There’s little more reassuring than knowing your finances are safe. Especially when you hit that potentially precarious period after retirement, the right investments are a necessity.
One such useful investment is a funeral plan. In those autumn years, death becomes one of life’s more pressing issues, and as time catches up with you, you’ll have to embrace that morbid thought process for a while to plan your send-off.
After you’ve sorted your prepaid funeral plan, there are a number of other considerations to make to figure out the ideal funeral for you. Here are just a few things to bear in mind.
Make it a celebration
The ideal memorial for many isn’t one beset with tears and sadness, but a celebration of life. Indeed, since the 70s there’s been a growing trend in the idea of “celebrantsâ€, people who are specifically hired to make funeral services a thing of joy rather than pain.
Finding funny stories and anecdotes of your life, making attendants comfortable in their farewells – these have become a large part of the priorities in someone’s send-off, so make them a reality with prior planning.
Pick a song that suits you
The most popular funeral song in the UK, according to national newspaper The Telegraph, is Frank Sinatra’s My Way.
Really, it’s easy to see why – its orchestration, combined with Frank Sinatra’s conviction-filled delivery, could leave a lasting impression on almost anyone’s consciousness. It’s a bold, individualistic statement that anyone would want to be identified with.
Whether it’s a song, prayer, poem or psalm, it’s important to know that your final message is a statement on how you lived your life or how you want people to think of you. What matters most is what you want, so consider it carefully.
Let people know how you feel with an “auto-obituaryâ€
Famous left wing politician Tony Benn, who passed away a few weeks ago, has had a grandiose send-off, being only the second politician after Margaret Thatcher to have his coffin displayed in the crypt chapel at Parliament, for fellow MPs and Lords to wish him farewell.
But the part of his passing that’s touched people the most is his delivery of his own obituary. Posting it to Channel 4 News to be transmitted on his passing, the recorded farewell is a touching tribute to his family, working life and politics.
It’s not only famous figures who can create what national newspapers have termed an “auto-obituaryâ€. By putting pen to paper or hitting record on a camera, you can let your family know how important they are to you and reflect on a life lived to the fullest.
Let your family members know your wishes
This last piece of advice should come as the most obvious, but it’s something that a number of people fail to take on board – tell your loved ones your wishes for your funeral.
Indeed, evading discussions of death has become such a problem that an entire week, entitled the Dying Matters Awareness Week, has been promoted to show people that talking about your funeral plans, or death in general, is a healthy and wise decision.
Upon your passing, your family are the people most likely to ensure your final wishes are instigated, so let them know exactly what you want.
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Very informative. I think that last point is really important. No matter what you decide in terms of details, it is essential that you communicate your wishes to your loved ones. Its good to do this for so many reasons. One of the most important results of this clear communication is that your loved ones can feel good that they are able to complete your wishes. Its a nice opportunity to give them.