Planning for peace of mind

We all make plans in our lives, because we know that plans mean certainty and peace of mind. But many people don't realise that their planning can include their own funeral.

Apre-planned funeral gives the certainty that our wishes will be carried out exactly, and the peace of mind of knowing that our family and friends are protected from having to make difficult decisions at a stressful and emotional time.

There are a lot of decisions to be made with a funeral. Which coffin or casket is the most appropriate? Where should the service be? What flowers should be there? Which hymns and readings should be used? Without a pre-planned funeral family and friends may be required to make these decisions by guesswork, at a time when they are already upset. Many people left to organise someone else's funeral feel great pressure and stress, and worry that they may not be making the right decisions on behalf of their loved one.

Pre-planning a funeral shields our families from these worries. Pre-planning is not difficult - we are simply making the key decisions about our funeral in advance. The best person to help us is the funeral director we have chosen to eventually conduct our service, as they can explain the alternatives available and help us plan a funeral to meet our needs and budget. With the plan in place your family has the peace of mind of knowing your funeral is exactly as you wanted it to be.

Many people find it makes good sense to prepay for their funeral in advance when they pre-plan it. Prepaying gives comfort for all that the money required to make the funeral plan a reality will be readily available when it is needed. Pre-planning means you can work out the exact costs of the funeral, which allows you to prepay the correct amount. A key benefit of prepaying is that today's prices are locked in to a fixed-price contract - which means that your costs are covered no matter how far into the future your funeral may be.

Meanwhile, a professional fund manager holds your prepaid funeral money safely and securely until it is needed - it is not given to the funeral director until after the service has been performed. Funeral Plan Management is part of a funds management group which has been looking after Australia's money for more than 100 years. Its funeral plans are capital guaranteed and operated under strict government regulations, ensuring that the money is always available when it is needed most.

With the security of a fixed-price contract and rock solid financial guarantee and the comfort of knowing your funeral will exactly meet your wishes, pre-planning and prepaying your funeral equals peace of mind - for you and your family.