No one wants to think about their funeral. Leaving behind your spouse, children, grandchildren, and friends can be an incredibly daunting prospect and is a major fear for many people. While you might not want to think about this, you may have some preferences for your funeral arrangements that you want your loved ones to follow after your passing.
However, if you don’t have these difficult conversations with your loved ones prior to your passing, they may not know what you expect of your funeral. If you want to ensure your loved ones can honor your final wishes, including your desired funeral arrangements in your estate plan is a great way to do this.
If you are about to begin estate planning, keep reading to learn how including desired funeral arrangements can help your family honor you one final time.
The Importance of Clarifying Desired Funeral Arrangements
Planning a funeral can be incredibly difficult, but it becomes even more difficult when your loved one has recently passed away. Choosing how your loved one will be put to rest is a complex decision, and an incredibly personal one. When your loved ones are in the thick of their grief, they may make quick decisions without thinking them through.
Instead of making them decide for you, you can include this information in your estate plan. Many people have strong feelings about whether they want to be buried or cremated, and including these funeral arrangements in your estate plan ensures they don’t have to choose. Instead, you have a say in what happens to your body after you pass.
Including your funeral arrangements in your estate plan ensures your religious or spiritual beliefs are respected. Without clarification, your family may opt for other funeral plans and miss essential steps. Ultimately, if you want to ensure everything goes as you want, including your desired funeral arrangement is an integral part of your estate planning.
What Happens If You Don’t Clarify Your Wishes
While preparing your estate plan, you might consider whether establishing final wishes is that important. Some people may not have many, or any, desires for their funeral. However, for individuals who have incredibly specific personal, religious, or spiritual requests, making your wishes known ahead of time is essential.
If you don’t have written instructions regarding what you want, your state’s laws may dictate what your loved ones must do. Every state’s burial and cremation laws will vary, but the state of Utah clarifies that anyone who isn’t buried or cremated within 24 hours of their passing must be embalmed before taking any further steps.
Anyone who wants to avoid this should ensure they have all potential funeral arrangements established beforehand. When faced with these difficult decisions immediately after your passing, your loved ones may struggle to make finite decisions or rush into them, ultimately making decisions you wouldn’t otherwise agree with.
Where to Include Your Funeral Arrangements
If you are starting the estate planning process, you may wonder where you should include your desired funeral arrangements. While it might seem like the best plan to include this information in your will, there is a possibility your loved ones won’t open your will until after the funeral has come to an end.
Instead, you may want to include your desired arrangements in an advance healthcare directive. Not only will this help your loved ones determine how they should plan your funeral, but this also informs them of your wishes if you become incapacitated. You may also want to establish a power of attorney.
With a power of attorney document in place, a specified loved one has the authority to make decisions on your behalf. Finally, consider having these hard conversations with your loved ones beforehand. While this isn’t a fun conversation, it ensures your loved ones know what you want them to do following your passing.
Everything You Can Do Ahead of Time
If you are going to include desired funeral arrangements in your estate plan, there are a few things you can include to ensure your family respects your final wishes. These include:
- Whether you’ll be buried or cremated.
- Where you’ll be buried or what urn or container your remains will be placed in.
- Ceremony preferences, including religious requests, music played, etc.
- Pallbearers for your graveside service.
- Where any cremated remains will be scattered or stored.
In addition to establishing desired funeral arrangements in your estate plan, you may want to reach out to a local funeral home to discuss whether they have prepaid funeral options. This can help your loved ones avoid the financial burden of planning a funeral and allow them to focus on the grieving process.
Protecting Your Final Wishes
Taking the time to organize your estate and funeral plans is a great way to protect your loved ones immediately following your passing. This plan provides peace of mind and clarity for those you leave behind. If you’re looking for an estate planning attorney to help you establish an appropriate funeral plan, turn to our team at Bishop Estate Law for support. For almost a decade, our team has provided expert legal advice and counsel to families across the Wasatch Front. Whether you’re just starting the estate planning process or preparing to adjust an existing plan, we’re here and ready to help.
If you’d like to learn more about our estate planning services and how we can help you ensure your final wishes are honored, don’t hesitate to contact us today.