Paid Upfront

Until recent years, people that were dealing with the loss of a loved one have been given some time to grieve, settle their passed on loved one’s estate and then they were sent a bill for the cost of the funeral and cremation or burial service. With all the changes in the economy and so many companies wanting everything upfront, this is a thing of the past. Many companies such as the floral shop, the caterer that did the food for the funeral and the newspaper that wrote the obituary all want their money upfront so that they know they are getting paid.

Until the past decade, the funeral home that took care of all your passing needs would pay for the upfront costs and then send you a bill to be paid for the total cost once the estate has been settled. Now, funeral directors are saying that it has a lot to do with cash flow. With so many people going for the cheaper option of cremation, purchasing cremation urns or jewelry instead of the more expensive option, a casket, we don’t have the same kind of money coming in to provide these kinds of services for the grieving families that come through here. For many, this puts an even larger strain on them financially because they were expecting that income from the asset liquidation to help pay for the funeral. This means that many families are even forgoing funerals because they just can’t afford it. While many feel that this is not the way they would have preferred to see their loved one go, they don’t have any other option.