Funeral PlansFREE FUNERAL PLANS ADVICE
13SPRING EDITION
www.funeralplansnow.com
ways to save money on funeral costs
Funeral Plan Providers
How much are you likely to spend on
funeral plans?
Top 5
Funeral Plans Now
t FuneralPlansNow.com, we work with funeral experts across the UK to provide top advice on funeral planning to help you throughout
the process. The key benefit a funeral plan offers is the peace of mind for both you and your family that all of the major decisions have already been made. You won’t have to worry about your loved ones stressing over the logistics of a funeral and they won’t worry that the service is not carried out the way you wanted, because you can be the one who planned it. Having a plan can be as detailed or as flexible as you like and when the time comes the funeral director will be with your family to help every step of the way.
A funeral plan guarantees the costs are completely covered by placing it into a separate and secure fund
and will only be transferred to the funeral director when the service takes place. The arrangement is transferable, if something happens to the funeral home or director mentioned in the plan, you can then name another funeral director and the funds for the plan will be transferred to them. Everything included in the funeral plan is bought and paid for at the time of the plan and is not affected by inflation or any other cost increases.
Funeral plan providers generally accept any applicants over the age of 50 and there no medical or credit requirements needed. Having a plan simply makes sense. Paying for it now means saving your loved ones so much more later.
HOW TO GET THE BEST VALUE
FUNERAL PLANS
Gloria Payne Funeral Plans Consultant
Being proactive in these types of situations can make a hard and unpleasant time become more manageable. Having a plan in place gets most of the difficult decisions out of the way early, and will ease the stress on your family as well as saving them money. A funeral plan ensures the costs of the ceremony are completely covered and will give your family some
much-needed direction as to how to fulfill your wishes.
A
How much are you likely to spend on funeral plans?
When a close relative or a loved one leaves this Earth it is never an easy time. On top of the grief, there is the not only the stress of organising their final goodbye but the cost of the ceremony has to be taken into consideration.
Having a funeral plan can protect your family from the financial burden and make the organisation a lot easier.
» The CostThe average funeral can cost between £3000 - £4000 with costs expected to rise above £5000 by 2018. This cost can vary between basic funeral services and more elaborate added extras. It is a significant amount of money, but you should never feel pressured into spending more money than you can afford in order to carry out the deceased wishes. If you feel it is appropriate you may want to ask close family and friends to help contribute. You can also enquire if you are entitled to financial aid from social funds if you are claiming related benefits.
» The DetailsBurials are generally more expensive to organise than cremations. Burials will cost between £1500 - £2000 whereas a cremation will be between £500 - £800. Both services will have added extras which can be removed or added to upon request. A cremation, however, will require you to obtain a death certificate from a doctor which is an added cost of £165. If you feel like you cannot perform the service yourself, the cost of a minister to perform can cost between £100 - £200.
» The ExtrasThere are things that people think are mandatory to make a beautiful funeral but sometimes the simpler the ceremony, the more intimate it can be. Limousines can cost between £200 and £400 each which will provide transport to the service and follow the hearse. Flower arrangements are completely dependant on local flower shops, but the funeral home will generally have used and tested packages for between £100 - £200. Informing peopleof the death locallly can cost approximately £150 this includes a death notice or obituary and a funeral notice which will announce when the ceremony will take place. To hire an external venue and catering on average costs between £400 and £600 which will give guests a gathering where they can express their condolences to the family.
» AdviceYFor more information and advice on organising a funeral, you can contact your local council, local funeral director or the Natural Death Centre. They can provide you with information on services as well as advice on how to save money.
Is my money safe?The GuaranteeEach customer has a right to be sceptical of the guarantee as, lately, in this financial economy it has been anything but stable. To clarify, a funeral plan is not a financial product, it is not an investment that you hope will grow in order to be sufficient enough to cover the costs when the time comes, you are buying the services you want right there and then at today’s prices. The money is then put
into a separate fund controlled by the Funeral Planning Trust that will have sufficient assets to cover.
Recession ProofIn the current climate, there has been an increase in the number of funeral plans purchased. This could be down to a number of factors: an increase in popularity of plans, an aging population or the
fact people are trying to cover their essential expenses while they are able to do so.
You can take out a complete lump sumThe money is held in an independent trust and is now enforced by law. If the service company were to go bankrupt, your appointed funeral director would receive payment from the trust
directly after the service is carried out.
Funeral DirectorThe funeral director that you have appointed only gets paid after the service has taken place and only then is the independent fund released from the trust. If the director stopped operating for a number of reasons, you will most likely be notified and you can either appoint a different director or one will be appointed to you and your specific details will then be passed on.
You can find more information of how your money is invested and protected by contacting the Funeral Planning Trust.
