Preplanned Services
Explore the Benefits of Planning in Advance
Our Advance Planning Specialist will lead you through a discussion to help you understand the decisions that will need to be made to coordinate your desired funeral arrangements and discuss anticipated costs associated with your individual plan. We can also explain the benefits of funeral preplanning vs. pre-funding and the options that are available for both. Contact our Advance Planning Specialist to start the conversation.
How do I start my Advance Plan with Ryan Funeral Home?
The answer is completely up to you, and your comfort. It starts with a conversation, however, that conversation can be over the phone or in-person. Some in-person meetings are at one of our four (4) Funeral Home Locations, others are at a family home, or at another location that is more comfortable for the individual or family to have this discussion. Sometimes the best solution for the family is a combination of in-person and conference call or zoom for those unable to join in-person. We want you to be comfortable when providing us with your final arrangement desires. We are flexible not only with the location, but how detailed you want to be in your planning to be. Any decision made in advance is one less decision your loved one needs to make while they are grieving. Your plan can be as detailed as you would like it to be, but more importantly, we do not need all of the decisions today. They can be made and/or changed over time and can be updated at any time. If you are interested in starting the conversation, please contact us.
What is Funeral Preplanning?
Funeral preplanning is a way to document your final wishes for your funeral services in advance. Each decision made in advance eases the burden on your family needing to plan for your arrangements at the time of death. Funeral preplanning also allows you to make sure your preferences of what you desire your final arrangement to include, or not to include, will be honored.
Why Should I Preplan?
Preplanning your funeral services can bring peace of mind and comfort for you and your loved ones because the arrangements are made in advance. These plans ease the decisions and/or financial burden that may be placed on your family as they are grieving. Funeral preplanning also allows you the time to make the choices that are best for you and your family and honors the life you have lived. After preplanning is complete, many have shared they feel a sense of relief by having their wishes documented and prepared.
Is Pre-funding Required?
Pre-funding is not required for funeral preplanning, however, there are several benefits to doing so. The biggest benefit is that Ryan Funeral Home guarantees to not increase our professional services for any items included within our Guaranteed section for our services have been prefunded, and we do not charge an additional cost to do so. Other area funeral homes charge families to guarantee their pricing. Our funding is “Guaranteed” to grow over time, however if it does not grow at the same rate our pricing increases, the key benefit is that Your Family is Not Responsible For the Difference. Your family will not pay more out of pocket costs to Ryan Funeral Home than the original investment for the services included within the Guaranteed Section of our Prefund Plan.
How Does Pre-funding Work?
Prepayment can be done over time in increments, as a lump sum, or within a payment plan. An Irrevocable Whole Life Insurance policy is issued to guarantee that 100% of the money set aside for funeral expenses will be applied to your final arrangement costs. It is designed to gain interest over time to offset the increases in the cost of living. You can choose what you want to pre-fund within your plan and have the flexibility to change your mind over time.
If you wish to pre-plan and/or pre-fund your final arrangements, our Advance Planning Specialist can guide you through the process. It starts with a simple conversation.
What if I’m unsure about what I’d like for my arrangements?
Our Advance Planning Specialist, Sandi Speranza, will get to know you and have a conversation about what matters uniquely to you so your arrangements will honor your wishes. People often share that this process helped them feel comfortable and brought clarity and peace of mind. You might have special wishes, such as having your cremated remains incorporated into the root ball of a tree to be planted. There are many ways in which you can be honored and we’ll help you to consider through our conversations together.
The Talk of a Lifetime
In addition to funeral preplanning, having the Talk of a Lifetime with your loved ones can bring great joy and clarity, and strengthen bonds between you and your loved ones.
Have the Talk of a Lifetime, a program created by The Funeral and Memorial Information Council, was designed to help families have meaningful conversations about the things that matter most in their lives. These discussions can give important insights to the people they left behind — insights that can be used to honor and remember the lives of their loved ones.
Why Have the Talk of a Lifetime?
Although we might have daily conversations with our loved ones, the most meaningful and deep ones don’t always happen. Having this kind of conversation can make a huge difference — it can help us see our loved ones in a different and more positive light, it can teach us valuable lessons, it can give us a clearer picture of the things they love, it can bring us closer together, and it can help us reaffirm to them how much we love them.
Who should Have the Talk of a Lifetime?
We could have the talk of a lifetime with anyone we value, cherish, and love. It could be our grandparents, parents, siblings, uncles and aunts, cousins, partner or spouse, children, or friends. It also doesn’t have to be done only when we feel we are or someone we love is at the end of their life. We’ll never really know what the future holds, so let us take the opportunities we still have with them while we still can.
How do we start the Talk of a Lifetime?
We shouldn’t really wait for a special moment to start having these kinds of talks. We can do it anytime and anywhere, when we and our loved ones are comfortable — at home while we’re having meals together, out for a walk, or gathered as a family.
We could also sometimes start with visual prompts, like a photo or an entire photo album, a memento, or a souvenir. We can open up about past experiences while we’re at a memorable place, such as a church, a favorite restaurant, or an old park. These can be great ways to start a story.
Funeral Preplanning Form
Use this form to provide us with as much or as little detail as you wish. At a minimum, please provide us with your name, today’s date, telephone number, address, and whether you would like for our Advance Planning Specialist to reach out to you. Due to security reasons, we do not require you to provide your social security number on this form. However, it is a required piece of information by our team, and we may request it over the phone.
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Madison North East
2418 N. Sherman Avenue
Madison, WI 53704
Tel: 608-249-8257
Madison West
5701 Odana Road
Madison, WI 53719
Tel: 608-274-1000
Verona
220 S. Enterprise Drive
Verona, WI 53593
Tel: 608-845-6625
DeForest / Windsor
6924 Lake Road
DeForest, WI 53532
Tel: 608-846-4250