HOW TO GUIDE 2013

Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home1490 B Street, Merced, CA 95340 | 209-722-4191 | FD-538

www.stratfordevansfunerals.com

Like any journeyThis one requires planning

Making your final arrangements in advance isn’t hard. So, let us help you and find out more about

• How to plan your final arrangements

4 simple steps

• Creative Cremation and Traditional

Burial Planning Options

• Veteran’s Benefits – learn the 10

important facts that every Veteran

needs to know

Making advance arrangements for your own

funeral may not be something you want to think

about. But by pre-arranging your services, you

save your family undue stress in a hard time, you

ensure the service and arrangements will be to

your liking, and you realize the cost-savings of

planning ahead.

Call us today and request your FREE Personal

Planning Guide

How to

ImportantPoints...

PREPLAN YOUR FUNERAL

Why preplanning funerals is important

Funerals not only provide solace for the living, but honor deep ritual or religious traditions for families to enjoy and pass on to the next generation. Unfortunately, a shaky economy and limited resources are making it more difficult than ever for families to afford funerals, let alone plan the funerals their loved one would have wanted.

This could be why preplanning funerals has become increasingly popular over the past several years. Many have strong ideas about how they want their lives celebrat-ed, even if they’re not going to be there. If you can make the call on your retirement and retain predetermined medical rights when you’re unconscious, then why not dictate how you’ll be remembered? Most funerals are planned in about a week by grieving family members. Preplanning can save money and stress by cutting out hasty decision-making.

Getting funeral plans in order before-hand doesn’t necessarily include prepay-ing and there are many payment options. Research the possibilities thoroughly, which could include paying the costs upfront or saving the bulk sum in a special account.

Open up a dialoguePlanning your funeral arrangements

now can open up a much-needed dialogue with your loved ones and save them a lot of anxiety during a time when they should be grieving. There’s no need to feel maca-bre or shy, and many people report feeling relieved once they’ve have this conversa-tion with their family.

Conversely, there’s no need to even mention preplanning to family members. There’s a lot you can do on your own to make preparations. Take your time with decisions and cover costs over time instead of one all at once. Many funeral homes even offer discounts for those who participate in preplanning services.

Choose the right funeral homeThe facility that takes care of your end

of life arrangements and services is also

the place your family will be spending a lot of time and money. The dynamic between your loved ones and the funeral directors is important. Make sure you’re contracting with a facility that will treat your family and your last wishes with respect.

It’s best to plan your funeral in a central location where the most people can attend. However, you don’t have to hold services in the same place you want to be buried. You have location options, but keep in mind, the costs for transporting a body can be astronomical and insurance may not cover this.

On that note, make sure you choose a funeral home that knows how to deal with unique situations, like transporting your body from a faraway city or country, and set aside some extra money for unexpect-ed occasions.

Here are some additional questions to ask as you compare funeral homes:

• Will your service be the only one at the facility that day?

• Can they accommodate the number of people you estimate to be in attendance?

• Are there audio and video accommo-dations? Are these included?

• Is there a separate play area for chil-dren or an infant cry room?

• Are outside food and beverages al-lowed?

• Is there alcohol allowed on the prem-ises?

• Where is the nearest cemetery in rela-tion to the facility?

Choosing a green funeralOne great reason to preplan your

funeral is to get everything you want, ahead of time. If living a green lifestyle is important to you now, there are many decisions you can make for your funeral that impact the health and well-being of

the environment. While it’s still up in the air just how

green cremation is, the general consensus is that it’s better for the environment than standard ground internment. Cremation takes up considerably fewer resources, but it also has its environmental draw-backs. For instance, the cremation pro-cess requires using fossil fuels, but newer facilities are less likely to release as many pollutants as the older, less efficient facilities. On the other hand, traditional burials require toxic embalming fluids that are harmful toward funeral directors, wildlife and the environment. Cemeteries take up hundreds of thousands of acres of land, requiring the annihilation of trees and vegetation and tons of chemicals for weed control and fertilization. When you choose cremation, you’ll take up less room, or better yet, you can choose to have your ashes scattered somewhere beautiful.

While most green burial practices are still under development, biodegradable urns are available today. These will bio-degrade slowly and safely under natural conditions and can even be used for water burials. Check with your cemetery of choice to see if outer containers are required.

Make sure your affairs are in orderYour family and loves ones will be

under an inordinate amount of stress after your passing, so it’s best to make sure your estate is in tip top shape. This means having everything arranged and as clearly labeled as possible, including paper and electronic files and media.

This is a great activity to update every year around tax time. Keep a detailed list of your phone and bank account informa-tion, along with updated usernames and passwords. Share this information with a few close loved ones. Let them know where you’ve stored sensitive documents and provide them with a list of things you’ve done to prepare for your funeral.

Make sure your end of life plans are spelled out in detail. Some folks even go so far as to purchase their cremation urn ahead of time.

• Funeral Rule. Look up the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, which requires all funeral directors to give consumers accurate, itemized price information, plus other mandatory disclosures about goods and services.

• Get a Review. Believe it or not, most funeral homes have reviews! Just like your local mechanic, you can get real recommendations from families who have experienced these facilities firsthand.

• Do your Research. From cremating to burying to donat-ing your body to science, there are a number of options when it comes to preparing for your funeral. Do your research beforehand to make sure your comfortable and make sure your wishes are outlined clearly in legal documents.

• Create a Will. It’s important to have a will, even if you don’t think you have much to give away. Consult a professional or ask a friend to help list your assets and be clear about their distribution.

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes”

— Benjamin Franklin

HOW TO GUIDE 2013