Planning Your Funeral In Your Will

by | Aug 19, 2016 | Estate Planning, Wills | 0 comments

 Making Plans for Dying

Someone who is very comfortable around music is Justin Bieber.  Now Justin is only 22 years old, but he’s apparently been making plans for his funeral.  The catalyst for this has been the slew of celebrity deaths so far this year which have shocked him, including David Bowie and Prince.  They are seemingly legends before they die, but we don’t really expect them to die (which really is a strange phenomenon considering the fact that EVERYONE eventually dies).
 Love him or loathe him, the Biebster’s doing a very positive thing in getting into his estate planning.  Whether he has noticed the chaos that has been left in the wake of Prince not having a will or funeral, planning your funeral, willsjust the gravity of death itself, he has launched into action. He has been a very busy Bieber. He’s not just been planning his funeral arrangements but looking ahead to what will happen to his $180 million estate, as well as his musical legacy.  He may also be allegedly planning to have a solar-powered headstone that plays video. One family member said that even Bieber’s mum has been surprised by his interest in funeral plans: “At first, Pattie laughed off Justin’s elaborate funeral and estate plans as just another of his passing whims. . . but it’s now become clear that Justin is serious, not only about planning his own funeral but everything from his will to his legacy.”

Making Plans for Your Funeral

Should we be laughing at our kids talking about their funeral plans?  When we don’t know whether death is just around the corner or not, these are conversations that we should be encouraging. In fact, Muhammad Ali and his closest friends and family started a document years ago planning his funeral in minute detail including the location where the former world champion will be buried. ‘The Book’ as it became to be known was apparently two inches thick and had the plans for how the former heavyweight boxing champion wanted his memorial service to be run. He was a positive contributor to this book, even up until he was admitted to hospital not long before he died.
[Tweet “When we don’t know whether death is close, we should be encouraging conversations about end-of-life plans.”]
 Timothy Gianotti, an Islamic studies scholar who helped Ali for years to plan his memorial service said in the lead up to Ali’s funeral, “The message that we’ll be sending out is not our message — this was really designed by the champ himself.”  Ali was integral in the design and format of the service.  In the document outlining what he wanted he included things like who he wanted doing eulogies, where he wanted the memorial service and where he was to be buried, that he wanted a traditional Muslim service as well as the memorial and to have ordinary fans there, not just VIP’s.
What you’d like to happen at your funeral can be as simple as a conversation with your loved ones, but writing it down and discussing it is even more helpful.  To ensure that what you want is followed through, then it needs to be a part of your will.  Because a will is a binding legal document, there really can’t be too much straying from what’s outlined in there (as long as it’s in accordance with laws and regulations).

 The Cost of Your Funeral

There are quite a few tools and people you can ask for advice when thinking about funeral arrangements, including your local funeral director.  What is a surprise to many is not just the detail you can go into with funerals, but also the cost.  One government site says that funerals in Australia can cost anywhere from $4,000 to $15,000.  That’s going from simple to something much more elaborate.  But some figures quoted say that in Queensland, an average burial costs $9,000 and a cremation $5,000.  That’s a fairly decent chunk of cash necessary for a funeral.
The good news is that the money can come from the estate or your superannuation, but because that can take some time to come through, your family may be left out of pocket in the meanwhile. Some people save specifically for their funeral, while others use pre-paid funeral plans.  There are pros and cons to these so it’s important that you do your homework (or get someone to help you do your homework) before you decide the best path for you (and what will likely be changing circumstances as you move through life).
[Tweet “Funerals in Australia can cost anywhere from about $4,000 to $15,000.”]

 Funeral Cost Breakdown

The typical items you’ll need to pay for when arranging a funeral include:

Death certificate

Funeral director fees (they do vary quite a bit)

Transport

Burial or cremation

Flowers

Coffin

Celebrant or clergy fee

The wake

funeral, planning your funeral, willsNot all of these items need to be included, but most do. Even Costco understand that some items are essential. Costco says that 14 different coffins and caskets ranging in price from $360 to $3800 are on offer in Australia now – alongside the store’s eclectic mix of groceries, electronics and household goods. Isaac Leung is the chief executive of Scientia, the maker of those coffins, who says, “Dying is expensive and funeral costs are evidently going higher and higher. You’re going to have people that are cost-conscious and are going to look for those savings.”

By planning your funeral now, you will be potentially saving your family not just potential financial burden in your planning but also from conflict and indecision when you die.  Your funeral plans are often outlined in your will – an important document that includes all your wishes about your death and legacy. Our estate lawyers are will writing experts who would be happy to discuss your estate planning needs with you.  We offer a free, 10-minute phone consultation. Please contact us today!

 

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