BLACK FAMILY WEALTH MATTERS: Click here to learn how we are working to support you.
Proteja Su Hogar Y Su Familia-Se Habla Espanol. Haga clic aquí!
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Areas We Serve
      • Los Angeles County
        • Inglewood
        • Malibu
        • Santa Monica
        • Torrance
        • Venice
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
      • Attorney Caprice Collins
      • Attorney Lioness Ebbay
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Giving Back
    • Our Reviews
    • Staff Events
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medi-Cal and Elder Law
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • SEMINARS/WEBINARS
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Ladera Heights Elder Law
      • Los Angeles County Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Medi-Cal Planning Checklist
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning For Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Free Seminars
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Elder Law
        • Medi-Cal
        • Nursing Home Planning
        • Understanding Dementia
      • Estate Planning
        • Charitable Gifting
        • Estate Planning for Women
        • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
        • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Financial Planning
        • Tax Planning in Your Estate Plan
      • Incapacity Planning
        • Veteran’s Benefits
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
        • Serving as Executor
        • Small Estate Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
        • Living Trusts
      • Understanding Estate Taxes and How They Impact Your Estate Plan
    • Legacy Wealth Planning Pre-Consultation Form
    • Newsletters
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Published Books
    • The Ultimate Caregiver Guide
    • Caregiver’s Worksheets and Checklists
  • Videos
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Women’s Planning
    • A Guide to Estate Planning for Women
    • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Trust Administration
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Collins Law Group

Los Angeles Estate Planning Attorney

powered by BirdEye

Connect with us today(310) 677-9787

Attend a Free Seminar/Webinar
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
x

What to Do When a Loved One Dies

During our webinar, we discuss family home protection, avoiding nursing home poverty, preventing family feuds, protecting your kids' inheritance, and how you can keep the government out of your affairs.

Watch our webinar now
Home » Estate Planning » Another Reason to Plan–the Cost of Dying

Another Reason to Plan–the Cost of Dying

March 10, 2022Estate Planning

Funeral Box with Flower

If you have ever been in the unenviable position of being chosen to plan and organize a funeral and burial service for a deceased loved one, you probably already know how overwhelming and emotionally exhausting the process can be. You may also have some idea of just how costly it can be as well.  A Windsor Hills estate planning attorney at Collins Law Group gives you some idea of what to expect and explains how you can save your loved ones from going through the process of planning and paying for a funeral.

Funeral and Burial Prices for 2019

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the average cost of a funeral has jumped from around $6,000 in 2013 to $10,000 by 2019. That’s an increase of over 50 percent in just six years. The cost of a funeral will depend, to a great extent, on the type of funeral. There are three basic options:

  • Traditional Funeral Services — usually include embalming, dressing of the body, funeral home rental, a viewing, body transportation (via a hearse) to the funeral site, casket cost, and a cemetery plot or crypt.
  • Direct Burial — a simpler version that would likely include a simple container, no viewing or visitation, and no embalming. A memorial service would still be held at the graveside if desired.
  • Cremation — the body is cremated after death without embalming and the remains are kept as the family desires.

The cost of a funeral will also depend on the specific services and “add-ons” you choose to include as well. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, some average costs include:

  • Basic services — consultations, preparation and filing of permits, coordinating arrangements and third parties, overhead expenses — $2,000
  • Casket — casket styles vary from simple cardboard all the way to metal and fine wood — $2,200
  • Burial vault — rectangular boxes made of concrete, composite plastic, or metal that may be required by a cemetery — $1,300
  • Body removal — pick up and transport costs for newly deceased body from a residence, hospital or other location to a funeral home — $125-$500
  • Embalming — draining a body of fluids and replacing them with chemicals to temporarily preserve the body. It is not legally required and is growing out of style — $225-$1,200
  • Dressing, hair, and makeup — preparing a body for viewing and visitation — $200
  • Storage and refrigeration — $35-$125 per day
  • Viewing — an opportunity for friends and loved ones to say their goodbyes, offer condolences, and see the body one last time — $150-$1,200
  • Funeral ceremony staff — coordination and supervising the funeral arrangements and assisting with the ceremony — $500-$800
  • Hearse or funeral coach — $300
  • Urn — $100-$2,000
  • Grave plot — $400 — $10,000
  • Grave opening and closing — $300 — $1,000
  • Graveside service — $200 — $1,700
  • Grave marker — $500 — $12,000
  • Flowers and music — $200 — $2,000

How Can Funeral Planning Help?

