Pre-Planning Options

Planning ahead is something we all do for life’s events - the birth of a child, college, weddings, retirement, etc. When such events happen, the comfort felt knowing you’ve planned ahead is invaluable. When you haven’t planned ahead, the stress you feel can be overwhelming. When a loved one dies, a family is faced with many difficult decisions. Planning a funeral can become an overwhelming process compounded by grief.

Many Wisconsin residents pre-plan and pre-fund their funerals as part of regular estate planning. Reasons for pre-planning one's funeral include peace of mind, relieving the burden on loved ones, or for purposes of SSI/Medicaid spend down. While there are a number of advantages to pre-planning and pre-funding funeral expenses, the primary advantage is that it provides individuals the opportunity to make personal decisions for the funeral that best meets their needs. For many, it is comforting to know that money has been set aside for their final expenses, which will in turn reduce the burden on family members during a difficult time.

Once a funeral home has been selected, a pre-planning conference is scheduled to review wishes and to help ensure the services and merchandise will make the funeral as meaningful as possible.

The funeral home will prepare an itemized statement of services and expenses in the form of a pre-need contract to be signed by both parties and decisions on prefunding can be determined.