When’s the best time to speak to a funeral director?

When all is well

The best time to think about your final journey is when you’re fit, healthy, well. Ideally, making and sharing your funeral choices are done before a time of need. This is also true of people we have, or may one-day have, responsibility for. From children to parents, siblings and “Auntie who’s not actually my auntie”, if there’s a chance we may be tasked with their funeral, it’s best to have some idea of what they would have wanted.

Life’s changing circumstances

Big life moments – getting married (or divorced), an overseas job, a sudden diagnosis, big birthdays or downsizing, these are natural opportunities to get “affairs in order”. End of life planning not only involves funeral planning, but it’s also about a wider range of considerations. It can be a catalyst for funding planning, where prepaid funeral plans are used to ring-fence sums securely for when needed at a later date. Prepaid funeral plans also help families prepare for care assessments. For executors, preparing funds ahead of time also makes practical sense.

Following an unexpected death

This is a painful trigger but it’s also common that experiencing a loss can prompt people to consider their own circumstances. For those who have recent experience of arranging a funeral, there’s an insight into the value of following a plan made by the person who’s died. Power of Attorney responsibilities cease once someone dies with authorised next of kin or appointed executors taking decisions about funeral arrangements.

Funerals can be planned years in advance. Free plans of wishes or prepaid funeral plans are designed to record decisions that can be amended at any time. Equally, plans don’t need to be formal or detailed. Having one or two known preferences is a good start, with opportunity to update and amend plans as circumstances change.

So our team of professionals offer free advice to individuals, couples or families wanting to remove the burden from loved ones and to get on with living their lives in the present.