Understandably, you may prefer not to dwell on your own eventual death and the subsequent funeral service. The reality, however, is that dying is expensive and if you don’t plan ahead your loved ones will be forced to figure out how to pay for your funeral and burial while they are grieving your loss. Planning ahead by including a funeral planning component in your estate plan not only takes a considerable amount of stress and pressure off of your surviving loved ones, but it also ensures that your wishes will be honored.

One popular funeral planning option is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust. An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (ILIT) is a special type of trust that is funded by the proceeds of a life insurance policy. An ILIT ensures that there will be sufficient funds available to cover the cost of your funeral and allows you to use the terms of the trust to plan the details of your service.

Contact a Windsor Hills Estate Planning Attorney

For more information, please join us for an upcoming FREE webinar. If you have additional questions about how to plan for the high cost of funeral and burial services, contact a Windsor Hills estate planning attorney. Contact the Collins Law Firm by calling (310) 677-9787 to register for one of our FREE estate planning workshops.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Caprice Collins
Caprice Collins
Attorney Caprice L. Collins is a top rated Harvard Law School graduate. She has 34 years of legal experience with a successful law practice devoted exclusively to Estate/Business Planning and Trust Administration. Attorney Collins is a well-respected keynote speaker on Wills, Living Trusts, Estate Planning, Business Planning and Trust Administration. She has appeared on California’s Real Estate Radio Station KTLK AM 1150 as a legal expert on Estate Planning and Living Trusts among many other notable media appearances.
Caprice Collins
Latest posts by Caprice Collins (see all)
  • Debunking Inheritance Planning Myths - January 26, 2023
  • Tips for Alzheimer’s Caregivers - January 22, 2023
  • Power of Attorney Problems — Gifts - January 19, 2023

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Inheritance planning lawyers
Debunking Inheritance Planning Myths
Power of Attorney Problems — Gifts
The Right Way to Disinherit an Heir
Building Flexibility into Your Plan
Using Entities in Estate Planning
Los Angeles estate planning attorney
Collins Law Group Answers 5 Common Estate Planning Questions

Primary Sidebar

Collins Law Group

Blog Subscription

Sign up to our blog to receive the latest estate planning news and updates!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our Attorneys

Attorney Caprice Collins

Get to Know Attorney Caprice Collins


Attorney Lioness Ebbay

Get to Know Attorney Lioness Ebbay

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Testimonials

Client Review
August 19, 2020
    

“My mother told me about the Collins Law Group and I must say, the entire experience has been a real pleasure. Although I was nervous at first, the Collins Law Group staff put me at ease with their friendliness and knowledge. I didn’t realize how hard it could be on your family and loved ones left behind if you die without any planning or directions in place for them. My biggest concern was making sure my elderly mother would be provided for and taken care of if something happened to me. I have been a caregiver for her for 12 years, so this planning was crucially important. I had previously made a living trust for myself on Legal Zoom but there is no comparison to the level of service and professionalism that Collins Law Group embodies. Attorney Collins and her staff provides excellent service and it will take a large burden off of my family when they need guidance at the time of my passing.”

default image
-Ms. Jones

Where We Are

Collins Law Group
3330 West Manchester Boulevard
Inglewood, CA 90305
Phone: (310) 677-9787
Fax: (310) 677-6742
Email: clcfirm@aol.com

See Larger Map Get Directions

Office Hours

Monday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Map

Collins Law Group Google Map

Footer

  • About Our Firm
  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • Services
  • Sitemap
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
Collins Law Group footer logo

Attorney Advertisement

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.