Burying a child

It's one of the hardest things to have to bury your child. It feels like it goes against the natural order of things. It can be hard to find items that suit a young life being cut short and help you to truly remember the spirit of the child you are burying. This site has a collection of ideas and thoughts that can be used when coming up with memorial services that celebrate the short life and personality of your child. It can be a useful resource for family, communities or schools plan sympathetic funeral services for children and their loved one.

3 Important Tips for Planning & Paying for Your Own Funeral

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Preplanned and prepaid funerals are very popular right now, and many cemeteries and funeral homes offer various types of preplanned and prepaid funeral services you can choose for yourself. It may be good to think about this type of arrangement long before it's needed, so you can make the choices you want while still in a good frame of mind. If you're thinking of planning and paying for your own funeral, consider a few tips and factors to discuss with advisors like Farrell & O' Neill Funerals.

1. Allow for some grieving and respect

While you may prefer that your friends and family celebrate your life rather than simply mourn your death at your funeral, keep in mind the feelings they will probably have at that time. Allow for some grieving and respect, rather than just insisting that your funeral be a big party.

It's easy to think about planning a festive event that won't make everyone sad long before your funeral is actually held, but be balanced in this regard. You don't want to force your friends to pretend to be happy after you're gone, and they may feel even more sad at being at a party without you. Find a middle ground where you have a say in what occurs, but people feel like they can grieve if they need to.

2. Consider eco-friendly options

You may not think of funerals as being harmful to the environment, but the finishes put on most coffins and even the embalming fluids that are often used can be very damaging to soil and groundwater. If you're environmentally conscious, use this opportunity to choose eco-friendly choices for your funeral. Ask for a simple plywood coffin that is untreated and request that you not be embalmed. Have your guests carpool or avoid a graveside service in addition to a church service, so there is less driving and fewer emissions from vehicles for your funeral.

3. Prepay when you need to spend down your assets

Very often when a person gets older and wants to take advantage of public healthcare options, they may need to spend down their assets. This may also be done as a way to avoid certain tax bills your heirs might face from inheriting your estate. When talking to an advisor about prepaying for your funeral, ask how this can be done to spend down your assets if possible and if needed. This not only alleviates your heirs of the expense of your funeral but can also protect you and them financially if the size of your estate is an issue.

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15 May 2015