The median cost of a funeral is $8,300.
Item |
Price |
|---|---|
Basic Service Fees |
$2,495 |
Transfer of Remains to Funeral Home |
$395 |
Embalming |
$845 |
Use of Facilities for Viewing |
$475 |
Use of Facilities for Funeral Ceremony |
$550 |
Hearse |
$375 |
Service Car |
$175 |
Printed Materials |
$195 |
Metal Burial Casket |
$2,500 |
*All costs are from The National Funeral Directors Association.
Funeral or memorial services are deeply personal, and the considerations and choices determine how much they will cost. Similar to planning a wedding, a funeral can be quite complex. If the arrangements are not pre-planned, making the decisions for a loved one can be stressful. When you add up all the costs involved, from obituaries to caskets to videos, transportation, permits, and death certificates, just to name a few, it can be very expensive.
Some people pre-plan and pay for their own funerals while they are alive. This allows them to make their own choices and relieves their loved ones of the responsibility during a stressful time. If you’re going to prepay for your own funeral, make sure you write down all of your wishes and ask the funeral director what will (and won’t) be 100% covered.
According to Join Cake, the leading reason Americans buy life insurance coverage is the high cost of funeral ceremonies. In fact, it’s been reported that 84% of the 266 million U.S. life insurance policyholders actually purchased their protection for this specific reason, as reported by Statista. When using life insurance to pay for a funeral, many details need to be considered, so do your research to be well informed.
Funeral costs can be an unexpected expense or burden on family members if not pre-planned by the deceased. Online fundraising can be a very helpful aid at the time of a loved one’s passing to both share the news of their passing and allow family and friends to contribute to both honor the memory of their loved one and ease the financial burden. The memorial fundraiser story can also be used to highlight the life of the deceased and also allow comments in their remembrance.
