A Funeral Planning Checklist

Planning for a funeral can be a demanding process for many reasons.

First, it’s often a difficult subject to talk about. Considering your death or that of a loved one is emotional and surreal. In addition, the process has associated costs and many details to consider. Whether that includes certain final wishes, a specific setting or type of service, planning ahead may seem like a challenging task without some assistance.

Here are some general tips on where to get started. These aren’t necessarily chronological but should serve as helpful guidelines to cover some of the bigger steps in the process.

• Discuss the initial details with your family as much as possible.
  

This may seem obvious, but communication is critical during this time. Planning for a funeral begins in earnest once the conversation begins. It’s important to be clear on any final requests, and to allow everyone involved the time to come to an agreement on every detail.

• Set up a funeral planning meeting.
  

Once the initial discussion with your family (an early stage of pre-planning) is over, it’s time to invest in the process and lock in exactly what you want. At this point, you’ll set up a funeral planning meeting to go over the details of services and burial with your funeral director. You’ll discuss your families’ traditions, any final wishes or other requirements, and thoroughly sort out the process.

• Recognize and understand the time and costs.
  

These considerations are appropriate at any stage of planning, but it’s important to recognize that funerals are an investment. Understanding this will help prevent you from feeling any surprise or not knowing about certain financial details. Your funeral director will help in this area as well, so that you can have the service, burial, and any other features in place ahead of time.

For more information and questions on planning services in advance, please visit www.thejonesfh.com or call us at 815-288-2241.

Jones Funeral Home

204 S Ottawa Ave

Dixon, IL 61021