Secrets to Funeral Planning: Help During Your Time of Need

« Back to Home

Struggling to Pay for a Loved One's Funeral? You Have Options

Posted on

If there's something you need but cannot easily afford, you need to either save up for it or adjust your expectations. This is not always possible when a loved one passes away, and you need to quickly find the necessary funds to pay their funeral costs. Not only are you dealing with the tragedy of the loss, but you must also somehow find the necessary funds to give them the farewell they deserve. What can you do when paying for a loved one's funeral isn't within your financial means?

Insurance

While your loved one might not have left the necessary direct provisions to pay for their own funeral, they might still have left a plan of sorts. You will need to carefully examine any life insurance policies they might have had. These policies will not have necessarily been listed in your loved one's will, so you should perform an independent search. If you're one of the beneficiaries of your loved one's will, you might stand to directly inherit their assets. The contents of their bank account could conceivably be put towards the cost of their funeral, and you might be able to liquidate other assets in order to raise funds.

Superannuation

Your loved one's superannuation could also conceivably be put towards the cost of their funeral. This might not be paid out with ample time, and yet it might be possible for you to cover the costs in the short-term, with the superannuation being used to reimburse these costs. Financial support might be available if your loved one was receiving government benefits, or if they were a veteran or a member of a trade union, so be sure to explore all your options.

Loans

Although it's far from an ideal situation, you could also take out a loan, whether from your bank or by applying for a credit card. Such an option could be used in conjunction with any payouts from superannuation or insurance, with that payout then being used to pay back the loan or credit card in order to minimise your financial liability.

Donations

Asking friends and family for donations can also help to cover costs, and of course, everyone will give what they can. You might wish to set up an online crowdfunding plan in order to centralise the collection of any funds.

The loss of a loved one can strike a mighty blow, and the financial obligation of their funeral can make an already tragic situation even more difficult. And yet, there are options you can use when you're not immediately able to pay for their funeral costs.


Share