Financial Burden
We seem to have money for some ridiculous things in this life. Money for things we do not need, foolish things, wasteful things. Money for things we don’t use, or that break, or are ill suited for the need they were purchased for. We buy things and get rid of things are an alarming rate these days.
Yet, it seems many families end up struggling for money to manage the loss of their loved ones. To do right by the ideals that have been set out for them, for their family, for their religion. The unexpected expenses can be incredibly burdensome. Some expenses are not anticipated, such as body transportation if someone dies away from home. Perhaps lawsuits or other legal battles that can come from an ill-fated death. Medical bills from prolonged illnesses.
Still, many of the expenses can be anticipated. It seems if you want a particular funeral, you ought to be willing to set aside the money to pay for it. Even if you have determined “I don’t care what they do with my body after I’m gone”, there are still expenses, because there are still laws; your body can’t just be tossed into the forest to decay.
It is likely a good idea to plan for this, if you care about the ones who are left to handle things after you are gone. If you have the financial ability to handle it at any point in your life, you should. Pay for it now, and many places will honor those prices when the time comes.
I say this, and yet, I have not done it. Now, I don’t have the money to afford it. A year ago, I should have thought of it, and I should have had it completed. I should have also done it a decade prior when I could have bought a plot for $300. I had not known then what I wanted. Now I do, and will make those arrangements for the far-flung future now.
Yes, I have a life insurance policy, but those are not paid out in time for funerals, or caskets, or services, or transportation, or death certificates, or any of those things required in the following months. The things I can’t pay for now, I will attempt to keep to a minimum. The things I can pay for, I will purchase over time, so that my child doesn’t have to. My kid won’t have to make difficult choices, or take out a loan, or deal with financial burden or stressors that can be prevented now.
It’s just what I want. I simply want my child to know what I want and to not have to pay for it themselves. I have the time now to figure it out, write it out, set up a payment plan, change little things over time…. seems a small price to pay when it’s really so much to expect from someone else.
