Author Andrew Zashin comments in the  Cleveland Jewish News that when meeting with an attorney to consider drafting a will one should also talk about a “Preneed Funeral Contract”.  He states that  the consumer can meet with a reputable funeral director to do virtually everything he wants to do – from selecting the services to selecting the casket and burial vault.

Zashin correctly assumes that without a preneed contract, in many instances the wishes of the deceased don’t get followed.  The article also, rhetorically, asks several questions that the consumer should be asking himself when making the arrangements.

Funeral Director Daily take:  We agree with the article that a preneed contract is smart to have.  He is correct in assuming that a death without one can cause all sorts of issues to those left behind.  While the time of making a will may be a good time to do so, we always told client families a great time to deal with your mortality was when you went to apply for Social Security and/or Medicare benefits.  At that time of your life you probably have a pretty good idea of your wishes, cremation vs. earth burial, what cemetery you would use, and the like.

One thing that we always cautioned client families on was to not only leave a copy of your funeral wishes with your will.  Always give a copy to your funeral home of choice for their files and to your next of kin – children, spouse, etc.  One thing to probably avoid is leaving it with your will exclusively. . . . sometimes wills don’t get opened prior to the funeral services.[wpforms id=”436″ title=”true” description=”true”]