It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning far in advance or making your final arrangements during your golden years—if you’re doing any kind of estate planning, burial insurance should be on your radar.
Burial insurance (or funeral insurance, as it’s often called) is a special kind of insurance policy that exists for one main reason: to help you plan and pay for your funeral. These days, the average funeral costs anywhere from $8,000 to $12,000, with huge variations depending on where you live and what kind of services you choose. (Visit iMortuary for a detailed breakdown of what funerals cost and why.)
Unlike life insurance, which is taken out so that your loved ones have a financial safety net in the event of your death, burial insurance is simply a way to remove the burden of paying for a funeral.
What is Burial Insurance?
Burial insurance policies are small whole life insurance policies that provide benefits under $50,000. Although the details of each policy will vary depending on your specific situation and the provider you choose, the idea is that this money will be paid out on your death to help your loved ones with the costs associated with your burial, cremation, or other funeral plans.
Because the policies are smaller than traditional life insurance (which can pay out in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars), they tend to be easier to get and cost less to take out. They also allow you the flexibility to name a beneficiary who will see that your final wishes are carried out. In fact, many people take out a policy through the funeral home of your choice, which allows for you to plan (and pay for) your entire funeral in advance.
Here are five other great reasons to consider adding burial insurance to your end-of-life plans.
1) A Gift to Your Loved Ones
The number one reason why burial insurance exists is to take care of your loved ones. No matter what the circumstances, death is an incredibly emotional and difficult time. Burial insurance removes the financial burden of planning and paying for a funeral so your family can focus on what really matters.
2) Easy Qualification
Because burial insurance isn’t a traditional life insurance policy, you don’t have to meet the same strict guidelines. You may have to answer medical questions, but you most likely won’t need a physical. You can also qualify at an older age than many types of life insurance.
3) Affordable Options
Funeral insurance provides a smaller payout than most other types of whole life insurance, which means you won’t have to pay as much in premiums throughout your lifetime. You only have to decide how much you’d like to spend on your funeral and find the policy to fit.
4) Flexibility to Plan Any Kind of Funeral
It doesn’t matter if you have a grand, elaborate funeral in mind, or if you’d like a small gathering of your loved ones—there are no rules about when and how the burial insurance money is spent. Your beneficiary can even use the funds to cover things like medical bills and other end-of-life costs.
5) Peace of Mind
When you don’t have a lot of assets and you don’t qualify for life insurance, you might feel that your death will be a heavy burden on those you leave behind. This doesn’t have to be the case. With burial insurance, you can ensure that your family won’t bear the emotional or financial costs of your funeral. You can plan things exactly as you wish and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with it.