WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Many families have lost loved ones due to COVID-19, and some have not been prepared financially.
Funeral home directors tell KSN News it’s never too early to start preparing for the unexpected.
They have several plans, and many can be modified to each family’s needs and desires, but the earlier people start planning for the unexpected, the less of a hassle it will be.
Especially during the pandemic when many people are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
“You could do it in baby steps. You wouldn’t have to arrange and pay for the service and the casket involved, and the cash advanced items. You could say okay, I want to pay for the casket now if that is the direction you are going to go,” said Jackie Hartman, advanced planning director at Culbertson Smith Mortuaries.
“Have plans in place to be able to put a little bit of money aside each month to do that. There is at- need-funding so when death has occurred there are third-party companies that do at-need-funding, basically a loan, but we do suggest always that families be able to make these plans ahead of time,” said Shawn Snyder, funeral director at Heritage Funeral Home.
Most funeral homes will offer a payment plan of three, five, seven, or 10 years to pay off items for the funeral and their services. That is of course depending on the person’s age and health condition.
