Funeral Cost have doubled in last 10 years

You have to go a step further than that to get what you need. A general price list is a government required form (similar to CMS) and is almost useless as such. It's a menu of separate prices for everything most of which you don't need for a funeral.

What you want to do is sit down with the funeral home's preplanner or a funeral director and have him quote 3-different priced funerals.

The most basic will be for a same day service (visitation and funeral in one day) with a 20-gage steel non-sealer casket. You want a minimal grave liner figured into this one (but people who have mausoleum or use a cemetery that doesn't require grave liners can leave that off.)

The middle quote should be a 2-day service, (one day visitation and next day funeral) 18-gage steel casket (the guage of steel really isn't the important part, they are just the much better looking caskets) and the minimal sealed burial vault (most funeral homes would use a Wilbert Monticello.)

The higher end quote should be for a 2-day service (same as above) but with a nicer wood casket (cherry, oak, or maple would be in the right price range) for the burial vault have them figure in a double-lined vault (most would use a Wilbert Triune)

If you get those three price quotes, you have realistically what people are paying for funerals in your area. They can do cheaper and higher groupings than these but in the real world these will cover 90% of what the public buys with I would say around 50% being closer to the middle package, 40% with the cheaper one and 10% the higher one.

Your families will also have additional costs that they pay for cash advanced items at the funeral home that the funeral homes doesn't make anything on but people usually pay them to the funeral home and the funeral home home forwards the money. These would usually include: certified death certificates ($6 to $15 each), casket flowers ($125 to $500), minister $100 to $200, musicians $50 to $100, hairdresser $35 to $50, cemetery opening/closing fee $350 to $1,500), death date added to existing monument $100.

It would be wise to have this information available and discuss it with the families you meet. Much more professional than just saying "the average funeral is ."

But, I would be VERY careful to not cross the line and represent what you're doing as funeral preplanning. Most states have VERY strict laws about that. To do a funeral preplan, you MUST be working in co-operation with a licensed funeral home. Even in states where you do not need to be a funeral director to sell preplanning, you must have a funeral director sign off on EVERY single sale that he will accept the contract. In some states you even have to set up an irrevocable trust for each and every preplan sold. They are all exempt from Medicaid with no lookback and regular final expense insurance is NOT a legal funeral preplan.

What you want to do is know what the realistic prices are for funerals in your area, present that information, also inform them about future inflation and show what 5% compounding inflation will do to the funeral price during their expected lifetime and then compare that to how much permanent life insurance coverage they currently have in force. Usually they will be WAY short of their goal even if they choose the cheapest funeral at the cheapest funeral home.

Then you want to make it very clear, that you are selling insurance, Not a prepaid funeral (unless you really are) to keep yourself legal and out of hot water.




Ya, I do all that to. I just did'nt feel like typing that many words.


Just kidding. Awesome post Newby. Thats the reason I joined this forum, is for the excellent information like that. Thanks!
 
So you pick one that the last poster was tooting your horn for you? :skeptical: And, you had to go all the way back to 2008n to find someone that called you awesome? :yes:

Tooting my horn? Do they allow that kind of dirty talk on this forum?

I thought the part you would notice would s the thread is 10-years old and prices haven't doubled since then.

I'll have you know Rouse...my horn stays quite tooted.
 
Tooting my horn? Do they allow that kind of dirty talk on this forum?

I thought the part you would notice would s the thread is 10-years old and prices haven't doubled since then.

I'll have you know Rouse...my horn stays quite tooted.

Yeah, but can you toot your own horn? :laugh:
 
Yeah, but can you toot your own horn? :laugh:

My first district manager would insist guys participate in the weekly roll call. He always said that , He that tooteth not his own tooter shan't have his tooter tooted." He was big on self promotion and a great man.
 
:GEEK:I have gathered price lists from 10 providers in the Phoenix area and found that the average cost is right at $4000 with no extras and no cemetery expenses included.
Professional Service Fee $1700
Embalming $675
Bathing/cosmetology/Dressing $425
Viewing $320
Funeral Service $480
Transport $435
Total $ 4050

Does this sound high or low?
 
:GEEK:I have gathered price lists from 10 providers in the Phoenix area and found that the average cost is right at $4000 with no extras and no cemetery expenses included.
Professional Service Fee $1700
Embalming $675
Bathing/cosmetology/Dressing $425
Viewing $320
Funeral Service $480
Transport $435
Total $ 4050

Does this sound high or low?

That would be low for my area (Indiana) but may be right in line for AZ. The additional expenses that people have included in a funeral price are the casket, outer burial container or vault, flowers, clergy, death certificates, grave opening/closing fee and final lettering (death date) on the monument. These would normally be added in to get the total funeral price.

The items that are handled separately at the cemetery are the cemetery space and the monument.
 
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