Advance Planning

Advanced Planning Photo

Planning for the Future.... It just makes Sense! Planning in advance for a funeral is growing in popularity. While the idea of planning for this inevitable and most unwanted event may not feel right to some, it is anticipated that in the future advance funeral planning will be a normal part of ones financial planning along with planning for college and retirement.

In a 1999 survey by the American Association of Retired Persons, one in five Americans age 50 and older have experienced funeral arranging and/or advance planning. Planning in advance is much more than a money issue. Planning starts off with information gathering and organizing, which relieves survivors of the task of searching for birth certificates, military papers, social security numbers, cemetery property deeds and more.

The next step is to review the choices and options for services and put the selections down on paper. A casket and other merchandise can be selected, or survivors can be given the remaining choices to be made when the need arises.

Funding for a funeral in advance is the last step, and while optional, for many people this is a wise step to take. If one is unsure whether they want to fund a funeral in advance, they can and should go ahead to make plans without funding. People who make advance plans have many different reasons. Some people after retirement make their arrangements so they have nothing else to worry about and to relieve their children from the frustration of trying to figure out what their true wishes were. Others with little or no family around make their own arrangements to make sure their wishes are known and carried out. People who will be in need of receiving Medicaid must "spend down" their assets prior to becoming eligible for assistance and are encouraged to plan for and pay in advance for their funeral.

Sheenan provides a pre-planning program that funds funerals in advance through whole life insurance policies specifically designed to pay for the funeral. When using our pre-planning program for the funding vehicle, Tom Sheenan guarantees that a family will not have to pay an extra dime for the guaranteed goods and services that were selected in advance. The casket cost (for caskets selected at Sheenan Funeral Home) plus other costs are guaranteed as well. And, in most cases the increased death benefit adequately covers the other rising costs not under funeral home control such as cemetery charges and other charges by third parties.

In the State of New Jersey, advance funding is very safe. It is important to know that the funeral home does not deposit and keep any money. 100% of all monies paid in advance to Sheenan Funeral Home go either into a trust fund or a life insurance policy. There are other policies one may hear about, but our pre-planning program is the one which stands out above the rest. Especially since the Sheenan reputation is centered around "trust." All arrangements are transferable. If someone moves, they can take their advance funding with them.

The State Department of Banking and Insurance and Division of Consumer Affairs maintain well defined guidelines and regulations protecting all who make advance plans and guarantees that families will be getting all the benefits that are promised. Members of our staff are licensed by the state.

Advance planning:

When preparing to fund a funeral in advance, some of questions that should be asked are:

What is most important, when dealing with what can be a difficult event, is to be open and discuss arrangements and wishes with your family now. Be sure that there are no ill assumptions or ideas that have not gone unexplored. Discussing these matters in advance provides that both the needs of the survivors and of the recipient can be met.