We buy insurance for our homes and cars and pay for disability, fire, even flood insurance, just to be ready for life's surprises.

Our prearrangement program is designed to help you accomplish all of these important matters.

1. What Is Prearrangement?
2. The Prearrangement Process
3. The Financial Benefit
4. Insurability Factors
5. Family Protection Benefit
6. Frequently Asked Questions
7. Begin Online Prearrangements
8. Cost Inquiry Only

Prearrangement is the process of arranging and funding a funeral before the need actually arises. All of the aspects relating to a funeral are discussed and planned just as if a death had occurred. The type of service, the casket and outer burial container, even the information for an obituary will be recorded and kept at the funeral home.

However, all of the decisions are being made without the element of grief being present to cloud and affect those decisions. When a death occurs, even the simplest decisions become difficult. By prearranging, a troublesome time is made easier.

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THE PREARRANGEMENT PROCESS

When you have decided that prearranging is a good idea, we will take you through the process in stages. First we put together the information for the death certificate and the obituary. The next step is to decide the type of service you want to arrange. Many options are available and we will tailor the service to your specific needs. Once we arrange all of the service details, the next step is to select a casket and an outer burial container. While this may seem like a difficult thing to do, we will explain the caskets and outer burial containers completely. As you are deciding, we will keep you informed of the expenses associated with your choices. The process of prearranging is not difficult and we will do our best to make it a little easier.

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THE FINANCIAL BENEFIT

The reason most people prearrange is to relieve their survivors from the financial burden of arranging a funeral. So what is the financial benefit of prearranging?

With prearrangement, the savings are realized in the future, when prices are going to be higher. Take a look at a comparison of costs over the last ten years using the same services, casket and vault.

However, there are some costs involved with a funeral service that we cannot freeze. We call these items "cash advance" items. They can include such things as obituary notices, copies of the death certificate, sales tax and cemetery expenses. Funds can be set aside in what we call the "cash fund" to help offset these expenses. We cannot freeze cash advances because the funeral home does not determine them. At the time of need, if the current cash advances are more than the estimated amount then the survivors are responsible for the balance. If the current cash advances are less than the estimated amount, we return the excess to the family.

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We have several different type of insurance plans available based on your age, health conditions and payment plan desired. Because of all of the different options available, we encourage you to make an appointment with one of our funeral directors to discuss and learn more about our prearrangement program. The different options that we offer are:

This plan option is designed for the individual who is not in good health. With a graded benefit plan the insurance policy is only in force after two years. Should something happen to you in the first two years, your family would be responsible for the remaining balance at the frozen price, not the current price. Again, your age will determine which plan you would qualify for. The plans available are:

3 Years (up to 95 years old)
5 Years (up to 95 years old)
10 Years (up to 85 years old)

18 Months: (up to 90 years old)
3 Years (up to 85 years old)
5 Years (up to 80 years old)

Nothing is harder to accept or understand than the death of a child. An additional advantage that our program offers is the Family Protection Rider. Dependent children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren under the age of 21 are given the same coverage as the insured, during the insured's lifetime, at no additional expense. The only requirement is that the dependent child was healthy at the time of their birth. We never want to use this portion of the prearrangement, but if the unthinkable does happen, this benefit can be like a light at the end of the tunnel.

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Q.Who is the beneficiary of my prearrangement?

A.Maple Hill Funeral Home is the beneficiary but only to the extent of current day costs of the service, casket and outer burial container. Any remaining funds are returned to the deceased's family.

Q.What if I move to another city?

A.Our prearrangements are fully transferable to any funeral home over fifty miles away without any penalty.

Q.What if something happens before my insurance is in force?

A.Your family is only responsible for the remaining balance on the service, casket and outer burial container at the frozen price not the current day price. They would also be responsible for any cash advances that exceed the balance of the cash fund.

Q.What if I want to cancel my prearrangement?

A.While we don't recommend it, you can cancel at any time. You are the owner of your prearrangement. If you want to cancel, we will refund any and all money you paid into the prearrangement.

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