(Originally published at: https://billingsgazette.com/brandavestudios/article_c61c8ff5-4124-5a29-9aeb-24628ef70694.html)

Funeral Preplanning: Protecting Your Loved Ones and Honoring Your Life

People plan ahead for life’s most important events — marriage, births, retirement — yet there’s one major event most folks don’t want to think about: their final arrangements.

The idea of preplanning your funeral may not always be a comfortable one, but the benefits for you and your family, emotionally and financially, are significant.

Easing your family’s stress at a time of grief

Richard Hall, funeral director at Dahl Funeral Chapel in Billings, has seen how difficult it is for families when nothing has been planned.

“Death is an emotional time, a time when families may not be thinking as clearly as usual. And arranging a funeral requires them to make many big decisions in a short period of time,” said Hall. “They may not even know their loved one’s most basic wishes, like whether to be buried or cremated.”

In addition to the countless decisions a funeral involves, a great deal of information and documentation must be provided, including information from their loved one’s birth certificate, Social Security number, military records and more.

All of this can be incredibly stressful, and the pressure often creates conflict among family members, who otherwise would be helping each other through this difficult time.

But when you preplan, you can consider all your choices at your leisure. You’ll have time to look around, visit various funeral homes and cemeteries, gather the required documents and even arrange prepayment.

Creating a meaningful celebration of your life

When you preplan, you’ll be able to create an event that truly reflects who you are. Do you want a traditional service, a memorial or perhaps something more unique? And you can choose the special touches — pictures, videos, music and more — that will be the most meaningful.

Dahl Funeral Chapel is an ideal location for whatever you choose, adaptable to gatherings large, small and sometimes quite creative.

To celebrate the life of an artist, for example, the chapel has been transformed into an art gallery. And mourners for an antique car enthusiast drove from the chapel to the cemetery in a wonderful procession of rare old automobiles.

“We’ve also had celebrations in places that had special meaning to the person,” Hall said. “We held one for a pilot at an airplane hangar, and we’ve had services for golfers right on a golf course.”

The financial benefits of preplanning

When you preplan, you’ll get an estimate for all costs and decide how you’d like them to be funded.

There are many ways to set aside money to cover your arrangements. One popular choice is the funeral insurance offered by Dahl Funeral Chapel, which accrues interest that can help offset the inflation of future costs. Another is to set up an interest-earning funeral trust account that can be funded with a check, credit card, debit card or cash.

Take advantage of Dahl Funeral Chapel’s preplanning workshops

Dahl runs preplanning workshops throughout the year, where you can learn everything you need to know in a relaxed group atmosphere and get answers to any questions you might have.

You’ll also receive a copy of “Reflections: A Planning Guide.” It’s a complete preplanning tool that you can take home and fill in at your own pace, so you’ll have all the information you need when you’re ready to move forward.

Contact Dahl Funeral Chapel to find out when their next workshop will be held. They also hold workshops on special topics, such as veteran benefits, natural burial, cremation and estate planning. They offer presentations off-site at churches, community centers and assisted living facilities that are interested as well.

You can also click here to set up a private preplanning consultation.

(Originally published at: https://billingsgazette.com/brandavestudios/article_c61c8ff5-4124-5a29-9aeb-24628ef70694.html)

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

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