Three Things You Should Consider Doing If You Want To Be Cremated

If you want to be cremated instead of buried, there are certain steps you should take to insure that this happens. Although cremation is becoming more popular, many of your loved ones may assume you want to be buried, and some of your loved ones may be opposed to cremation on religious grounds, so they may not honor your request after you die. However, if you want to insure that you are cremated, you should consider doing the following things.

Include it in your will

Instructions for your funeral, including cremation, can be included in a will or a revocable living trust. The executor, or trustee in the case of a living trust, will make sure that your wishes are carried out. However, it is possible that by the time an executor reads your will, you could already be buried, and this is not what you wanted. For this reason, you should document your desires for cremation in your last will and testament, and also let your family and friends know that this is your wish. You should also let it be known that this is in your will. Any attempt to circumvent your verbal wishes is also an attempt to circumvent what is documented in your will.

Prepaid cremation services

It is possible to pay for your funeral expenses ahead of time. You can pay for your cremation as well as any other funeral expenses. You can purchase a mausoleum space for an urn to hold your ashes. You can pay for a funeral service after your cremation. There are many things you may want to include in your funeral services besides cremation, and all of them can be paid for in advance. Prepaid cremation and related funeral services will insure that your desire for cremation is honored.

Buy a term life insurance policy

If you can't afford to prepay for your funeral, a lower cost alternative is to purchase a term life insurance policy and name the funeral home as your beneficiary. You will need to find out how much insurance you will need, so an appointment with a funeral director will be necessary. Let the funeral home know what your plans are for a life insurance policy. You will need to know exactly what services you want and how much it will cost. Once you have a figure, you can then purchase the policy. This type of policy is often called an end of life policy because it is designed to cover your funeral. In this case, you will be leaving the money to funeral home with instructions on cremation.

If you want to be cremated after you die, don't assume it will automatically happen. The three ideas listed above will make sure that your cremation wishes are followed. Contact a funeral home, like Holmes Funeral Home, for more help.