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Pre-Arranged Funerals
Pre-arranging a funeral can be a very sensible and considerate gesture.
Pre-arranging a funeral is when funeral wishes are recorded before the time of death.
You can pre-arrange a funeral for yourself, or a loved one, in advance to ensure that your funeral wishes are carried out just as you would like, this will also relieve the burden and stress that many families face when a loved one dies.
A funeral can also be pre-arranged for someone else and is often done when a death is iminent. Discussing funeral options and making initial decisions before a death occurs can make things much easier and clearer when the time does come.
Pre-arranging a funeral service can be done by meeting with us at our office or in the privacy of your own home. We have also designed an easy to follow pre-arranged funeral booklet which you can choose to complete at your own leisure. Please contact
us if you would like us to post you one of these booklets or click here to download.
There is no cost to pre-arrange a funeral service unless you decide to pre-pay it also.
PRE-ARRANGED & PRE-PAID FUNERALS
Benefits of Pre-Paying A Funeral
The family left behind will not have to guess what your wishes may have been, this can be incredibly stressful at an already difficult and emotional time.
The family left behind will not need to worry about the costs of arranging a funeral.
With a pre-arranged and pre-paid funeral the family can focus on creating a fitting tribute without having to worry about any financial burden.
You receive documentation in your name from the fund which proves that they have received your money.
The funds invested in your pre-paid funeral plan are capital guaranteed.
Foresters Friendly Society guarantee that no funds can be withdrawn until the funeral occurs. The funds are secure.
Your invested pre-paid funeral funds are exempt from both personal tax and capital gains tax. Your pre-paid funeral plan is also excluded from the Centrelink Assets Test.
At Nielsen Funerals we are fully aware of the trust placed upon us when in charge of a
pre-paid funeral, therefore we stringently abide by the Pre-Paid Funeral Acts (2004).
HOW TO ARRANGE A PRE-PAID FUNERAL PLAN
Step One
As the prices of a funeral service can vary so much depending on different wishes and requirements, Nielsen Funerals will first need to ask the type of funeral service you would like. This can be done over the phone or by arranging an appointment to either visit us at our offices or for us to come and sit with you in the privacy of your own home.
Some of the things you may like to consider before this are:
Where you would like the Funeral to be held?
(Church, Chapel, Graveside, etc)?
Who will lead the service (Minister/Celebrant)?
Burial or Cremation? Which Cemetery or Crematorium?
Which newspapers would you like notices to appear in?
Any other special touches.
When we have a better understanding of your requirements we are able to prepare an itemised quotation for your consideration.
Step Two
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Once the payment is received all paperwork is sent to the pre-paid funeral fund who will issue a membership certificate for your peace of mind that all money has been securely invested. You will receive a copy of all documents for your own records, an identical copy is also held at our offices.
ARRANGING A PRE-PAID FUNERAL PLAN FOR SOMEONE ELSE
Arranging a pre-paid funeral plan, or pre-paid funeral bond, on someone elses behalf is done in the same way. The only difference is that the pre-paid funeral
fund will require a copy of a power of attorney or similar, the paperwork can then be signed and the money invested under someone elses name.
PRE-PAID FUNERAL BONDS
Funeral Bonds are basically money put aside to go toward funeral expenses.
The money will appreciate with interest and cannot be touched until the funeral is required similar to a Pre-Paid Funeral Plan. These are not Pre-Paid contracts and today’s prices cannot be guaranteed, Funeral Bonds do not have to be paid in a lump sum.
They can be made through smaller regular payments which can be debited directly from your banking account or through additional contributions.
To start a Funeral Bond a minimum $500 initial payment must be invested with the fund.
The funeral is also pre-arranged with your funeral wishes recorded.
FUNERAL INSURANCE
Funeral Insurance is where small payments are debited from your banking account monthly over a long period of time. This is not a Funeral Bond or savings plan.
You select a premium (an amount paid upon death) and continue to make payments until you reach a certain age.
Funeral Insurance is advertised heavily on day time television.
Many of these companies increase the monthly payments as you get older.
More often than not you will pay more into the fund than you will actually get back.
TRAVEL PROTECTION INSURANCE
If you are a regular traveller you may like to consider the Travel Protection Insurance.
This small one off payment covers all costs involved for transportation home if a death was to occur unexpectedly while travelling anywhere in Australia.
Travel Protection Insurance can be set up in conjunction with a pre-paid funeral plan or without a pre-paid funeral plan. For more information please contact Nielsen Funerals.