1. EXPLORE YOUR OPTIONS AND TELL YOUR FAMILY
Do you want to be buried or cremated, embalmed, viewed? Where do you want to be buried or scattered? Put your wishes in writing and share them with your likely survivors. If you say you want something “simple” and your survivors aren’t sure what you meant, they may end up spending a lot more than you would have wanted. Read more
Benefits of Membership in a Funeral Consumers Alliance
Funerals in the United States are more elabo-rate and costly than funerals in most other countries. Competition in the usual sense is largely absent in the U.S. funeral business. Yet, paradoxically, there are too many mor-tuaries and half of them receive only one or two cases a week. Read more
A funeral will almost always cost at least $5,000. Yes No
A memorial service is just the same as a funeral. Yes No
It is illegal to have visiting hours anywhere except at a funeral home. Yes No
The newspaper will accept an obituary only from a mortician. Read more
What You Get and What You Don’t
VETERANS All veterans are entitled to burial in a national cemetery, a granite or marble headstone (regardless of the cemetery), and a flag. There will be no charges for opening or closing the grave, a vault or liner, or setting the marker in a national cemetery. Read more
Written by an insider
Many funeral homes sell tombstones. Monument shops, as well as many cemeteries and memorial parks, sell tombstones also. Most, however, do not refer to these items as tombstones, but rather as monuments or memorial markers. Here, language is important—A tombstone denotes something old, dark and scary; a monument, on the other hand, is sold as a unique item denoting the person’s role, as well as station in life. Read more
In the case of an unexpected death when a family is grappling with the reality of what has happened, there is a strong need to see the body of the person who died and to hold or touch the person. In most of these situations, the body will have been taken to a hospital for rescue efforts or to determine the cause of death. Read more
Local burial This is often the least expensive option; however, a few countries do not allow the burial of foreigners. The Consular Officer will be able to tell you.
Cremation Available in most countries, it may be prohibited or limited in predominantly Catholic or Muslim countries. Read more
Benefits of Membership in a Funeral Consumers Alliance
Funerals in the United States are more elabo-rate and costly than funerals in most other countries. Competition in the usual sense is largely absent in the U.S. funeral business. Yet, paradoxically, there are too many mor-tuaries and half of them receive only one or two cases a week.