Comments on: Does Your Estate Plan Expect You To Die Broke?

By: Mindy Stein

Mindy Stein — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:18:34 +0000

Many of my elder clients are increasingly turning to the purchase of prepaid cremation services as a more economic alternative to pre-paid burial. Comprehensive packages are available that lock in the price and guaranty that what the individual pays today will be all that’s required in the future – with no surprises or additional charges to the family at the time when the services are needed.

By: Liz

Liz — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:57:52 +0000

Don’t die broke, Die$mart instead! Check out the book at diesmart.com. This book tells you how to die smart with info on money management and estate planning, common mistakes people make that costs their families money when they die.

There’s even information on pre-death planning and post-death paperwork, plus funeral self help.

No one likes to think about dying. But I have a dying relative right this moment and I am so relieved that, by and large, there’s a good plan in place. Otherwise, we’d have a nightmare on our hands.

By: Kaye - SandwichINK

Kaye - SandwichINK — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:31:50 +0000

One other problem with pre-buying cemetery plots is that people can move unexpectedly, even when they are older. Our family has at least two cemetary plots around the country that are in limbo because of unplanned moves later in life.

By: Jacques Sprenger

Jacques Sprenger — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:18:39 +0000

Both of you are absolutely and positively correct; don’t let your children face the burden of a funeral. There are some insurance plans that will take care of it and they are cheap. PW, thank you for the warning. I guess scam artists will even become ghoulish to make a quick buck. And “seeking lemonade” has an excellent philosophy: don’t make them angry at what you failed to do, i.e. prepare for the inevitable. In tight families, there is no such problem, but how many of those do we have?

I’d love to hear from senior citizens (like me).

By: PW

PW — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:56:24 +0000

Be careful currently about pre-paying funeral expenses. We did that for some seniors that passed away a few yrs ago. The company that the funeral homes use to place the cash recently “mis-used” the cash, paying high admin fees to themselves, and the account filed bankruptcy. Many funeral homes are no longer accepting pre-payments. Verify what company the funeral home uses to manage the money and check it out . This was in the Chicago Tribune about 3 months ago. It is a nationwide problem. Sign of the times.

By: SeekingLemonade

SeekingLemonade — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:18:10 +0000

Even if you plan to leave nothing for your heirs to inherit, at least pre-pay all your funeral expenses! Funeral home and cemetery plot, etc.

You can imagine what it feels like to be informed of a loved-one’s death, and in an instant need to pay out at least five thousand, and in many cases up to twenty thousand dollars, just to get them buried. And funeral homes and cemeteries demand to be paid in full before they do anything.

I once told my father: “let people be angry about what you did, not about what you didn’t do.”