• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • About Our Firm
    • Career Opportunities
    • Meet Our Team
    • News and Events
    • Seniors Rock Radio
  • Estate Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Planning
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Family Farm Succession Planning
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • IRA Planning
      • Planning With An IRA
      • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Elder Law Reports
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • Definitions
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • FREE Webinars
    • Estate Administration Legal Guide
    • Estate Planning Articles
      • Questions for Your Estate Planning Attorney Before Creating Your First Estate Plan
      • How to Create Your First Estate Plan in 2022
      • How to Choose a Guardian for Your Child
      • Address These Three Questions in Your First Estate Plan
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Adult Guardianship
      • Alzheimer’s Care
      • Custodial Accounts for Minors
      • Estate Planning
      • FAQs for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Elder Law
      • IRA & Retirement Planning
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Legacy Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicare and Social Security
      • Probate
      • Probate Avoidance
      • Irrevocable Trusts
      • Trust Administration
      • Trusts
      • Veterans’ Benefits
      • Wills
    • Newsletters
    • Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning for Niches
      • Trust Administration
    • Top Estate Planning Techniques
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Medicaid Planning
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Medicaid Frequently Asked Questions
    • Medicaid Resources
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Law Office of Michael Robinson, P.C.

Estate Planning Services in Rochester, New York and the Finger Lakes Area

Connect With Us Today

(585) 374-5210
Law Pay Button
Attend a Free Webinar
Home » Estate Planning Articles » Practical Discussions About Funerals

Practical Discussions About Funerals

October 30, 2015

Practical Discussions About Funerals

 Compliments of Law Office of Michael Robinson, P.C.,

Written By: The American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

With all of the uncertainty in life, the one common denominator we all share and none escape is death. We go through life with a mindset of “when” things happen: when we graduate college, when we start a family, when we take that vacation in the French Riviera; yet when it comes to planning for end of life and funerals, we tend to insert an “if” factor. It’s human nature: we fear the unknown and our mortality.

For many, preplanning is a solution which eliminates several potential problems, including the need for discussing final wishes since the details have already been arranged. Also, preplanning eliminates worries about costs and potential family conflicts at a time when the family is grieving. This time should be about dignity, control and privacy.

From a more practical perspective, by pre-purchasing a funeral, it can make Medicaid qualification easier since it’s not factored into the spend down rule or the five-year look back period. Funds used to cover the costs aren’t considered available cash resources. Instead, those costs might include the funeral or memorial service, caskets or urns, cemetery markers and any other cemetery expenses.

Note that Medicaid requires prepaid funeral arrangements to be irrevocable. This simply means that family members may not opt for less expensive arrangements and then pocket the difference. If overpayments occur, they are returned to the state, not the family.

Another option includes assigning a life insurance policy to the funeral home that will cover the costs. If the policy is not enough to cover the arrangements, family members will have to cover the difference. Again, if you receive Medicaid, any overpayments are returned to the state, not your family. Finally, you must assign ownership of the policy to the funeral home. Listing it as the beneficiary is not enough.

By making the decisions and arrangements ahead of time, it can also present the opportunity to have an honest end-of-life discussion with family members. While it’s never a pleasant conversation, it’s necessary and can pave the way for more open discussions later.

You might wish to download a consumer’s guide for funerals. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission offers one that’s helpful and can be downloaded here.

Estate planning is about taking control in order to ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes after you are gone. The preplanning of a funeral achieves many of these objectives, including making it easier to have sometimes difficult discussions with your loved ones. An experienced estate planning attorney can help ensure your funeral plans are carried out as you intended.

Primary Sidebar

Law Office of Michael Robinson, P.C.

Free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube

TESTIMONIALS

News & Events

Seniors Rock Radio Show Recording 5-1-21

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1U7UkQbEGy-xY7XFAXvX9Qz7pKSVDVV3D/view?usp=drive_web   Read more →

Pittsford Office

1163 Pittsford-Victor Road, Suite 120 (Powder Mill Office Park)
Pittsford, NY 14534-3817
Phone: (585) 374-5210
Fax: (585) 485-0394

See Larger Map Get Directions

Map

mrobinson_sidbr_map

Footer

  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
robinson law logo

The Law Office of Michael Robinson, P.C.

Attorney Advertisement


© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.