For most folks, as they approach middle age, they experience moments when they question their preparedness for the end of life. Am I saving enough for my retirement? How do I expect my retirement to look and feel? When I die will I be buried or cremated? Will my funeral service be faith based, a celebration of my life or maybe a little of each? These thoughts naturally come about as we reach the age where we experience the death of our parents and sometimes even the death of some of our peers. 


Still, many people are reluctant to “take the bull by the horns” and get their “ducks in a row”. They may review the retirement plan with their financial advisor or review their will and trust plan with their attorney, but they stop short of putting together a funeral plan with their funeral director. After all, they reason, the funeral is literally the last thing they will need to do. 


Sometimes the procrastination is because they are unsure about where they will be living when they die. What if I plan my funeral with my local funeral home and I move before I die? What happens to my funeral plan in that case? Maybe we’ll move someplace with warmer winters? Perhaps we will live near the coast or a golf course? Maybe we’ll move to be closer to the kids and grandchildren. 


There really is no reason to go through life unprepared. Funeral plans, even when they are paid for in advance, will be portable. They move with you. This is how it works.


When you get ready to pack those boxes for the move, call your funeral home and set up a time to meet with the planning director to review your funeral plan. In preparation for that meeting think about your move.


Are you moving to your “forever” location?


Who are you leaving behind … Children? Grandchildren? 


How rooted are you in your current location? Did you grow up there? Is this where most of your family lives?


If, after talking with your funeral director you decide that you will want to have your funeral in your new location, he can help you by suggesting funeral homes for you to interview in your new town. When you meet with the new funeral director in your new town you will review your plan and compare costs in your new location with what you have arranged previously. Funerals vary in cost by location. Nothing in New York City is the same price as the same item somewhere else. For example, a Big Mac costs on average ten dollars in New York. The same Big Mac meal in South Carolina will average about six dollars. 


You can expect that there may be a difference in the cost for the funeral you plan at your new location as well. It could be that more dollars are needed to have a similar service in your new location, or you may be paying less in your new hometown. Your new funeral provider will help you make the necessary adjustments.


On the other hand, you may decide to keep your funeral exactly where you have originally planned. When you have lived your life in a location, worked, played, and raised your children there you may want your funeral to take place in that town. Before you move your funeral to your new town, consider who will attend your funeral. If your family is rooted in your old town, you may want to keep your plan as it is and come “home” at the end of your life. When you review your funeral plan your director will help you find the solution that is best for you and your family. 



www.smithfamilycares.com

Smith Family Funeral Homes provides quality funeral, memorial and cremation services to the families of Central Arkansas. Their six locations can be found in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Westbrook, Sherwood, Benton and Arkadelphia. With a privately-owned crematory operated by licensed professionals, Smith Family Funeral Homes can guarantee their high standard of care throughout the cremation process. To learn more, visit smithfamilycares.com.

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