To leave a legacy are to leave the liability that is the question

1. February 23, 2012
CareOne
Laurie R. Powsner, MSW, LCSW
Funeral Consumers Alliance
Plan Ahead & Rest in Peace

2.  Advance Directive/Living Will
 Durable power of attorney for healthcare
 Power of attorney for finances
 Durable or springing
 Will
 Designated agent for body disposition
 Funeral planning
Put your House in Order

3. Disposition Options
 Burial
– Embalming
– Viewing
– Casket
– Cemetery plot
– Marker
 Cremation
– Urn
– Bury, scatter, jewelry, fireworks, etc.
 Whole Body Donation to Medical School
– Pre-arrange and have a back-up plan
 Organ and Tissue Donation

4. Funeral and Memorial Wishes
 If you don’t care, say so
 Who do you want involved in the planning?
– Clergy
– Family
– Friends
– Funeral Director
 Service
– Funeral
– Graveside
– Memorial
– Music, readings, participants etc.
– Memorial contributions

5. Do funeral prices scare you to death?

6. What’s the Problem?
Most people:
– know little about death, dying & funerals
– have little idea about the costs involved
– don’t know their rights (FTC Funeral Rule)
No other business handles a customer base
so uninformed and emotionally fragile
Grieving people are not in the best state of
mind to make a major purchase

7.  Is it a “helping profession”?
“Funeral directors are caregivers….listeners, advisors and
supporters. They have experience assisting the bereaved
in coping with death. Funeral directors are trained to
answer questions about grief, recognize when a person is
having difficulty coping, and recommend sources of
professional help.”
 They may be nice,
but they are business people
Funeral Directors

8. “What will it take to put one of you two into a
brand-new Eterna-5000 today?”

9. Funeral Directing is a Business
 Funeral homes in US: ~21,528
 Employees: ~103,258
 Annual revenues: ~$13 billion
In most states, there are more funeral homes
than the death rate can support
Sources: U.S. Census of Service Industries
National Funeral Directors Assoc
IBISWorld

10. State Existing Needed
Iowa 476 113
Nebraska 232 62
North Dakota 100 24
Pennsylvania 1,801 506
New Jersey 600 300
Source: National Center for Health Statistics

11.  Why are so many funeral homes still
in business?
 What is full time work for a funeral
director?
 How did this happen?

14. Some CostsFuneral Service $7,323
plus
Plot $300 – $20,000+
$1,300 (average)
plus
Vault $200 – $15,000+
$1,128 (average)
plus
Opening & closing $350 – $1,500
plus
Headstone/Marker $300 - $$$$$
Subtotal Over $10,000

15. There are over 21 other charges, some of
which cannot be predicted, including:
 Autopsy
 Extra embalming procedures
 Refrigeration
 Forwarding and receiving of remains
 Obituaries
 Flowers
 Clergy honoraria
 Tent and chairs at cemetery
 Certified copies of the death certificate
 Music, musicians, reception, video, dove release, etc.
 Crematory fee

16. Average funeral director charge for cremation
$2,575
What the crematory charges the funeral director
Ewing Crematory
$350
East Brunswick Crematory
$175

17. Did you know?
 Embalming is never routinely required by state law
 Embalming doesn’t preserve the body indefinitely
 You can have a viewing at home
 No law requires a casket or a vault for burial
 No casket/vault will preserve a human body indefinitely
 Funeral homes charge a non-declinable fee

18. Know the FTC’s Funeral Rule
 Prices over the phone
 A printed, itemized GPL
 No handling fee
 Not be present when the casket is delivered
 Buy a la carte
 A written price list before you view the caskets
 A written outer burial container price list
 A written statement before you pay
 Use an “alternative container” for cremation

19. Advance Planning
“Maybe I should have gone with cremation.”

20.  Don’t
– Unless it’s to spend down for Medicaid
 Instead
– Savings
– POD account
– Life Insurance
Pre-Paying for Funerals

21.  What if the merchandise no longer exists?
 What if the funeral home was sold?
 Sometimes prices go down
 There are many items that can't be prepaid
Why not?
If you must
 Is your funeral contract "irrevocable"?
 Is 100% of prepaid money placed in trust?
 Is it refundable if you change your mind?
 Is the contract transferable if you move?

22. Do it Yourself