It has become quite popular for funeral home to focus on preneed sales. This is asking you to pre-plan your funeral, either by making a lump payment or pay as you go along prior to death. You will be told that this will “freeze” the cost of the merchandise, making things easier on your family at the time of death. Think about it. Why would a funeral home want you to “freeze” the cost of merchandise and services years in advance? What is the benefit for them? Well, for starters, those owned by corporations use it as a way to report revenue and volume, which sounds terrific to shareholders on the quarterly conference calls. Also, there is a thing called interest. The funds are placed into an account, which draws interest. However, every penny of interest goes to the funeral home at the time of death. You would be told that the interest is minute, allowing them to cover only a fraction of what the funeral would really cost in the future. Think about that. Again, why would they try and lose money? Is the interest really minute? The corporations will demonstrate on your at-need contract, just how much your loved one saved you by pre-arranging the funeral. Can you trust such a number, or is it creative accounting? The corporate titans have learned how to manipulate the numbers. In cases where the pre-arrangement actually is worth more than a current funeral (it is possible in many circumstances), the numbers are manipulated to show otherwise.

A neighbor of mine recently applied for a position at a corporate funeral home in Texas. The position was called Community Service Representative. Basically, the job entails blanketing a particular area, seeking out purchasers of pre-arranged funerals. My neighbor appeared upset when she told me of the interview experience. She indicated that a Sales Manager casually told her that in the position, she may find times when it might be necessary to do things some might consider unethical to reach sales goals. Fortunately, this advice changed my neighbor’s mind about working for this particular corporation. He indicated that the company has locations throughout the city and country. He mentioned that if anyone asks, always say yes, that a pre-arrangement can be transferred to any of the other affiliated locations. I can assure you, from my experience in the business, nothing is farther from the truth. Each location has different pricing structures. I have personally witnessed folks being turned down when asked about such transfers. Also, I have heard sales people state that “everything is included and covered.” This too, is far from reality.

I am not here to discourage anyone from thinking about their final plans. However, before being “sold” by a great pitcher, I would hope that you consider what is really best for you and your family.

Author is a licensed funeral director and embalmer