do you have a funeral plan

[Crumpetdisappointment]

would you recommend one

Depends on your circumstances I think.

If you died tonight would there be enough money in the bank to pay for a funeral or, if yes, would doing so leave your partner up a gum tree?

no we dont have savings,
i looked into life insurance but that seems possibly end

I have a Funeral Plan. I bought it outright five years ago. I did it because we were making new wills and I wanted to get things in order. I also completed LPA.

I am not sure how cost effective it is. My Grandmother had one and when she died it made things straight forward. However, this is partly because we knew what her wishes were.

We took one out a few years ago - paid monthly for about 3 years, i think, then decided we wanted to go down the direct cremation route so cashed in the funeral plan and bought a direct cremation - there is no funeral, body is collected and taken away to be cremated and ashes returned to family a few days later. Family can then do a get together and scatter ashes where they want.

Yes, I have a pre payment funeral plan. I won't pay anymore in after I'm 70. My late husband and I took one out each after my late mom passed.

We had to borrow the deposit for it to go ahead as they want certain fees up front now due to too many people not paying bills.

Hence, we took out our own. Thank goodness we did as my husband passed away unexpectedly 5 years ago

Thinking about getting one, I want a very simple direct cremation type funeral whereas DH wants a full requiem mass in the cathedral followed by a military honour burial and catered wake. I don’t fancy having to pay for all that so I hope that I go first.

yes, something like the Queen had would suit me
dh wants a burial.

Can anyone advise me on where to start, please?
Are there companies that you trust & that you've used?
Thanks.

We bought ones for relatives with disabilities from the Co op (who have taken over many formerly independent funeral directors.

We have had to use one of them so far and it all worked smoothly.

There is a company to avoid, if you goggle you'll find reports of the problems. Can't remember the name unfortunately. Radio 4 Moneybox reported on them iirc.

Apart from the opportunity to pay for your arrangements in advance (lump sum or instalments), it gives you an opportunity to specify exactly what you want to happen.

No. I can easily afford to bury my parents, and as far as my own funeral goes I assume the council will arrange for my disposal if I've spent all my money before I die, as I plan to do.

*google not goggle!

I’ve got a plan. This is what I did:

Visit several local funeral directors.
Ask lots of questions.
Ask about financing.
Ask about how your money will be protected via Financial Services Authority.(FD’s are now regulated).
Ring local crematorium and ask how much does it actually cost to cremate? £900 in my locality 6 years ago. It’s an interesting fact!
Formulate your ideas.
Talk to family.
Go back to the funeral director you like best & sort it out with them.
Make sure that you are fully paid up and there will be no top ups to pay as the years go by.
Take out a plan with them to suit you.

I did all of this over a couple of weeks.
Job done.

I am thinking of doing a plan that pays out as my dad had one and it was very straightforward to claim and took a lot of stress away.

Same here, I was so grateful to my dad that he’d done that. The care home had a business card from Dignity that they gave me, I rang them and it was all quite easy. I paid extra for flowers but the funeral was already paid for.
Now I need to get my act together and sort mine.

No. And I think I should sort one out. I can't bear the thought of DS (DD is unlikely to help) doing it alone.

Thanks everyone.

I like your plan @Stratocumulus I've just emailed a local funeral director to enquire about prices & plans.
Such excitement for a Saturday evening! 🙃

I want a direct cremation and a separate small family / friends get together only. I won't take out a plan for this as my family would be able to pay at the time.

My family know my wishes above, but I could probably do with writing some more details down actually.

I've organised two funerals (one standard cremation, one direct); neither person had left a detailed note of their wishes. It didn't make anything easier at a rubbish time.

Would a larger FD like the Co-op be a safe bet? I want to make it as secure and idiot proof as possible.

i listened to the money box, i think that was the correct one, someone said try independent but i was thinking coop as it is so well known.

My reasons for wanting a plan have nothing to do with the cost and everything to do with saving my family the hassle.

I know for some arranging a funeral would be a privilege, however for others it would be a chore. I have also seen family fall out over choice of flowers, hymns, cars, venue etc.

I would rather make these decisions for myself. My family are not surprised by this as I am known for being a planner and a control freak.

Funerals are said to be for the living left behind but as an atheist I would hate to have any religious element to my funeral. The financial cost and environmental impact concern me too.

My ideal would be a direct cremation with my family getting together to scatter the ashes by the sea at a later date. I will leave money for a slap up lunch and if they want to commemorate me they can donate to the RNLI on my birthday or get together in our special place to eat lobster and drink champagne.

Also on the money box programme they said speak to the organisation, rather than go online

That is why we favoured is the Co-Op over an independent. You can get quotes online, and it's very reasonable.

I pay £29.01 per month up until my 70th birthday, and that's it. I've another 9 years to run on it. Alls sorted, and my adult youngsters have no worry

They've an offer on right now, and you can pay monthly

www.coop.co.uk/funeralcare/ funeral plans?