Your Affairs in Order
Funeral Planning may not appear at first glance to be estate planning but anything that saves your estate money, maintaining it’s value for you beneficiaries is essentially just that! Funeral costs rise gain in 2015 outpacing savings.
Costs have doubled between 2004 and 2015 from £1900 to £3600 for the average funeral, and the cost increase has outpaced savings growth. 99% of us will have a funeral service, how many of us would like to freeze the cost if we could?
Peace of Mind
Putting a funeral plan in place does far more than maintain the value of an estate. If a will is challenged in any way by a partner or family member from the past, then probate can be delayed and it may not be possible for your executors to withdraw the necessary funds from your estate to pay for your funeral. Family members can be spared the strain of finding what will be a significant sum of money should a funeral plan be in place. The last thing they need at a time of heart ache and mourning is the turmoil of finding the money to lay their loved one to rest.
Why Pre-Pay Today?
As can be seen from the chart if, in 2004, you had put £1920 (then the average cost of a funeral*) into a deposit savings account, then you would have seen this grow to about £2,150** over the following 10 years. However, over the same period, the average cost of a funeral has increased dramatically to £3,590*. *Average of quotes for standard cremation and burial arrangements from a sample of UK funeral directors, Sunlife Cost of Dying Report, Mintel 2004/YouGov 2014 **Using average gross Bank and Building Society instant access deposit account rates Aug 2004 – Aug 2014, from Bank of England ref IUMTHAK/IUMB6VK Past performance is not necessarily a guide to the future. *** Sunlife Cost of Dying Report
Finding the Right Plan
In addition to funeral cost considerations, you must also think of the funeral arrangements. Not everybody thinks to plan ahead and let their family or friends know what they want to happen with their funeral. This can be a source of strain and may put pressure on loved ones which can so easily be turned into relief with a funeral plan. You can rest assured that your funeral will be as you intended. We provide a funeral planning service to suit you. You can even use your existing Funeral Director as part of our plan.
Protect Your Nest Egg
Each year up to 70,000 homes have to be sold to pay for Long-Term Care; many families are disinherited. A correctly written Will can safeguard their share in the property.