Written by Gareth Coles:
Throughout September we were actively campaigning to raise awareness about the importance of talking to your loved ones about what you want to happen when you die.Truthfully, it strikes me as strange that in this day and age when we spend months planning for Christmas; when it’s not unusual to take a year to plan a wedding; when we plan for years which schools our children go to, and set up funds to plan for their futures – that we then fail to plan for the end of our lives…
In comparison to all the other planning we do on a daily basis – to pre-plan your funeral takes just a couple of hours, and we offer it as a completely free service! It simply involves sitting with a member of our team, either at our home on Newport Road in Cardiff or at your home, to discuss:
- Styles of funeral and location
- Service types – religious/non-religious
- Coffin selection
- Transport requirements
- Flower preferences
- Order of service
- Music & hymns
- Memorial stones
- Any additional extras such as Will writing
We’ll then send a typed confirmation of our meeting and keep an additional copy on file. All your wishes will be fully recorded so you get some peace of mind and your loved ones won’t be left guessing.
And if you don’t want your loved ones to pick up the bill when the time comes – there’s more you can do. You can take out a pre-paid funeral plan.
Average funeral costs have risen by 103% over the past 12 years, largely due to third party costs which are outside of our control, such as fees for the crematorium or cemetery and officiant fees. If this trend continues, according to Golden Charter, the average cost of a funeral could be more than £7,000 by 2026!
So paying in advance for your funeral is a sensible decision. Taking out a Pre-Paid Funeral Plan with Coles secures our services at today’s prices – and includes an allowance for third party costs such as burial or cremation fees. The amount you pay (either up front or on a monthly basis) will be held in trust with Golden Charter, and the plan is protected against inflation, guaranteeing that there will be nothing more to pay for our professional services. To give you an idea of how much a plan could cost – you can take out a prepaid funeral plan for cremation from as little as £1593.00.
Hopefully my recent blogs have convinced you that there are lots of emotional reasons to pre-plan your funeral, and some sound financial reasons for pre-paying? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject of talking to your loved ones about your plans for when you die… is it sensible, or just all a bit morbid?