-- Any interest earned on trust goes to funeral home, not consumer-- Insurance plans may give only partial refunds, if refund desired-- Funeral home or cemetery may change ownership or close-- Consumer may move away -- Many instances of pre-need funds theftPre-need trust makes sense if death imminent or doing Medicaid

spend downPayable-on-death account at bank provides greatest flexibility-- Can close account later without penalty if need money-- FDIC insured -- All interest earned goes to consumer -- Not linked to a particular funeral home or cemetery

Top 10 ways to save your family $$ & aggravation 1. Plan ahead: learn what options you want & don’t want; decide how

much you’re willing to spend; tell your family what you want2. Avoid on-line services offering low-cost funerals or cremations3. Take a friend with you to visit several funeral homes and

several cemeteries to compare prices & services4. Ask to see their general price list (GPL) & casket price list

during visits; get an itemized bill before buying anything5. Buy only what you want; avoid “package” deals6. Avoid embalming unless there will be a viewing 7. Avoid expensive caskets; rent one if will have a viewing or service8. Plan a memorial service later vs. having a service at the funeral

home and/or at the gravesite9. Set money aside beforehand in payable-on-death account at bank10. Don’t prepay unless death is imminent or doing a Medicaid

spend down

Summary-- Remember: Death is inevitable but expensive

funerals are not. Pre-plan but don’t pre-pay.

-- Talk to your family about what you want -- Learn what your options are by visiting;

www.mdfunerals.org and at www.consumer.ftc.gov-- Put your plan in writing; share it with your family

-- Don’t make your family decide on your funeral

arrangements when emotionally distraught as they may disagree & spend far more than is necessary

FCAME - protecting the rights and wallets of grieving consumers

We EDUCATE-- Provide info about after-death care options & prices on website-- Promote after-death care planning with one’s family-- Respond to consumer emails; speak at seminars We ADVOCATE-- Act as a voice for consumers with media & government entities-- Work with funeral & cemetery regulatory agencies / boards-- Initiate & testify on funeral, cremation & cemetery legislation-- In last 9 years, helped win approval of about 20 bills at MD General

Assembly that strengthened regulation of funeral homes & cemeteries, including 4 bills that FCAME initiated. AND….Helped defeat about a dozen different bills at MD General Assembly that would have weakened funeral home or cemetery laws