Planning for the end of your life is in large part an effort to help your family members adjust to the transition as painlessly as possible. Of course there is no way to experience the loss of a loved one without suffering to some extent. But with proper planning you can mitigate the challenges that your family will face when the inevitable eventually takes place.
With this in mind you may want to consider addressing your wishes with regard to your funeral details when you are planning your estate. There are a good many decisions that must be made, and if you don’t make them for yourself the loved ones that you leave behind will be left with the responsibility. Of course someone will probably step up and do what needs to be done. But who really wants to have to make these arrangements during a time when they are experiencing such a profound sense of loss?
In addition to having to run around town making arrangements (which is a burden in itself), family members may not necessarily agree on the correct course of action. Some of the choices that must be made are sensitive, such as burial or cremation and which urn or casket to purchase.
To be frank, the amount of money that can be spent on a funeral varies widely, and different people have different opinions about how to proceed. If you state your wishes in your estate plan or even take the initiative to plan your own funeral in advance, you circumvent any possibility of disagreements between your family members at a very inopportune time.
Estate planning is ultimately done for the well-being of your loved ones, and taking funeral arrangements out of their hands would certainly make things easier on them. This is something to keep in mind when you are contemplating your legacy.
Mr. Nirenstein is licensed to practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court. He is a member of the Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations, and the Estate and Probate, Elder Law, Business Law and Real Estate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association.
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