Funeral preplanning allows a person to record preferences before an immediate need exists. It can be as simple as a written planning conversation or may include a formal, funded agreement. Those are different steps and should be explained separately.
Start with personal priorities
Consider burial or cremation, religious and cultural practices, the type of gathering, music and readings, people who should participate, obituary information, and the preferred place of service and disposition.
Organize information
Record legal name, family details, military history, cemetery information, important contacts, documents, and the location of identification and estate papers. Tell a trusted person where the plan is stored.
Review services and current prices
Ask for the funeral home’s current written price lists and a clear description of the chosen services. A planning estimate and a funded contract are not automatically the same thing.
Understand any funding arrangement
Before paying, ask whether prices are guaranteed or nonguaranteed, how funds are held, what happens if prices change, whether the plan can be transferred, what cancellation rules apply, and which expenses remain outside the agreement. Read every document before signing and retain complete copies.
Review the plan over time
Preferences, family circumstances, providers, laws, and prices can change. Review the plan after a move, major family event, health change, or change in wishes.
Visit Horizon’s planning-ahead center to download guidance, request information, or schedule a conversation.