Educational Articles
FTC and DOJ Sue Heritage Cremation and Legacy Cremation
Federal Trade Commission Alleges Funeral and Cremation Services Companies and Their Owner Mislead Consumers About Their Location and Prices, and Withhold Remains to Extract Payment On behalf of the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice is suing Funeral & Cremation Group of North America, LLC, Legacy Cremation Services, LLC, d/b/a ...
Continue ReadingUnderstanding Life Insurance
When planning for end-of-life, life insurance and its associated products including whole life insurance, term life insurance, and final expense insurance are products that you come across often. Unless you are a licensed insurance agent specializing in life insurance, it is easy to get confused and overwhelmed by the variety of ...
Continue ReadingWhat is Funeral Pre-Need?
“Pre-Need” is short for a “pre-need funeral contract,” a contract originating at a funeral home or cemetery with prepayment for selected goods and services. Pre-need is a particular type of funeral pre-planning where an individual works directly with a specific funeral home or cemetery to price out and pre-purchase funeral ...
Continue ReadingPayable On Death Bank Accounts
What are Payable On Death Bank Accounts A Payable on Death (POD) bank account, also called a “Totten Trust”, is a sort of joint account setup with the intent of directly transferring financial assets to a beneficiary upon the death of the [primary] account holder. This can be an important ...
Continue ReadingCOVID-19 Funeral Assistance From FEMA
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has announced that they are now providing financial assistance for COVID-19 related funeral expenses incurred after January 20, 2020. The funds were approved under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. COVID-19 Financial Assistance ...
Continue ReadingMaine Lawmakers Consider 'Viking Funeral' Bill
March 24, 2021 The Maine Legislature is considering a proposal to create a new option for sending off the dead — a flaming funeral pyre. The Sun Journal reports that anyone who has watched “Game of Thrones” or “The Phantom Menace” has seen a fictional funeral pyre, with bodies cremated outdoors ...
Continue ReadingWhat Is Burial Insurance and Do You Need It
What is Burial Insurance? ‘Burial insurance’ and ‘funeral insurance’ are other names for ‘final expense’ insurance. Final expense insurance is a form of whole life insurance that has a low face value, issuing a death benefit ranging from $1,000-$50,000 with the intention of covering funeral expenses - be it for ...
Continue ReadingColorado Become the 2nd State to Allow Composting of Human Bodies
Composting a human body will become legal 90 days after this year’s Colorado legislative session ends. Gov. Jared Polis signed SB21-006 on Monday, making Colorado just the second state in the U.S. to allow it as a post-death option. At least four other states are considering similar bills. Once the law takes effect, ...
Continue ReadingTechnology for End-of-Life Planning via Digital Planning Podcast
In the latest episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch and Justin Brown, speak with Rachel Zeldin, founder of Funerals360, an end-to-end #funeralplanning platform, to discuss the emerging death care industry in a digital age. Click below to listen to a fun and educational conversation about how technology has affected the funeral industry and ...
Continue ReadingPlanning a Funeral or Memorial During COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Outbreak
During these unprecedented times where many states and local municipalities have issued shelter-in-place rules due to the novel coronavirus outbreak (aka COVID-19), the thought of having to plan a funeral or memorial for a loved one can be extra overwhelming. Restrictions on Funeral & Memorial Services You may even be ...
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