Make your funeral wishes known

Providers

If you’ve taken out a prepaid funeral plan, you should let your family know which company you’re with and what’s included in your plan. You should give them as many details as possible, including contact numbers and an overview of what to expect when the death occurs.

Many funeral plan providers offer dedicated information packs that you can give to your family to help them understand what you've chosen and what they'll need to do as your executor. The more information your family have in advance, the more of an open dialogue you can have with them surrounding your desires and intentions.

Provisions

Not all funeral plans are alike. While some may cover the costs of everything you've come to expect from a funeral, some only cover the basics; the service, cremation or burial and care of the deceased ahead of the funeral. If your plan doesn't include coverage of additional elements ,such as flowers and transportation for the family, then it may be worth setting a little extra aside to cover those costs separately as well.

If that's the case then be sure to let your family know in advance how much you have set aside and what it's intended purpose is. You might even be able to strike an agreement in advance with the relevant providers, like your local florist.

Preparations

Keeping your loved ones informed of your wishes is just as important as making plans in the first place. If they don't know what you want, how will they be able to execute it? Let your family know about any specific requests you have for how you want your funeral to proceed.

Whether that includes playing certain songs at certain points, creating your own running order or giving them instructions on where and how you want your celebration of life party to happen, the more your loved ones know in advance, the better prepared they are to give you the send-off you want and deserve.

If you're struggling to start the conversation, why not check our guide on discussing your plans with your family.