In the United States, the average funeral costs is $10,000+. For most families, this is an unexpected cost and can cause financial burden in a heart beat.
“Well, What Can I Do?”
Here at Final Expense Benefits, we specialize in helping your family get peace of mind knowing that your funeral expenses will be paid for.
How much does a funeral cost?
In the United States, the average cost of a funeral varies state by state and depends on what your final wishes are.
In today’s world, it is not uncommon for a proper funeral to be upwards of $10,000 but it depends on if the body is buried or cremated. Caskets and urns alone can cost hundreds and thousands of dollars.
With proper planning, these expenses can be minimized or in most cases, take care of. Luckily, seniors have access to funeral insurance for seniors that is designed to cover these out of pocket expenses and in some cases, leave their families with a little extra.
What Goes Into Funeral Costs?
Funeral Home Service Fee(S)
When hosting a funeral service, the contracting location has to support your funeral in a variety of ways. As a result, a few residual funeral home fees are associated with the cost of burial. This fee may include labor costs, the cost of the facility, paying staff, transportation, and even embalming in some cases.
As a result of adding all of these fees together, the funeral home service fees can reach $3,000 considering all of the above are covered. Even though it is one of the most expensive aspects of a funeral, at least you can feel secure in the fact that this facility and its team are here for you and your service in these unfortunate circumstances.
Burial Caskets
Although specific to a traditional funeral service, Burial caskets can range greatly in price from each other, with the low end potentially costing you as little as $50, and the high end remaining towards the higher end of $3,000.
The big discrepancy in price comes from the fact that metal caskets can come in very extravagant forms, sometimes containing traces of gold/metal and embroidered with high-quality materials. The lower-end caskets forgo these features, sometimes even existing as a cardboard casket in the case of cremation caskets.
Burial caskets tend to be much higher than cremation caskets due in part to the fact that cremation caskets are burned/vaporized in the process of cremation, whereas a traditional burial casket remains intact indefinitely wherein the remains of the deceased stay.
Embalming
Embalming, or the process of preserving the human body, is associated specifically with a memorial service. Within said memorial service, especially in the case of an open casket burial, the deceased body is preserved and made to look as presentable as possible.
Within this process, a specialized team is sent to address the diseased corpse in which they use a plethora of beauty tricks and techniques to create a presentable appearance. This is meant to serve those viewing as a fond reminder of what once was. The cost of this process can be up to $1,000 depending on the burial service and the extent of embalming required.
Burial Plot Cost And Headstone
Depending on the state in which the cemetery is located, as well as the desired extravagance of the aforementioned burial, the price of a burial plot cost and accompanying headstone can be between $1,000-$4,000 for the plot, and up to $10,000 for the most expensive headstones.
These features and those like these are generally what drive up the cost of burial services the most as a result of the massive variation in price.
How Do I Pay For A Funeral?
Pre-Planned Funeral Arrangement
Similar to a final expense policy, a pre-planned funeral arrangement involves paying your funeral home provider a monthly premium, wherein they respect your specifications regarding the funeral at time of death.
Perks of a pre-planned funeral arrangement highlight the lack of stress involved with the funeral process as the organization is conducting the arrangements for you automatically.
This arrangement may also coexist with existing life insurance policies to further ease the burden associated with a funeral.
Government Funeral Assistance
There are actually a few government supplemental funeral assistance programs, although none of them are too substantial unless you qualify for survivor benefits.
Survivor benefits, for example, involve a widow or other similar situation in which the survivor is given supplemental assistance in the form of a monthly check.
Another example of a governmental funeral assistance program includes Social Security Lump Sum’s death benefit, which is a one time payment sent to the family of the deceased.
Final Expense Insurance
Probably your safest bet, final expense insurance exists as a whole life insurance policy with no medical examination. The beauty of this type of policy hinges on a couple of factors.
Firstly, the policy does not hold a cash value until it is paid out, therefore you will not be taxed on said policy, nor will you have to claim said policy when interacting with other entities that ask you to list any assets/net worth.
Secondly, this policy contains very low relative monthly premiums in relation to the payout you will receive – which usually exists in $10,000, $25,000, and $50,000 payouts and monthly premiums as low as 30/month.
Third of all, the policy almost always provides your family with additional funds after the funeral is all said and done with, and may coexist with another existing whole life insurance policy, further providing for your beneficiaries.
What Is Burial Insurance For Seniors?
