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How to Pre-Plan a Funeral: The Checklist

Planning your own funeral may not be easy, but deciding your funeral arrangements in advance can give peace of mind to your family when the time comes. Learn why funeral pre-planning is helpful, then use our detailed checklist to guide you through the steps of pre-planning a funeral.

Why plan ahead?

With any big decision in life, it’s helpful to have time to research and consider options — and funeral planning is no exception. Pre-planning your funeral helps you:

Ease the burden on your loved ones. Funeral pre-planning can protect your family from having to make stressful decisions during an emotional time, as well as relieve the financial burden on surviving family members.
Make your final wishes known. You are the guest of honor at your funeral, so why not be part of the planning process? Planning ahead enables you to design your final send-off and share your last wishes with your family so that, in the end, you get the funeral you want with your own personal touches.
Save money. Prepaying for the funeral may help reduce costs, saving you and your family money. And prepaying funeral expenses can help you get the most out of Medicare and Medicaid.

Find funeral professionals who can help

A funeral director can be an important resource as you design your funeral and make informed decisions about cost and other matters. Funeral directors are experts on everything from choosing a casket to setting up a memorial fund.

Speak with funeral directors at two or more different funeral homes. Ask each for a general price list  to help you understand the types of goods and services offered as well as the prices for each. Share any crucial needs or unusual requests you may have. If one funeral home is unable to meet your specific needs, ask the funeral director to recommend another home.

1. Decide on burial, cremation, or other options.

You will need to choose the best option for you, whether it is burial, cremation, or an alternative. Do you want a traditional service in a funeral home or cemetery, or a unique memorial event at a personal location? Learn more about these possibilities at Legacy, and consult with a funeral director for details on how to make arrangements.

Traditional burial

A traditional burial includes embalming the body, laying it to rest in a casket, and placing it into a vault below ground, sheltered with soil. The gravesite is typically marked with a headstone and offers loved ones a place to visit and reflect.

Natural burial

A natural or “green” burial involves preserving the body with non-toxic chemicals and burying it in an environmentally friendly case made of sustainable material such as bamboo, cotton, or seagrass.

Cremation

Cremation uses heat to convert the body to ash. Cremated remains can be kept in an urn, scattered in a favorite place, buried in a cemetery, interred above-ground in a columbarium or mausoleum, or included in a memorial garden.

Water Cremation

Also known as bio cremation, flameless cremation, or alkaline hydrolysis, water cremation uses a liquid process to reduce the body to ash-like remains. It is more environmentally friendly than cremation but is a less widespread technology.

Donation to science

Donating your body to medical research is one way to continue making a positive impact on the world even after your death.

2. Choose a type of ceremony.

Today, there are more ways than ever to commemorate your life. Whether you wish to have your ashes scattered across your favorite lake or prefer to go the traditional route and be buried next to family members, you have the freedom to decide the funeral or memorial service that best suits you.

Traditional funeral service

A traditional funeral service takes place at a funeral home, or graveside at the cemetery, with the casket present and often with time set aside for mourners to view the body. (A traditional funeral service can still be held after cremation.)

Memorial service

A memorial service is an event held to honor someone’s memory without the body being present. Often a memorial service will follow a cremation or private burial; it may take place either at a funeral home or a nontraditional location.

Celebration of life event

Alternately, a more unique tribute may reflect your life and personality: a small gathering at home, a party with music at your favorite hangout, etc. Some families take weeks to plan a celebration that tells their loved one’s story.

Military funeral

If you are a veteran or active service member, you are entitled by law to a free military funeral honors ceremony. The service can be held wherever you decide to be laid to rest, and typically includes two or more uniformed military personnel.

Note on location and timing: When deciding where to hold a funeral or memorial service, consider how many guests will be there and whether any will have physical limitations. Remember that any family and friends coming from great distances will need time to travel to the event.

3. Say how your legacy should be honored.

How do you want the world to remember you? Make notes for whomever will deliver your eulogy and/or write your obituary. (You may even wish to write your own obituary in advance, as an increasing number of people do.) Note any charitable causes you would like people to support in your honor.

Name as it should appear

To ensure you are remembered accurately, specify ahead of time exactly how you would like your name to appear on death certificates, the obituary, your grave marker, donations made in your honor, etc.

Charities to support

Notify your loved ones of the charities you would like people to support in your memory. This might be a cause close to your heart, or an organization you’ve dedicated time or money to.

Newspapers to notify

Make a list of newspapers you want your obituary published in and share the list with the family members who will be taking care of those arrangements.

Who should write the obituary?

Whether you write the obituary yourself, or collaborate with a family member or friend, preparing your obituary ahead of time can be an opportunity to reflect on what’s important to you and how you would like to be remembered.

Who should write/read the eulogy?

No matter who you select to write and deliver your eulogy — your spouse, your children, a close friend — deciding in advance who will speak at your funeral can reduce stress on loved ones when the time comes.

4. Choose how to pay for the funeral.

Pre-planning can save yourself and your family from last-minute stresses. Consult a funeral director or financial planner on the pros and cons of options like life insurance, burial insurance, funeral pre-payment, and various types of survivorship bank accounts.

Joint bank account

A simple joint bank account that specifies rights of survivorship may be the easiest approach. It will offer little interest but is quickly accessible without red tape when the time comes.

Funeral home prepayment

This option, if you can afford it, allows you to make all the decisions yourself, so your grieving loved ones won’t have to. Depending on the details, it may or may not tie you to a specific funeral home.

Payable-on-death savings account

This kind of account can only be accessed by you while you’re alive, and then by a designated beneficiary upon your death. They’ll need to present your death certificate first, which isn’t always available immediately.

Burial insurance

A burial insurance plan sold through a funeral home will be payable for funeral costs immediately. Depending on how long you have that insurance, it’s possible that, over time, you may pay more in premiums than the final funeral expenses.

Whole life insurance

A whole life insurance plan sold by an insurance company is fully portable if you move, though it may take 30 days for the company to verify and pay your claim.

5. Document your last wishes (a.k.a. your estate plan).

There are six documents you will need to complete so your family can ensure your wishes are carried out. Collectively, these are your estate plan.

Last will & testament

Your will gives instructions on what to do with your assets and possessions after you die.

Living will / DNR order

Your living will indicates your preferences when faced with a life-threatening illness or injury.

HIPAA release

This document allows family members to access your medical care information.

Power-of-attorney for health needs (a.k.a. healthcare proxy)

This directive specifies who can make medical decisions on your behalf if you're incapacitated.

Power-of-attorney for financial needs

This directive specifies who can make financial decisions on your behalf if you're incapacitated.

Funeral plan

Put your funeral plans and wishes in their own document, separate from your will, so that your family can find and follow your directions when needed.

6. Secure your account information.

It will be crucial for whomever you designate as your representative to know details like the IDs and passwords to your online accounts for banking, insurance, utilities, and social media. Also important: the location of key documents like birth certificate, social security card, and mortgage or lease.