WIEDEMAN FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, INC.
357 South Harrisburg Street, Oberlin, Steelton, PA 17113
phone. 717.939.2344 fax. 717.939.1999
email. mail@wiedemanfh.com
Five Reasons Why You Should Pre-Arrange
Planning for the future ~ you planned for your first home, you planned for your children’s college, you planned family vacations, you made your will, you planned for your financial security, planning your final wishes is the next step. You ensure that personal records are organized and easy for your survivors to locate.
Spare Your Family ~ by planning your funeral arrangements in advance, you spare your family the anxiety of making funeral arrangements. You can eliminate worry and doubt.
You’ll gain peace of mind ~ You will gain peace of mind when you pre-arrange. You ensure that your wishes are known, and you protect your loved ones from having to make difficult decisions at one of the most trying times in their lives.
It’s a practical choice ~ Hundreds of thousands of people like you have completed all arrangements for their funerals because pre-arrangement is an essential part of overall estate planning.
Your family can be included ~ you, together with your family can plan your final wishes and you can personalize your wishes to reflect your unique personality.
You have some options when making the decision to pre-arrange. You can choose to give us a call, make an appointment to visit with one of our Funeral Directors or you can begin your pre-arrangement online through our website. We can also arrange to meet with you at a location of your choosing, such as your home or even over lunch. We encourage you to bring a close family member or friend with you.
You can expect the appointment to be approximately 1.5 - 2 hours. The conference will begin with the funeral director reviewing basic vital statistic information about you (or your loved one). This information can include full name, date of birth, social security number, occupation, family members names, etc.
We recommend that you bring the following information with you to the conference. Please note all items are when applicable)
After we gather vital statistic information and your wishes, we will guide you to our merchandise selection room (if you don’t prefer to visit the selection room, we have photos available).
The merchandise selection room features caskets, alternative burial containers, adult burial enclosures, vaults, cremation urns & vaults, clothing, memorial keepsake jewelry, cremation jewelry and other personalization options. You will then make any selections you prefer and will then return to the meeting.
After you return from the merchandise selection room, the funeral director will then outline and review everything you have discussed and selected. He/She will then enter all the information onto a form called a Statement of Funeral Goods and Services. This is a contract between yourself (or your loved one) and the funeral home. Scroll below which discuss in greater detail the payment options which are available to you.
We will then present you with several (but not a lot) of forms to sign and be there for you to answer any additional questions you may have. At this point, the conference will be completed.
Of course, after the meeting is concluded if say a day, week or month from now, you decide to make changes, we handle those as well, please just give us a call.
Pre-paying your funeral reduces stress and financial burden on your loved ones after your passing. We can coordinate a payment plans that suits your needs, from a single payment plan to monthly bank account withdrawals. By pre-paying your funeral you eliminate your family second guessing on if they have spent too much or too little on your funeral. Pre-payment also protects you and your family from inflation, and the growth is non-taxable. Depending on your region, if your funeral costs less than the amount you have put aside, those funds will be refunded back to your beneficiaries. Each year thousands of people decide to pre-plan and pre-pay their funeral, these plans are designed to be flexible and can accommodate the many changes that often occur in people’s lives.
We offer trust, annuity and insurance options through Securchoice and Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company. You have several options available if you choose to pre-arrange and pre-pay your funeral. You may already have an insurance policy to cover these expenses. You can pay in full in cash/check/credit card. You can pay in payments using Securchoice Pre-Need Funding Program or you can purchase a life insurance policy through FDLIC.
Paying in Full
Paying In Payments
Insurance Assignment
If you already have an insurance policy, you can simply make the funeral home the beneficiary of the insurance policy. Our offices have the necessary forms which you can complete. Once the funeral bill is paid in full, any additional remaining funds will be returned to the next of kin.
SecurChoice
SecurChoice™ is a pre-need funeral funding program, that we are eligible to participate in through our professional membership in the Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Association.
Licensed Pennsylvania funeral directors utilize a bank trust, with PNC Bank as Trustee, or an insurance policy, issued by Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company, to fund prearranged funerals.
Purchase Insurance Policy
We have a licensed Insurance Agent on staff that can provide you with insurance through Funeral Directors Life Insurance or Homesteaders Life.
No Pre-Payment
If you do not wish to pre-pay your arrangements in advance, you may do so, we will keep your wishes here in writing and provide you with a copy to share with your family.
When you think about putting your affairs in order, your mental checklist of items to attend to likely includes preparing a Will (or perhaps, updating an existing Will). But the list should be expanded to include these items as well:
Preparing a Living Will, so that your health care agent and health care providers will know your wishes regarding the administration of life prolonging medical treatment- especially when there is no reasonable prospect for recovery.
Obtaining an Organ Donor consent card (or having your driver’s license notated as “Organ Donor”) if you want to donate skin, tissue, eyes, and/or organs
Preparing a personal property memorandum, so that you can direct that specific items of tangible personal property, such as family heirlooms, will be given to designated individuals. This is not a substitute for a Will, but does simplify the distribution of these items. (And this is a good opportunity to describe the provenance of items that have been in the family for generations, so that the recipient can appreciate the historical and sentimental value of the object.)
Pre-planning a funeral or at least preparing a letter addressed to your closest next of kin indicating your desires regarding interment, including burial or cremation of your remains. (Some people even pick songs for their funerals or write their obituaries.)
Making sure beneficiary designations are up-to-date on life insurance and pension and retirement plans. Spouses have certain rights to retirement plan benefits, and you may need legal advice before you can effect a change that removes a spouse as beneficiary.
Preparing a “road map” for your executor, listing the names of your banks, brokers, insurance companies, and any other entity that holds or controls assets that will pass to your heirs. Also include account numbers, PINs and Passwords, so that your executor will be able to obtain online access to financial account information as well as to your social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter.
Remember to review your Will at least every five years or when you face a significant life event such as divorce, illness or the death of a beneficiary of your Will. And use your will to provide for your unique interests – such as providing for the care of pets.
Estate administration is not necessarily complex, but involves so many steps that most executors obtain the advice and assistance of an experienced attorney. The attorney can assist the executor or administrator in handling their duties and obligations, including:
If you’ve chosen a strong executor, who has good legal support as needed, estate administration can be a smooth process. This is especially true where you’ve taken the time to plan ahead to put your affairs in order.
Prepared by Bridget M. Whitley, Esq., and Elizabeth B. Place, Esq., both attorneys practicing with the Harrisburg law firm SkalatosZonarich, LLC. Ms. Whitley concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning and trust and estate administration while Ms. Place concentrates her practice in estate planning and elder law (including Medicaid eligibility planning). They can be reached at 717-233-1000 or by e-mail at bmw@skarlatoszonarich.com and ebp@skarlatoszonarich.com.
WIEDEMAN FUNERAL HOME & CREMATION SERVICES, INC.
357 South Harrisburg Street
Oberlin, PA 17113
Phone. 717.939.2344 Fax. 717.939.1999
Email. mail@wiedemanfh.com