Advice From A Funeral Director

Funeral Planning - Advice From A Funeral Director
By Jerry R. Guy

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 the United States, and these costs continue to rise fast! This is due in large part, to the rapid increase in cremation rates over the past few years. As a result, many families are finding it difficult to pay these expenses. This makes an already difficult time much harder for the family.

As an active licensed funeral director with over 28 years funeral service experience, I have personally assisted thousands of families in making funeral plans for a loved one. While some were prepared, unfortunately in my experiences, most were not and finances was usually the key issue.

One way to avoid this problem is to consider prearranging funeral services. Many funeral homes and cemeteries now offer programs that allow you to preplan funeral and burial arrangements. In some cases, they will even freeze your costs for these services. As a funeral director, I strongly urge anyone to consider looking into these options at your facility of choice. This one thing alone could potentially save you thousands of dollars as funeral prices continue to escalate.

Another way is to become educated about the process of funeral planning. There is an abundance of material available on this subject and much of it is free for the asking. Contact your funeral facility of choice, most will be happy to send you educational material that could possibly save you thousands of dollars when the time of need arises and hopefully make that time less stressful.

Jerry R. Guy is an active licensed funeral director and author. More information on how to save money planning funeral services can be found at his sites: http://www.integritypreneedsolutions.com/ or http://www.beforeplanningafuneral.com/

Wrongful Death Claim

Significant Factors in Establishing Wrongful Death Claim
By Carla C. Ballatan

If your loved one has been killed because of an accident that resulted from another individual or a company's negligence, carelessness, inaction, malpractice or liability, such tragic loss may be considered as a "wrongful death."



Photo: nvo.com

Moreover, depending upon your status and right as survivor, you may be eligible to pursue a legal action against the alleged party or considered as defendant, whose negligent / wrongful conduct and/or liability caused the premature death of your loved one.

The suitable legal action to pursue is a wrongful death claim or lawsuit wherein as surviving beneficiaries or dependents, entitles you to claim monetary damages caused by the defendant's irresponsible conduct.

A wrongful death claims is unlike typical negligence lawsuits wherein it is the person directly injured who files claim for the consequent damages. Formerly, based from the "common law" derived from England's wide-ranging legal principles, wrongful death claim is declared non-existent due to the argument that any claim died along with the victim and he or she could no longer be compensated for the damages caused by the wrongful conduct. The surviving spouse and other dependents of the victim also cannot claim for damages from the person or company that caused the victim's sudden death.

Through the years, though, the state governments passed statutes concerning wrongful death and provided compensation for the persons directly affected or damaged by the victim's death. They were also given incentive to act on this matter with care and caution.

Nowadays, all of the states enforce legal actions regarding wrongful death issues.

Wrongful death claims are considered as civil lawsuits and do not involve any kind of criminal charges. Its basic objective is to help the surviving families of killed victims to recover sufficient monetary damages for the expenses incurred like medical bills and burial, lost wages, mental anguish, pain and suffering, loss of companionship and others.

Eligibility in filing wrongful death lawsuit

Who are eligible to recover damages caused by the wrongful death and file such claim?

• Immediate members of the victim's family

- parents

- spouse

- children

• Some states permit other members of surviving family to file a lawsuit, such as

- stepparents

- grandparents

- dependents

What you need upon filing a wrongful death lawsuit

If you are among the eligible persons who had been affected by the wrongful death of your loved one, here is the process on how to go about with filing a valid claim.

Search for a lawyer who has an expertise in the settlements and litigation of wrongful death cases.

Legal services of a wrongful death lawyer

• explanation of the personal injury laws and wrongful death statutes

• knowledge of the statutes of limitations or the covered period when initiating a lawsuit is allowed

• gathering of evidences

• completion of required paperwork

• building a convincing suit

• alleviation of stress and burden

Compensation you may receive for the wrongful death

- Monetary - medical and/or funeral costs, lost wages and benefits, future earnings, lost inheritance, mental anguish, loss of companionship and support

- General damages

- Punitive damages

The other damages may be prohibited or not awarded depending on the state's particular laws.

For more information concerning filing and processing a Wrongful death Claim, get the help of qualified Personal Injury Attorneys.

Cremation Urns

Cremation Urns - Preserving the Memory of Your Loved One Forever
By Rajesh T

There are a wide number of funeral urn makers today to respond to the growing number of people who opt for cremating their departed family. Consequently, cremation urns now come in all forms and sizes. Choosing a funeral urn has now been more difficult. However, with this, you are given much more comfort knowing that you have provided only the best to keep the memory of your loved one alive. Funeral urns are usually made of marble, wood, cloisonné, glass, porcelain, pewter, ceramic, bronze, brass, or copper.



