The loss of a loved one is a difficult and stressful time to be faced with final decisions and financial choices. We encourage families to ease that burden by pre-planning both your final arrangements and financing. There are several advantages to pre-planning:

• Your wishes are made known to your family
• Family disagreements may be avoided
• Decisions may be made with more clarity ahead of time
• Financial comments may be made rationally
• Choices are not emotionally influenced
• You have more time to consider your options
• The stress of the details are lifted from your family, so they may grieve, celebrate a life and begin the healing process

Why would I want to pre-plan?

By making the arrangement decisions yourself, you can tailor them to your own preferences. Even if you casually discuss these wishes at home amongst yourselves, it's difficult to cover all the choices and options that can be presented. These decisions would be better made by you with the help of your funeral professional, at a time when there is no grief or stress involved. That way, all your wishes will be honored, and without the unnecessary burden on your loved ones, trying to second guess what you might have wanted. You will also have the opportunity to determine how and when you would like your final arrangements to be handled.

Family

By making these decisions yourself, you will also spare your loved ones the burden of trying to make very difficult decisions, regarding both your personal wishes, and the financing, at a time when they are grieving and under great stress. These are choices that are better made at a time before the need arises, when most of us tend to think more clearly. It is also one of the kindest things you can do for the ones you love the most, so that this responsibility does not fall to them at this most difficult time.

Pre-funding Final Arrangements

When you pre-arrange, you eliminate the possibility of emotional overspending. In some cases, surviving family members can make emotional decisions in their time of bereavement, which can result in spending more on a funeral than the deceased would consider wise. There are various payment plans available to fund a funeral, and this is an important issue to discuss with your advanced planning professional.

Where does the money go?

When you pre pay your funeral expenses, the money collected will be placed in a consumer protected account. By Wisconsin law, this assures you, the consumer, your funds will always be available when the death occurs.

In many cases, we can accept an assignment of an existing life insurance policy for a future non-guaranteed payment for the final arrangements you desire.

What happens if I change my mind or I move?

When you prepay your funeral expenses, those funds are able to be transferred should you decide to move away or would prefer the services of another funeral home. We will counsel you on how cancel-ability and transferring pre-needed funds varies depending upon the funding vehicle you ultimately choose.

Do I have to come to the funeral home?

At Rhiel Funeral Home we will accommodate you, whatever the need. Basic arrangements can be done at the funeral home, by phone and by mail. We can also meet at your residence. You can begin the process by using our Online Pre-Planning Form to gather the details you want to include in your arrangement plan.

For more information on any of these topics or other concerns, please feel free to contact us at one of our three locations.