Prearrangement of Funeral Services

Many people in recent years have come to see the value of the prearranging of funeral services. The reasons for this are varied. Some people simply want to leave a record of their final wishes to spare loved ones of the burden of figuring out how they should proceed should an unexpected death occur. Others want to take the emotion (as much as possible) out of a series of difficult (and potentially costly) decisions. This can be done in several different ways. The Healy Chapel has available at no cost the brochure "Personal Profile", that allows you in the privacy of your home to put down as extensive a list of your final wishes as you want. It not only has detailed funeral instructions such as the type of services, cemetery choices, clergy choices, type of casket, obituary information, pallbearers, and many other options, but it also has an area to leave personal information such where your will is, bank account numbers, where insurance policies are located, etc. This brochure can be obtained through the mail by calling us at (630) 897-9291, or emailing us at healychapel@sbcglobal.net. There is no further obligation on your part for receiving this free brochure.

In recent years, many people have expressed an interest in prefinancing of funeral services. Most funeral homes offer some type of option for this. Consumers should be aware that not all of the plans sponsored by funeral homes are in their best interest. Any plan that uses insurance or annuities as a funding vehicle should be carefully investigated. Typically, a commission is paid from the proceeds to the funeral director or his employee from the payments made on these plans. This means that as the plan appreciates, the full amount of the money paid in is not appreciating. That is why in many of these plans you will not see any cost guarantee of the funeral you think you have paid for, and your loved ones will end up having to pay extra funds at the time when the death happens. This is an unpleasant surprise for survivors. At the Healy Chapel, we use nothing but a Revocable Funeral Trust. If the total cost of the funeral you have preselected is funded into the trust and the interest earned is left by you on the account to offset future price increases, no further payments will ever have to be made for the funeral arranged for unless you alter it in some way. Thus, you receive an ironclad price guarantee. Also, as the title suggests, these trusts are revocable, and you may receive all principal and interest back. By State of Illinois regulations, we are entitled to keep a small setup fee, but as management decision we will refund the full amount to the person who set the trust up. As a comparison, try getting any of your payments made on an annuity or insurance policy back. We also have literature detailing this prepayment plan that is available through email or by phone request. Lastly, you should be aware that you are entitled to receive from any funeral home a copy of their General Price List showing all funeral home service charges, and also pricing information over the phone.
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