Funeral Parlor“Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.” — Epicurus

With all the talk about how Baby Boomers are ill-equipped for retirement, I find it interesting that at the same time, there’s been a push to get them to think about pre-need funeral planning for either themselves or their aging parents.

Robert Powell at CBS Marketwatch wrote an article called: A Crying Need for Funeral Planners about how death-planning services are an unaddressed market in U.S. I guess this means that many people are still avoiding the issue.

He list the most important questions that seniors need to address before their day of reckoning.

1. “Do you want to be buried or cremated? If you choose cremation, you only have to consider how you want your remains disposed of – in an urn, a traditional cemetery or cast to the wind.”
2. “Do you want a visitation or not? If you don’t want a visitation, you can shave additional costs from the funeral expenses.”
3. “Do you want a service and, if so, do you want your body present? If you don’t want a service, you can reduce costs even further. In some cases, seniors are choosing a direct cremation with a memorial service at a country club or a rented hall.”

The funeral business is changing. According to Lisa Takeuchi Cullen at Time magazine, she writes about the casket industry and if it can survive. She writes, “About three-quarters of Americans make their final exit via a casket, according to the Casket & Funeral Supply Association. That will change.”

“The Cremation Association of North America predicts that by 2025, nearly half of deaths will end in cremation. While 13% of cremations involve the use of a casket (some families choose, often at their funeral directors’ urging, to conduct a traditional viewing of their loved ones before cremating their bodies), families are increasingly less likely to shell out thousands of dollars for a box destined for the incinerator.” Of course all this could be covered in your pre-need planning session should you be so inclined to plan ahead.

She continues, “For the consumer, the problem with buying a casket is that nobody wants to do so until the need arises–and by then it’s simplest to purchase one through the funeral home. Consumer watchdogs say some funeral homes regularly inflate prices on caskets and mislead families into believing they may not shop elsewhere, despite a 1984 ruling by the Federal Trade Commission that explicitly states they may.”

“A growing number of entrepreneurs are shaking up that model by going directly to consumers. Costco introduced caskets in 2004.” Yep, Costco… but that’s old news.

Is all this talk about death giving you the heebie-jeebies? Perhaps, we all should just focus on something closer at hand: planning for our retirement.

Planning for retirement? This is a long topic and more complex than picking out a casket and burial plot, but working with a financial planner is a good place to start to make sure you’re comfortable in the golden years. CertifiedFinancialPlanner.net gives you the lowdown on what you should know about the profession and how to best select the planner that is right for you. Better yet, do you want someone that is gay or gay-friendly? Then find someone in your state that is registered on PridePlanners.com