Planning a funeral can be a stressful time, for most of us we are so caught up dealing with our grief, replaying times that we wished we hand handled differently or facing our own mortality, that adding discussion about funeral costs into the mix can be nothing short of overwhelming.
It is something that not many of us consider, but we probably should, and that is how would I pay for a funeral if I had to?
For many of us, we may never have had to face the prospect of coming up with a few thousand dollars to cover the cost of a funeral and still be satisfied with the celebration and the service that we give to our loved ones. That’s not to say that there are cheap options for almost everything funeral related, but for some, we want to have a celebration that expresses the life of our loved one in the most appropriate and dignified way. Everyone has their own interpretation of what exactly that looks like.
Regardless of how you want to send off your loved one, the inevitable discussions around costs will come up, and how you decide to deal with them is purely personal choice. For us, as a small family business, we don’t have the capacity to offer long term accounts to our families and we require payment on or before the day of the funeral service.
This can be too much for some people who simply do not have the capability to come up with the funds immediately. But there are some options available to you. Let’s start with some basics.
Superannuation
In some cases, and depending on your superannuation fund, you may be able to apply for early release of superannuation to cover funeral costs. There are fairly strict rules one when this can be done and your super fund will be able to guide through this process with a level of authority that us Funeral Directors lack. As a guide though, we have included a link to The Department of Human Services and their guidelines on early release of superannuation. Our Funeral Directors will be more than happy to assist you with this process if it is something that you need some support with.
CrowdFunding
A modern approach to covering funeral costs is CrowdFunding. CrowdFunding is where you post your appeal for support on a CrowdFunding site and then your family and friends, along with strangers who come across your appeal, can donate to support you covering the costs. This is a common practice and not something to be ashamed of. There are times when we simply need to ask for help and this is a way that you can do that on mass. Some of the more reputable CrowdFunding platforms for funerals are GoFundMe, Facebook Fundraiser, and Pozible. Each CrowdFunding platform will have their own fees and charges applicable to your campaign, so it is important to read the fine print before you choose a platform to fundraise.
Funeral Finance
Another option available to McCartney Family Funeral’s families, is funeral finance. We offer a No Interest Ever product that is repaid over 6, 12, or 24 months. You will still need to have a deposit, usually around 10%-20%, however for most people that is considerably easier to come up with than the full amount. Funeral Financing does require borrowers to meet lending criteria that is set in place by our finance provider PayRight, so this option may not suit everyone, but is is still an option.
Pre-Arranging
Of course there is also Pre-Arranging and Pre-Paying for a funeral in advance. This is something that is available to everyone and comes in the form of Funeral Insurance or a Funeral Bond. You can arrange one of these by chatting with us and arranging a time to meet with our Pre-Need Funeral Consultant. Sadly though, not all of us have the ability to pre-arrange or plan, especially if a death has occurred suddenly or without any warning.
Covering the cost of a funeral isn’t something that should cause you stress. If you feel that you need some support, guidance or direction on how to best do this, feel free to chat with us. Remember that a funeral doesn’t need to have all of the bells and whistles to make it meaningful, personal and unique. Work with your Funeral Director to create a celebration that is just right and that will fit within your budget.
If you have questions about funeral expenses or anything funeral related, why not get in touch with us at 1300 043 522 or [email protected] and let us answer any questions you may have.