Funeral Pre-Planning

Funeral Pre-Planning

It is often good to be prepared and not to leave a burden for those who follow you, and today many people are preparing for the inevitable by pre-planning and pre-paying for the funeral.

Despite its inevitability, death is part and parcel of life. It makes us fearful and uncomfortable about the unknown. Through the fear of our own death, we do not wish to confront it in others. The loss of one of our closest loved ones can be very real and very immediate and can often leave us in a state of disbelief and disarray.

Consequently when death occurs many people are unprepared for the decisions and arrangements that must be made. At the time of death there could be nothing worse than making funeral arrangements for a loved one and doing what you think they would want and it actually may not be what they wanted at all.

A Will leaves instructions on how someone’s assets and possessions are to be distributed at the time of their death, you know that persons wishes. Pre-arranging a funeral is very similar. Pre-arranging your funeral with Len Russell Funerals will leave instructions to your family and loved ones about your wishes for your funeral.

If you would like a copy of the Len Russell Funerals information booklet to start pre-planning a funeral, please feel free to contact our office.

Additionally, Len Russell Funerals can arrange funeral pre-payment through SUREPLAN FRIENDLY SOCIETY. Sureplan offer 2 ways for to fund a funeral, one for those people under 55 years of age (specialist funeral insurance) and another for those over 55 years of age (funeral bond). A brochure/application form is available from Len Russell Funerals outlining these two ways.

Benefits of a specialist funeral insurance policy include:
• Cost effective - low monthly payments
• Guaranteed payout figure upon acceptance
• No more premium payments after age 60 years

Conditions for application of a funeral insurance policy are:
• Pre-existing medical information required
• Must be between 12 years and 55 years of age to apply
• Must continue regular payments to age 60 years to keep benefit

Benefits of a funeral bond include:
Security for your money
• Money is placed with a government regulated friendly society in a secure fund

Pension Concessions (Conditions Apply)
• Annual bonuses are not subject to deeming provisions of the income test
• Capital invested and accumulated bonuses not subject to the assets test

Conditions for pension concessions:
• Initial capital investment limit of $10,250 (as at 1 st July 2008)
• Investment in only one funeral bond

Tax Benefits
• Bonuses credited to a funeral bond are not treated as income for tax purpses

Minimum/Maximum Amounts
• Minimum investment to start fund $10
• No maximum limit of investment (see pension concession conditions above)