For most seniors, finding senior burial insurance is difficult and seems impossible. With age and health it can be almost impossible to find a term life insurance and for many seniors, they feel it’s too late.
Senior funeral insurance comes in all shapes and sizes. Whether you’re a healthy individual or you have pre existing conditions, there is a funeral insurance for seniors policy that you qualify for.
Does Burial Insurance For Seniors Even Cover The Funeral Costs?
Yes, and then some usually. Burial Insurance for Seniors is a premiere option in aptly preparing for any potential unforeseen circumstances. Burial Insurance for Seniors usually exists as a $10,000, $25,000, or $50,000 policy which will cover the expenses of a funeral in almost all cases, depending on the extravagance of such. The beauty of this policy is that the beneficiary may use the funds however they desire – so if funeral arrangements have already been made, this money may be used for other things.
Do I Even Need Burial Insurance For Seniors?
We’d say you technically don’t need anything, but why face life unprepared when you can completely remove the stressful elements of funeral planning in advance?
With the relatively low premiums, high payouts, no waiting period, as well as the fact that your rate cannot increase, what do you have to lose?
How much does funeral insurance For Seniors cost?
Senior Burial Insurance is much cheaper than one may expect, especially considering the payout amount can compete with other whole life insurance policies.
This is one of the key factors when recommending individuals a Senior Burial Insurance policy. As mentioned previously, the policy does not require that you claim it when referring to any potential assets, nor will you be taxed on this policy before the payout occurs.
| Company | 50 y/o Male | 50 y/o Female | 60 y/o Male | 60 y/o Female | 70 y/o Male | 70 y/o Female |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$49 |
$39 |
$74 |
$59 |
$107 |
$85 |
|
|
$58 |
$49 |
$76 |
$60 |
$127 |
$96 |
|
|
$44 |
$34 |
$64 |
$47 |
$110 |
$78 |
|
|
$51 |
$43 |
$64 |
$53 |
$119 |
$88 |
|
|
$82 |
$56 |
$101 |
$79 |
$158 |
$119 |
These figures were obtained from the NFDA and are estimates only. For a detailed quote, please contact an agent.
What To Look For In Your Funeral Insurance For Seniors
Number 1, how healthy you are is probably the most important concern. If you foresee yourself unable to answer a generic medical questionnaire, then this may be one of the few cases where purchasing Life Insurance for a Young Adult may not be ideal. If you are in fact young & healthy and see yourself able to answer confidently any potential medical questions, then you are still all clear for a policy.
Secondly, consider current debts. Is the monthly premium feasible? Will this tip the scale? If the answer to either questions aren’t positive, then you may also might want to consider holding off until these are corrected.
Finally, consider your current or future family. It’s always a good idea to put a supportive policy in place if your financial situation can handle it. As stated previously, if not a financial burden, you will benefit from this head start on a policy.
Does Social Security pay for my funeral?
Does Social Security give me life insurance? If you’re a senior, chances are you might be wondering if Social Security takes care of your final expenses when you pass away.
The reality is, Social Security only pays $255 as a death benefit. If you are planning on having a proper funeral, that might be able to cover your flowers.
The average funeral cost is $10,000+ and depending on your final wishes, could be much higher. With senior life insurance for your funeral expenses, you can give your loved ones the finances they need to cover your end-of-life costs, so you aren’t leaving your children and grandchildren a financial burden when you pass.
Many senior life insurance companies offer flexible premiums and easy ways to pay your monthly premiums.
Who Should I Talk To If I Want Burial Insurance For Seniors?
Thankfully, here at Final Expense Benefits, we contract with only the top senior life insurance companies. If you’re a senior on a fixed income, we work with carriers like;
These carriers are industry leaders and specialize in helping seniors find the funeral life insurance that they need. These carriers bring you flexible premiums that never increase and amazing benefits that never decrease. If you’re a senior and you are finding it difficult to get senior burial insurance, we have access to Level, Whole and Guaranteed funeral insurance for seniors policies. No matter your financial state or medical conditions, we can find you a senior life insurance policy in minutes.
Conclusion
We know that funeral costs are unexpected and expensive. The best thing we can do is plan ahead and make sure that our families are taken care of when we pass away.
Here at Final Expense Benefits, we specialize in assisting seniors with life insurance. No matter your age or current pre-existing conditions, we will be sure to find you a plan to provide you and your family, peace of mind.