There’s a lot that goes into planning a funeral. The following checklist will help you to make sure you’re covering all of the necessary details when you begin creating your personalized plan.

• Immediate burial 
  
• Immediate cremation
  
• If the cremation process is extra, how much is it?
  
• Donation of the body to a medical school or hospital
  

• Basic services fee for the funeral director and staff
  
• Pickup of body
  
• Embalming
  
• Other preparation of body
  
• Least expensive casket
  
• Description, including model #
  
• Outer Burial Container (vault)
  
• Description
  
• Visitation/viewing — staff and facilities
  
• Funeral or memorial service — staff and facilities
  
• Graveside service, including staff and equipment
  
• Hearse
  
• Other vehicles
  

• Forwarding body to another funeral home
  
• Receiving body from another funeral home

Some state laws require the funeral home or cemetery to place a percentage of the prepayment in a state-regulated trust or to purchase a life insurance policy with the death benefits assigned to the funeral home or cemetery. If you’re thinking about prepaying for funeral goods and services, it’s important to consider these issues before putting down any money:  Get all the FACTS.