Why Do People Plan Ahead?

Why Do People Plan Ahead?

People pre-plan for a variety of reasons. Primarily it is to ensure that their final wishes are followed, to remove the stress and guesswork from their family, proactively working to prevent mistakes in the service and because there are more payment options and savings available if you plan ahead. Not all Canadians are aware of the options available to them, so we believe it is important to raise awareness about the benefits of pre-planning. We plan for so many of life’s other big events like weddings, family vacations, our children’s education, and our retirement, why don’t more people plan for death? Well in case you were on the fence, we have put together some of the key reasons pre-planning can be beneficial. 

Make Sure Your Wishes Are Followed

Making funeral arrangements for a funeral ahead of time, whether formally with a funeral home or casually with your family, ensures that those you love or your executor can follow the roadmap of exactly how you want to be honored when you die. Start by explicitly stating whether or not you want to be cremated or buried. Then specify what type of ceremony you would like. These instructions can be very detailed or general. Some people get extremely specific, while others provide a relative idea of what they want. Regardless of what you choose, the main reason why people pre-plan is to make sure that their end of life care is exactly how they want it to be. Pre-planning gives you ultimate control and the power to make important decisions. Not to mention, that sometimes families disagree on the final arrangements of a deceased loved one. By clearly stating your wishes, you will preemptively resolve disputes, or prevent them entirely, which is a major benefit. 

Take Away The Stress from Your Family

Another key reason people pre-plan is to proactively remove the stress from their family. This is because trying to plan a funeral immediately after a loved one has passed away is never easy. Paired with grief and the overwhelming amount of decisions that need to be made in a short period of time, the planning process can be complicated and painful. Additionally, some believe that people do not think clearly when they are grieving, which can make it all even more difficult. By pre-planning or at least providing some idea of what you want, it can drastically decrease the added amount of stress and pain felt by your family during this time. If you do pre-plan, you will be allowing your family to comfort each other, focus on healing and prepare for the funeral, rather than doing all of the event-planning themselves.  

Protect Yourself From Inflation

One of the many benefits of pre-planning is the added certainty of knowing that your family will be protected from the impacts of inflation. In today's unpredictable economic climate, who knows what the world will look like when we die? Sure, we can't make any solid predictions. But by pre-planning you are ensuring that what you pay for won't skyrocket in price and that increases in cost of living won't negatively effect your family's funeral arrangements. Why not protect yourself from it? If you prepay for your funeral, you prevent inflation from becoming part of the costs your family will need to cover. You are essentially locking in a “today” price. That means, no matter what happens, you know what to commit to financially and many Canadians are opting for this choice. 

Learn More About Inflation

Have More Payment Options

There are costs that need to be covered when someone passes away. Pre-need funeral plans allow you more convenient payment options when compared with an immediate need. You can pay for it over time, in a lump sum in advance, as part of an insurance policy or place the money in a trust. Luckily, in Canada, there are many laws and regulations that favour the consumer when it comes to these more complex payment options. Compared to at-need funeral planning, planning ahead can save you money and prevent a one-time financial burden for your loved ones. 

Know Your Options
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