Dying in a Recession
When the economy slows down so do we. We cut back on expenses, expensive dinners, lavish vacations and even cable! We try to cut expenses wherever we can. We stop doing a lot of the excesses that helped cause the problem. However, we don’t stop dying! Trust me, its not any cheaper because we’re in a recession!
People are absolutely blown away at the high cost of dying. These are a lot of the people who have avoided the issue like an ostrich with his head in the sand. You can pay now or pay later, sound familiar?
Categories: funeral planning, industry news Tags: funeral home, funeral planner, newspaper, obituary
We Can All Learn From Michael Jackson
In the wake of Michael Jackson’s death it has given us pause about planning for the inevitable. There has been much ado about his will or lack thereof; as it turns out he had one from 2002. Given all the changes in his personal life over the years, it makes you realize how important it is to update your will as your circumstances change!
You have children born into your family, step-children leave your family; as well as ex-wife’s! It happens more than you think. People divorce and remarry and forget to update their wills and trusts. Guess what? The ex you don’t get along with ends up with all your hard earned assets! Something to think about!
Another important aspect of estate planning, who have you elected as the executor of your estate? Michael Jackson seems to have made an excellent choice in his mother; someone who he loved and trusted unconditionally.
Most of us will never have this much drama dividing up our estate after we die. High profile celebrity deaths bring to the fore all the problems that usually end up in probate court due to lack of planning. If you don’t have a will get one! If you have any assets you have acquired you should look into a trust to protect them so that greedy relatives or the state doesn’t end up with them.
It’s not that hard to do and it doesn’t cost much. The financial heartache that your survivors will suffer if you don’t do this is worth your time. It’s amazing how many people die without a will or trust. It can take years for a probate court to sort it all out. This process can also be very expensive and by the time the court settles your affairs, there may not be much of your estate left.
By all estimates the disposal of Michael Jackson’s assets may take years. It appears his will was out of date. As you can imagine, it will more than likely be contested. People that you haven’t seen or didn’t like all of sudden feel entitled to your assets. Protect yourself - get a will or trust and take care of your estate!
Categories: estate planning Tags: funeral, funeral home, funeral planning, newspaper
How Do You Want To Be Remembered?
Funerals are usually the last place you’d expect to learn, let alone have fun and laugh, but that’s exactly what the deceased want to happen at this service.
Romeo Theatre Company students and their director will make a return during the Victorian Festival to make history come alive by holding a Victorian funeral re-enactment.
The performance will be held at noon at the First Congregational Church on Saturday, May 16. Pre-sale tickets are $8 and tickets at the door will be $10. Children’s tickets are $5.
Like last year’s mock wedding, entertainment and education will be used to inform the audience of the superstitions and etiquette of Victorian-era funerals, said Rebecca Couch, coordinator of the performance.
“Everyone from last year kept saying `we need to do a funeral,’ so I looked into it and another event with a lot of ceremony, etiquette and traditions is a funeral,” she said.
The same cast from the wedding re-enactment will revive their roles, including 2008 graduates Justin Kent and Catherine Raffa as the newlyweds, senior Ryan Hake as the minister and director and instructor Kendra Walls as Kent’s mother, Dixie. The service will be for Dixie, who at the couple’s wedding ironically wore black since she believed she was losing her southern son to a northern woman.
“A lot of the humor will come from the families interacting,” Couch said.
While the northern and southern families try to get along for the funeral, the disembodied spirit of Dixie will wander around, commenting on how her own funeral is going.
“Back then, the fear wasn’t of death, but to die and not be properly mourned,” Couch explained. “No costs were spared for funerals then<they even dyed horses black for the processions.”
Some curious traditions audiences members can keep an eye out for are covering mirrors so the deceased spirit doesn’t become trapped in the glass, or stopping clocks at the death hour.
Like modern funerals, a reception with tea and cake will be held following the performance. It won’t be as long as the traditional wake though, which Couch says lasted three to four days.
“The medical field wasn’t as advanced then, so if someone seemed dead they might’ve just been in a coma or unconscious,” she said. “So they held wakes to see if the person would wake up.”
Categories: tributes Tags: funeral, funeral home, funeral planning, newspaper
Funeral Planning Advice
The following article was written by Jerry Guy a Funeral Director. You should take heed and follow his advice!
Making funeral plans can be a very stressful event. Many things must be considered and decisions made.
This usually comes at a time when most people are at their worst, mentally.
Today, it is not uncommon for traditional funeral and burial costs to be well over $10,000+ in many areas of
Categories: funeral planning Tags: death care industry, funeral, funeral home, funeral planner, newspaper
