The Top Three Myths About Preplanning

In life, we are almost always planning ahead for our future. Planning toward a personal goal or planning for the next phase of life. We set a plan so we can know where we’re headed. Planning relieves stress and answers many questions ahead of time. When a loved one unexpectedly passes away, you can expect family and friends to have conversations centered around questions such as:

• What type of service did he want?
• Where did she want to be buried?
• Did he want traditional burial or cremation?

This is especially true if final wishes were not preplanned. Preplanning is a clear solution, even a gift, to friends and family who need time to grieve. But people sometimes hesitate to preplan, citing concerns like cost or flexibility. At Cedar Memorial, we want to address the top three concerns, or “myths,” about preplanning, so you can clearly see the benefits and be able to make the right choice for you and your family.

Myth 1- You will pay more than what the services actually cost.

Cedar Memorial offers an exclusive Omega III Trust that is a comprehensive, inflation proof, and price guaranteed funeral trust supervised by the Iowa Insurance Division. Unlike some providers and insurance policies, your total payments will never exceed the cost of the arrangements that you select. There is also no physical required or waiting period before your arrangements go into effect.

Myth 2- Once you have planned, you have no other choices or flexibility.

All preplanning selections at Cedar Memorial can be changed to meet your preferences. We understand that circumstances can change. Your prefunded plan is also portable and follows you wherever you go.

Myth 3- Preplanning leaves family and friends out of the planning process.

We strongly encourage you to include your family in preplanning, if they desire. While it’s better to make the big decisions in advance, many of the smaller details can wait until the time of need. For example, your loved ones might want to choose flowers and songs that will help celebrate your life and get them through this difficult time. For items that are important to you, you may want to discuss your preferences with your family in advance. Your loved ones will appreciate that you preplanned your final wishes, and they will not be left wondering what you really wanted.

Our experienced staff of Family Service Counselors have been specially trained to serve the best interests of you and your family. Their main focus is to assist in making the funeral preplanning process simple and affordable.

At the time of a death, there are over 83 things that must be completed by the survivors— during an often highly emotional and life changing experience. When preplanning, 52 of these items can be accomplished ahead of time thereby lifting a huge burden from your family. We offer a Commonsense Guide to Preplanning that can answer many of the questions that you may have about preplanning.

Cedar Memorial has served the families of Cedar Rapids, Marion and the surrounding communities for close to 90 years. We welcome you to Contact Us for further information on the many benefits that funeral preplanning can offer you and your family.