About a year ago Funeral Director Daily ran an article when we learned that some people were using crowdfunding sites to help raise the money needed to pay for the memorial expenses that they chose for their loved ones.  We recently read an article in the United Kingdom’s Independent entitled, “We had to beg for money to bury mum.”  You can read the article here.

The article points out the difficulty a family had when their 49 year old mother died with no money and no life insurance.  The article also points out that crowdfunding company GoFundMe indicates that campaigns for private funeral expenses have increased by about 33% in only one year.  British support company Down to Earth indicates that calls for help with funeral funding has tripled in the last three years also.

At the end of the day, the 49-year old’s family sold valuables, took out loans, and launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise – what they indicated was about a $6700 quote (in U.S. dollars) from a funeral firm to carry out the services.

Funeral Director Daily take:  While this is an article from Great Britain, my guess is that the same proportion of services going onto crowdfunding sites is probably about the same.  I also see that as state’s and municipalities seem to get leaner with finances and the savings rate of Americans dropping, that the issue of paying for funeral services is not going to get any easier and it is going to effect more and more
Americans as we move forward.

There is lots of reasons for this — consumer choice just being one.  We live in a instant gratification society where saving for that rainy day is not stressed very often.  Another reason is end of life medical care expenses.  Many people with means, just underestimate the amount that it will cost in their last few years of life and there just is not enough left to have the funeral or memorial services that they would have liked to have had.

That is why we put this article in the “PreNeed” section of our web-site.  Pre-need expenses is the one solution to this dilemma.  We have told you before that we have just gotten “bolder” about telling consumers about the value of pre-need funding plans – even if it is with another funeral establishment.  We tell people that you should wait no longer than the time you are at Social Security beginning your retirement benefit paperwork to set up a pre-funded funeral plan with the funeral home of you choice.

Be bold or get ready to ask Cash, Credit, or Crowdfunding!!!

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