Photo: urns4t.com


There are a wide number of options to choose from. Here are the most popular types of cremation urns today:

Keepsake Urns
Keepsake urns are smaller versions of cremation urns which are made for sharing the cremated ashes among family members. Keepsake urns respond to a wide number of needs. This type of urn has been proven to solve the most common problems that come up when families decide on where to store the loved one's ashes. The complexity of wanting to keep at least a portion of the ashes results to a very common dilemma in big families.

Family members, most especially the ones close to the loved one who passed away, would like to have the ashes with them, or take them to a separate location which they deem reasonable. These ideas may be unacceptable to another family member, leading to conflict.

It is also useful in cases when the family wishes to place the main urn in a cemetery as part of the tradition or to scatter the ashes, while other members would like to take a portion home. Much like their bigger counterparts, keepsake urns are made of different materials and come in all shapes and artistic designs.

Companion Urn
Companion urns have been designed for couples who want to honor the pledge they made to be with each other forever. Companion urns are usually designed such that there are two compartments (or a large single one) to place the cremated remains of a couple, either separately or together.

Companion urns allow the love of two people who shared each other's lives to continue even after death. It allows them to remain literally together forever through many generations after them.

Infant or Child Urn
Infant urns or child urns obviously have a smaller capacity. Today, infant and child urns come in traditional designs or with child themes. They come in different colors and can be personalized with the child's name, date, special message or even pictures.

Picture Urn
Picture urns are those which have the images of the departed loved one on the surface of the urn. They look much like photo frames, only that they contain the remains of your loved one as well. Many pet owners also use picture urns to store their beloved pet's remains. On the other hand, it possible to engrave the image of your loved one on regular cremation urns, and proves to be a good alternative for a picture urn.

Veteran Urn
If you want to memorialize your loved one who has provided good service in protecting the country in the military, there is no better way to do it than veteran urns. A veteran urn is an everlasting tribute to uphold the passion of your departed to protect the interests of the country, and this memory will live on from generation to generation in the decades and centuries to come. They are made of different materials and are usually decorated to be in line with patriotic and military themes of liberty, freedom and courage.

Despite all the difficulties you go through when a loved one dies, it is still important to choose the best cremation urn or pet cremation jewelry to contain the ashes. The cremation urns will hold the memory of your loved one forever. We at Everlasting Memories Inc. are here to help you make the right choice.

Send Mother's Day Flowers

The celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. So, this year should be May,11. Mother's Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. However, it was intended as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament.




Therefore, you should send the flower to your mother to let she know your love and care. You just choose in 800florals.com. There are many choices that I assure that your mother will like and appreciate. Let's Send Mother's Day Flowers Online Now!

Life Insurance Basics

Life Insurance Basics
By Ian Henman

It's just another one of those financial things that you figure you don't really want the added cost to your monthly budget. Heck when will you ever need Life insurance right? Well that's just the point, you never know when you'll need it/ Each month there are always other places for money to go that could cover the premium for a life insurance policy. You need to stop looking at it like a cost, and more as a requirement like your home or car insurance. It's there in case the worst happens so your loved ones will be taken care of financially. If you weren't around starting tomorrow are you confident that your family would have the necessary finances to cover your burial, funeral, and settle the remainder of your outstanding debt?




Because todays world is one of credit and not cash, the majority of use carry a good amount of debt. There are car payments, home loads, other personal loans, and of course credit cards. It's a good idea to investigate your employer to see if they offer some form of life insurance. Often businesses will offer a program to their employers at a reduced rate as a benefit for working there. While it may be a very small plan, it's better then nothing. Most people will also seek out further coverage , this is to ensure that not only are you funeral and other expenses covered but also outstanding debts, and living costs for your loved ones after you've passed.

So how much does life insurance really cost? The premium is the cost for the policy generally over a year, the cost of that premium varies based on the individual seeking coverage. If you're like me you're always getting offers in the mail for life insurance plans, and if you act now save big. Different marketing techniques do more to confuse the situation rather then help it. One thing you do need to educate yourself on is the different between a term life policy and a whole life policy. Like it sounds a term policy is for a particular term of your life. Generally 20 years or so and the premium stays the same for the entire time. While this might seem like a good idea, and the most cost effective, the plan builds no cash value and after the term is up you need to find anew plan. While a whole life policy does build up a cash value. A value that can be borrowed against, and even cashed out over the holders life. Most policies whether term or whole require some medical tests and exam prior to being granted coverage.

It just makes sense, life insurance is a smart thing to have. No one wants to leave their families and loved ones in a hard way financially after their gone, and there is no excuse for it. Get out and do some research there are independent brokers, and companies that specialize in life insurance. You can get these brokers, and company representatives to help you decide what coverage you need. Remember as you get older your premium will cost more, so if you're considering a term policy it's smarter to purchase when you're younger then older.

For more information about life insurance and medical insurance please visit our website Everything Insurance