Q. What Exactly is Preneed Insurance?

A. Preneed funeral insurance is an insurance policy whose benefits are assigned to cover the cost of a pre-arranged funeral contract. Funeral contracts typically include standard funeral home services, funeral merchandise, church services and even burial services and merchandise. The purpose of preneed funeral insurance is to set aside funds before the need arises, thereby protecting your loved ones and your financial assets by “locking in” on today’s costs, when your funeral home has guaranteed the price of your funeral pre-arrangement

Q. What’s the Difference Between a Standard Life Insurance Policy and Preneed Funeral Insurance; Aren’t They Basically the Same Thing?

A. The primary distinction actually has to do with “intended purpose.” Traditional life insurance is intended to provide for a broad range of your survivors’ future financial needs: provide income, cover education costs, pay off a mortgage, and the like. Preneed funeral insurance, on the other hand, is specifically intended to cover only the predetermined costs of a pre-arranged funeral contract. In addition, there are several other important differences between the two types of coverage. For example: With regard to benefit distribution at the time of death, preneed funeral insurance is payable immediately to the beneficiary (generally the funeral home) upon the policyholder’s death; traditional life insurance policy benefit distributions may require several weeks to be paid by the insurance company.

Q. Do I Actually Need Preneed Funeral Insurance; Can’t I Simply Use Some Other Source of Funding?

A. Preneed funeral insurance is a choice, not a requirement. However, it is important to understand the added value of preneed funeral insurance over other sources of funding, such as savings accounts, trusts and final expense insurance.

First, preneed funeral insurance is tied directly to the costs of a pre-arranged funeral. All of the services and merchandise that you select will be completely covered by your insurance if your funeral home has guaranteed the price of your funeral.

Second, there is no tax liability on the death benefit to your surviving family members.

Third, the benefit of your preneed funeral insurance is payable immediately to the funeral home at the time of your death.

Fourth, there is little or no underwriting required to apply for a preneed policy. Decision is typically made within minutes.

Q. How Much Does Preneed Funeral Insurance Cost?

A. Your cost depends on the cost of the services and goods you select for your funeral during the preplanning process. In other words, you control the costs based on what you choose.

As it relates to your insurance payments, you can make a single premium payment and be done with it, or you can spread your payments out over several years. Again, the choice and the control are all yours.

Q. Can I Pre-fund My Funeral Without Preplanning it?

A. At this time, the most effective way to predetermine the cost of your funeral and, therefore, the amount of insurance you will need, is to work with a committed and caring funeral home professional to identify the specific services and merchandise you will want in the future.

Conversely, if you only decide to preplan your funeral, it is also in your own best interest to weigh the financial and emotional advantages of pre-funding your arrangements. If desired, your funeral home professional can guide you through the entire process.

Merchandise

CASKETS

Caskets are manufactured from metal and wood and are available in a variety of finishes. Metal caskets are fabricated from bronze, copper, stainless steel and various thicknesses of steel ranging from 16 to 20 gauges with finishes available in a variety of colors. Wood caskets are fabricated from solid wood, composite wood and a combination of solid, veneers and composites. Wood finishes are offered from a light natural finish to dark walnut, cherry and mahogany finish in different grades of polish.

Since all caskets will be suitable for viewing and burial, it is important to choose one that would be within the means of the individual and one that would be appropriate for the individual.

URNS:

An urn is a temporary or permanent container used as a receptacle for the placement of cremated remains. Urns are designed to hold cremated remains for proper display for memorialization, for placement in the home or in a niche and for burial. They are fabricated of various materials including metal, wood, stone, ceramic, glass and cultured material and are available in many styles. Many urns may be personalized in a way that will tastefully and meaningfully represent an individual’s life.

Our display represents a cross section of those that are available.

OUTER BURIAL CONTAINERS

An outer burial container is an enclosure, usually fabricated of wood or resin that surrounds the casket in the grave. The purpose for these enclosures is to prevent the graves from continually settling and possibly collapsing as cemetery personnel open graves in different areas of the cemetery. It also allows for the use of heavy equipment for cemetery maintenance. In short, outer burial containers make cemeteries much easier to maintain.

Many cemeteries require such a container. There are two types of outer burial containers, a wooden grave liner and a vault. In general, a grave liner will only prevent the grave from collapsing and settling. A vault will perform these same functions as well prevent gravesite elements (water and soil) from entering the container.

We now provide high strength burial vaults to the families we serve.