TOP 5 FUNERAL PLAN PROVIDERS
Provider What Makes Them Top 5 Material? Prices
MORE INFO
MORE INFO
MORE INFO
MORE INFO
MORE INFO
Golden Carter is the largest independent funeral plan provider in the UK
working with over 3,300 independent funeral directors. Golden Charter use
their 20 years of experience to provide pre-paid funeral plans and other legal
services to ensure that your funeral costs and plans are completely covered
and protected.
Dignity aims to provide a personal, one-to-one and carbon neutral service,
working with over 1000 funeral directors across the UK to meet and exceed
your expectations. Dignity provide a respectful, compassionate and caring
service when it comes to funeral plans and have proudly helped over 600,000
people plan funerals up and down the UK.
Liberty have helped over 70,000 customers pre-plan and covered the costs
of over 24,000 funerals across the UK so far. Liberty work with a network of
over 2000 funeral directors to provide and administer pre-planned funerals
and have a dedicated customer service team to help with any questions and
provide impartial advice.
The Co-operative focus on providing a unique and personalised funeral for
every customer using a combination of sensitive, professional and caring staff
and informative guidance. The Co-operative are available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week to ensure that there is always someone you can talk to for advice.
Age UK provides support and services to the older population of the UK. Age
UK employ courteous and helpful staff and provide pre-paid funeral plans to
save you and your family from the costs and the worrying. You will be accepted
if you are over the age of 50 and they will help you plan your funeral in
advance and cover the costs when the time comes.
Pre-planning a funeral can be a difficult task, knowing which providers you can trust will ensure that your plan is personalised, safe and your
funds are secure. Here are the top funeral plan providers across the UK.
Funeral Plans Now 020 3700 2103
Recommended Funeral Plan
Take out a policy with Cover Choice and receive a £40 M&S voucher.£40
Funeral Plans Now 020 3700 2103
Base Standard Select
Plans & Features
Funeral Directors Services ✓ ✓ ✓
Provision of Funeral Arrangements ✓ ✓
Coffin Simple Simple High Quality
Hearse ✓ ✓ ✓
Limousine 1
Advice on registration of death ✓ ✓ ✓
Transportation of Body During Office Hours During Office Hours
Care of Body prior to funeral ✓ ✓ ✓
Officiant or Ministers Fees ✓ ✓ ✓
Cost of Burial or Cremation ✓ ✓
Fees For Certification Of Burial or cremation ✓ ✓
Option to view the deceased ✓
Berevement CouncilingBerevement Advice
BookBerevement Advice
Book ✓
Price
Single Payment Price £2,295.00 £3,285.00 £3,665.00
Montly Payment Plan £13.84 £19.62 £21.84
GET QUOTE GET QUOTE GET QUOTE
Compare Top UK Funeral Plans Today
Compare Funeral Plans
✓ Compare all the best breakdown cover deals
✓ Choose your cover and get great online prices
✓ See the latest offers from top UK providers
13 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON FUNERAL COSTS
Funeral Plan Having a plan in place that is already organised and paid for will save your family from the financial burden and stress of organising a funeral for a loved one. Funeral plans are guaranteed to cover the cost of your service when the time comes because you effectively pay for the service for future use right there and then.
Burial or CremationA cremation is overall a cheaper option. If the deceased has not specifically requested a burial, a cremation might be the better option if funding a burial service is problematic.
Online HeadstoneRather than spending money on an expensive headstone, you can now set up online headstones that everyone can conveniently visit whenever they choose from the comfort from their home. They usually include a charity that is supported by the deceased and show their support through donations.
LimousinesTLimousines are a nice touch but at the end of the day using your own car will do the job. If your car is not suitable, asking to use a friend’s car can be a more economic option.
CateringFamily and friends are always looking for ways to help and food is generally a popular outlet. Asking friends and family to bring something for the reception is a more than acceptable request and you will most likely get a higher quality of food.
FlowersFlowers are nice but not a necessity. You can ask family and friends to bring flowers or set up a small charity for flower donations in your local community.
StaffingAsking family and friends to help out during the ceremony can not only save money but can make the whole affair more personal.
Shroud or CoffinCoffins come in all shapes and sizes which can vary in costs. If you are looking for a lower cost option you can opt for a shroud which will respectfully cover the deceased at a fraction of the cost.
EmbalmingEmbalming is the process of preserving the body and is only needed if you are going to display the deceased during the ceremony. If you choose to not display the body you will also save on the process of embalming.
Body DisplayDuring the service the body does not need to be displayed, some people can find the experience of seeing the deceased unsettling.
VenueExternal venues can be quite pricey, using your home or the home of someone close to you will give you a more intimate location to allow family and friends to express their condolences.
Funeral Notice You could make homemade invitations and send them to friends and relatives or spread the details of the service by word of mouth rather than by a notice in the local paper.
Obituary This is a notice informing everyone that the death has taken place. This is usually done using the local paper, but you can just spread the word yourself call family and friends and ask them to inform everyone connected with the deceased.
Recommended Funeral Plan
