|
When one moves to Sun City Center, and in fact, when one moves to Florida, I think there is pretty much of a realization that this is going to be the departure point for the Great Retirement Village in the Sky. Knowing this, there are several things that a couple can do to make life a lot easier for themselves and their heirs. My impression is that most people in Sun City Center have a pretty healthy and realistic attitude about dying. It happens all the time here. And the grieving periods seem much shorter. I suspect this is due in great measure to having a network of friends who have also lost a spouse. And perhaps it is also due to an active life-style that can continue even though a spouse is gone. Widows who don't drive will often buy a golf cart so they can get back-and-forth. And it is quite acceptable here for a widow and widower to live together for companionship without getting married. Children are usually quite supportive of this arrangement, since they know that Mom or Dad will have someone to look out for them. There are at least five options when planning for your final exit: The first is to do nothing and leave it to your heirs to guess at what your wishes would have been. Children are uncomfortable with making funeral arrangements for a parent. And they may have to make the arrangements from afar. There may be emotional over-spending. And the children may even squabble among themselves over the arrangements. This is not a fair burden to put on them. So doing nothing is not a good option. The second option is to Pre-plan but not Pre-pay your funeral. For this you go to any funeral director and work out the details (including the hymns) and figure the pricing for your own records. Let your heirs know the plan and who you went to. If you still live in the area at your demise, then the funeral director is all set to handle everything. If you die somewhere else, then your heirs take your Pre-plan to a funeral director there. And of course you need to set money aside to pay the expenses. This offers the most flexibility to your heirs, if you think they should have it. Since the funeral director will likely get your business, he will cooperate with you, even though you aren't paying him at this time. The third option is to Pre-plan and Pre-pay your funeral. For this you go to any funeral director and work out the details and pricing and then write him a check. If you still live in the area at your demise, then he is all set to handle everything. If you die somewhere else, then your heirs tell the funeral director there that your funeral has been planned and paid for. The two directors then get in touch and what you pre-planned is passed along to the new one. Almost always, the new funeral director will honor your wishes and pricing. The only cost that might change is the cost of opening and closing the grave because of local labor costs. You do not get a discount for pre-paying. You pay the going price. The average cost in the U.S. for a casket funeral with viewing is around $6,000. When you prepay, the money is deposited in a bonded trust fund which draws interest. By drawing interest, your payment is able to grow and keep up with inflation. My father was a minister in West Virginia. He had a thorough dislike of funeral directors because of the way they took advantage of families at one of their weakest moments. He would see families spend thousands of dollars on a fancy casket when the money could have been better spent on college tuition or even a new roof. He never spoke of this outside of our family circle. At Christmas, the funeral directors would give gifts (like a knife-set) to all of the ministers in town. Father referred to this as the "kickback." He and Mother did have the last word though because they both gave their bodies to the West Virginia University Medical Center and, when we later received their ashes, they were put in the Columbarium at Arlington Cemetery. So the funeral business got zip out of my parents, which is the way they wanted it. I have always appreciated and respected their doing it this way. In Florida, it is not an economical option to give your body to the University. First your heirs have to pay for your transportation to Gainsville, and then once they have finished with it, your heirs have to pay for the cremation. This puts the cost up around $1200 to $1800. The most economical option for a funeral is to be a member of the Memorial Society of Tampa Bay. It is a non-profit volunteer-run organization which gives you a way to get an inexpensive but dignified departure. There are several people in Sun City Center who can provide you with details, like Dick Young (634-6099), Frank Nauman (634-7280) and John Williamson (634-7838). The Society researches funeral costs in the Tampa area and finds a funeral home that will contract with them to provide services at an affordable price. You make only a $20 payment up front, which goes to the Society for printing and postage. They provide you with a "todays" price list. You then choose which options you want, like cremation or burial, the price of the urn or casket, etc. When the time comes, they direct your spouse or estate to the funeral director with whom they have contracted. When the deceased comes via the Society, the funeral director then applies the much lower rate. Over half of the people who die in Florida are cremated, so an example of their current rates is $475 for a simple cremation. The published rates are guaranteed but subject to change with notice. For example, if the price of a simple cremation went up $3, every member would be so advised. There are currently over 700 members in the Tampa Bay society. The size of the membership gives the Society the clout to bargain with funeral directors. The funeral director makes a smaller profit but has more business. If your estate decides to do something different, the funeral director will accommodate them at "Society Rates." And if your estate decides to do something entirely different, you're only out the original $20. You cannot join the Society after you die. The Society provides a way to Pre-plan a dignified funeral at a greatly reduced cost! Their website is http://www.funerals.org/tampabay.htm. If you're certain you want to be cremated, then another, though more expensive, option is to check out a company called National Cremation Society. Even though they use the word society in their name, they are actually a company, whose parent company's stock is traded on the NYSE. You can either pre-pay, or your heirs can contact them after you die. Cremation is their only business. That do over half of the cremations in Florida. If you die within 35-miles of Sun City Center, a simple cremation begins around $700. If you want their "Away from Home Protection", add $250. This means that if you die up north, they'll see to it that you are cremated there. For local information, call the Tampa office at 623-2126 and they will direct you to the local Family Counselor. National Cremation Society has a Florida web-site at www.ncs-fl.com. Making your funeral arrangements now will provide peace of mind to you and your heirs! |