off the topic but worth thinking about

[1stclasslawns]

Well its been a good year for cutting but the profits and the winter account have been shot to hell.
Why you ask? Funeral Expenses!

In February my Dads mother died, she was smart she had preplaned her funeral, only a few hundred of out of pocket expenses.

Last sunday my mothers mom died, Granny lived with me (long story), well the same funeral that was prepaid years ago for 3000.00, is today over 5000.00. And thats a cheep one!!!
To do it right it is in the 7000.00 range.
Guys I\\\'m not looking for hand outs or anything, but save your family some money and grief, PREPLAN AND PREPAY!

By preplaning and prepaying you will save thousands of hard earned dollars. You buy it today, pay todays prices, and save it for when you need it. No matter how long it is till that time comes.

Thanks for listening,
Jim

[Guido]

Jim, sorry to hear about your loss, stick in there. Your doing a good thing by providing Grandma the money for her proper funeral, God will make sure you get paid back somehow!

Keep up the hard work!

[Barkleymut]

Everyone should have at least a $25K term life insurance policy. If you are married then at least $50K and if you have young kids at least $200K. Its cheap and provide peace of mind in a time that your family needs to concentrate on things besides money.

[greenlawncare]

I'm sorry to hear your about your loss.

I think it might also be worth looking into other ways of prepaying for this service. By locking up your money in a prepaid service your money is not gaining any interest. So if the cost of the prepaid services increases at a lower rate than the rate earned in mutual funds or even bank interest rates then your family is out of pocket. Might be better to put that same money into a sound investment so that it earns a high rate of interest and make sure that the family members can access the money when your gone. Might mean a few extra hundred for them. Just a thought.

[Runner]

We, as family, are so very sorry for your loss Jim, and you and family are in our prayers. It is nice to have affairs in order when the time comes. However, for everyone else, before thinking of a prepaid funeral, consider this. Barkleymut's idea about the insurance IS a more sound one. What happens when we purchase a prepaid funeral is this. We buy a $5000 funeral plan, we have it for 15 to twenty years, perhaps even longer in most cases. When we pass away, do you know what we get for the family's comfort? A $5000 funeral. Sometimes, this can cause more grief to the family who then want to upgrade and enhance the service up to likable standards for that time. With insurance, it isn't going to sit there nill until the time comes, and it will usually be more than enough to cover funeral expenses, legal expenses, and other affairs that have to be put in order. Just a thought.