Who
should pre-plan?
- Those about to retire or who already have done so. By planning
now, you make sure you'll get the kind of funeral you'd want and at a cost of your own
choosing.
- Those living alone will enjoy a peace of mind knowing their
funeral plans are complete, since they may have no one else to do it for them.
- Those in their midyears with parents to be concerned with. And
even for themselves, pre-planning is important in these days of uncertainty.
- Those planning on governmental supplementary security income
will benefit by knowing there's an exemption for a funeral pre-plan.
- Those who simply wish to help their family by taking the
burden of decision from them.
- Everyone
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What
are the different kinds of pre-plans?
- Pre-financed Trust Plan: You may pay for your funeral in
advance by setting up a trust fund in a bank or Savings and Loan for this purpose. Your
funds are placed in trust in a federally insured financial institution and safeguarded by
Massachusetts State laws. At death the funds are available at once and do not become part
of your estate. The greatest advantage of this plan is that you are protected from
inflation. The charges for the funeral home services and merchandise you select are frozen
at today's prices. You therefore have eased another burden on your family at a time when
financial security may be critical.
- Insurance
funded Funeral Plan: We do not sell insurance. We have
always felt that the commission earned on selling insurance
de-values the the total value of the funeral trust. However,
those with existing insurance policies, rather than take
"cash out value" of an insurance policy, we can assist you
in changing the ownership and beneficiary to fund your
funeral prearrangement. Sometimes this must be
done in order to qualify for federal programs like Medicaid.
- Basic No-Payment Plan: You record by letter or by filling out
non-binding forms with us your specific requests regarding the type of service you
want...where services will be held, the minister, the scripture readings, music,
pallbearers, flowers, casket or urn, etc.
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What are
the advantages of pre-planning with Weir Funeral Home?
- Pre-paying freezes the charges at today's costs for the
services and merchandise provided by the funeral home. Charges are guaranteed to never go
up.
- You can leave your wishes known in writing alleviating your
family of trying to guess the type of service you would like.
- Pre-paying funeral expenses removes the financial burden from
your family. Your money is placed in a state-protected trust fund.
- Many decisions can be made after having time to discuss
options with your family, rather than having to make on-the-spot decisions at the time of
death.
- By planning now, you will enjoy peace of mind knowing your
funeral plans are complete.
- Prepaying for your funeral will also help to protect your
assets for Medicaid purposes.
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What are the
costs involved? The cost of a funeral varies with the type of services
desired. Funeral expenses are typically broken down in the following categories (prices
shown are those of Weir Funeral Home, effective April 1, 1999 and are subject to change
without notice):
- Professional service charge for staff, facilities and motor
vehicles. These charges vary depending on the type of service you select. Please Contact
Us for current price information for traditional funeral services and cremation.
- Merchandise charges - Caskets range from
$595 on up,
outer burial containers for caskets range from $690.00 to $6000.00 Other merchandise such
as burial garments, urns, and prayer cards are also available.
- Cash advance items. These are services or merchandise provided
by sources outside of the funeral home, but arranged for you by our staff. Following are
examples of cash advance items and some of their costs: certified copies of the death
certificate ($5-$20 each), honorariums for minister ($250) and musicians ($75-150),
death notice charges ($50 - $300), flowers, cemetery charges such as the grave space
($2000 - $12000), opening and closing of the grave ($500 - $1800),. Essentially these cash dispersements eliminate the need for the family to write numerous checks at the time of
need.
- Cemetery Charges. In Massachusetts, Funeral homes are not
allowed to own or operate cemeteries. The charges for each cemetery vary, However, you may
contact us or your local cemetery to find out what the exact charge is for the specified
cemetery.
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