One of the saddest circumstances, I believe, in life, is the dual burden of having to bury a loved one, but being financially stretched to the point of not being able to pay the dead their proper respects.
Even sadder is that experts say funerals are high time for old family spats over money to come creeping their ugly heads.
“Planning a funeral is not something you want to do at the spur of the moment, in your height of grief,” says Lacy Robinson of Aurora Casket Company, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of caskets, according to MSN Money.
“If there’s time, prepay the funeral expenses. This isn’t an option if death occurs unexpectedly, but if you know the inevitable is coming, prepaying can help you find more time to gather the money, and get the financial stress out of the way now.”
“Have a budget, no-frills funeral. Many of your costs can drop with a little forethought. That can be hard if you’re in the throes of grief, but you should try to remember: Cremation is considerably cheaper than an open funeral.”
Fore more tips on how to make funerals less of financial burden, check out this U.S. News and World Report piece on MSN Money.