A Discussion about Funeral Pre-Planning
Arranging your estate and financial matters is one of the wisest things you can do for your family. It gives everyone involved peace of mind and saves you unnecessary expenses when the inevitable occurs.

There is one last thing you can do to make things easier on yourself and your family. That is, pre-planning your funeral. Out of all the end of life issues that need to be dealt with this is the most difficult and sensitive.

The best way to start planning for this is to sit down with one of our licensed funeral directors at Korban Funeral Chapel so that we can outline all of your options. Here, we will introduce you to the concept but encourage you to take the next step and arrange a no-obligations, free consultation with us.

Why should you pre-arrange your funeral?
There are as many answers to this question as there are people. Here are just a few of the most common reasons:

1. To relieve the family of the added burden and responsibility
One of the most difficult things to do is make decisions for somebody else. When that person has just died the decisions become even more difficult to make. Preplanning spares the family from having to make someone else’s decisions. If the family knows what their mother or father prefer, they will never have to live with the regret of having made wrong decisions. Was the casket appropriate? Was it too expensive? Should it be closed or opened? Would they prefer to be cremated? What were their favourite hymns? The questions may be very simple or complex. When you know what other people want and are able to accommodate their final wishes, you will feel much better about the funeral services in which you are involved.

2. To make difficult decisions when your emotions are at rest
The loss of a loved one is a very emotional time. It is a difficult time to make decisions, particularly financial ones. There is a tendency by some families to over spend because “‘ Mom or Dad deserves the best.” Preplanning allows you to make prudent decisions keeping in mind your family’s financial circumstances. It also allows you to give careful consideration to matters that may otherwise be too painful to discuss at the time of need.

3. To learn more about the cost of funerals and guarantee today’s price
During a preplanning meeting the funeral director will provide a detailed cost breakdown of all components of the funeral service. These include professional services, merchandise costs, out-of-pocket expenses and cemetery and memorialization costs. Knowing the cost of your funeral or the funeral of a loved one is important when considering the option of prepaying. When you pre-pay your funeral at Korban Funeral Chapel you are locking in the price of your funeral at today’s costs. Your funeral plan is protected from the normal inflation of most services.

What happens to my money when I pre-pay my funeral expenses?
There are two basic ways of funding a pre-arranged funeral: through an insurance policy or through a “trust agreement” with Korban Funeral Chapel. There are significant differences between these two types of plans and the consumer should do their homework before entering into any pre-arranged funeral plan.

When entering into a “trust agreement” your monies are placed in an approved trust and protected by the Manitoba Pre-Arranged Funeral Services Act as administered by the Public Utilities Board. These type of agreements always guarantee the services and merchandise to be used for your funeral at a later date. By entering into a “trust agreement” you are “locking in” the price of your funeral at today’s price. Essentially, you are getting tomorrow’s funeral at today’s price. Just like fuel, groceries and housing, funerals increase in price by 2 – 3% every year. The “trust agreement” protects you from this inflation. This is the most commonly used plan at Korban Funeral Chapel.

An insurance funded funeral plan is not protected or governed by the Manitoba Pre-Arranged Funeral Services Act. There is no funeral specific legislation to protect these type of plans. That, however, does not mean that it is unwise to enter into this type of plan. They will still offer you the peace of mind that taking care of your final arrangements affords you. Insurance funded plans will also help ensure that there is money available for your end of life expenses.

Any sort of pre-planning is a wise thing to do and will save your family and loved ones much heartache when the inevitable happens. When doing this type of planning, however, you should talk to a professional that deals with these issues on a daily basis. Talk to one of our licensed funeral directors at Korban Funeral Chapel when you are ready to pre-plan your funeral.

What do I do next?
It is important that you discuss these issues with your family and loved ones. Sit down with them and have a frank discussion about what your wishes are for funeral plans. Also keep in mind what their needs might be when the time comes.

Then we encourage you to set up an appointment with Korban Funeral Chapel to discuss options and finally put your wishes down on paper. We will meet with you as many times as you like to discuss your plans with no fee or obligation.

To meet with one of our licensed directors please call us anytime at 1-204-956-2193.