Thereafter Funeral Services promote planning for the year ahead giving a gentle prompt for you to think about your final exit. Guest blog for Piercefield Oliver, Financial Advisors
Welcome to 2025! – As the new year brings fresh energy, we set new intentions, goals and we look at what the year holds. It is important to get plans in place, including funeral planning. Long term goals give drive and determination with a few short-term plans to keep you spirited and refreshed along the way.
As you start to get your year in place, I’d like to give a gentle prompt for you to think about your final exit. January is dark enough, I hear you say! But rest assured, this isn’t about doom and gloom. It’s simply a thoughtful way to show kindness to yourself and your loved ones by considering end-of-life planning.
Reflecting on your journey—what you’ve achieved, where you’ve travelled, and the memorable meals and moments you’ve enjoyed—can be a valuable exercise.
At last, funeral planning today is evolving to reflect individuality. Personalisation is replacing religious ritual and Victorian traditions are waning. We all make decisions on how we live our lives. We too can choose how we make our exit.
Whether you see your funeral as a lively celebration with music and dancing or a quiet gathering over a favourite meal, modern funerals offer the flexibility to reflect your wishes. There are no rules to the shape and form a funeral should take. The most important thing is that it is right for you, reflecting you and providing comfort for those you leave behind.
There is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to funerals, and that’s a good thing. While some prefer a simple, direct cremation, others may choose an elaborate memorial. The key is to explore what feels right for you and your loved ones.
A funeral is not about closure, it is a crucial step in the process of grief as we adjust to living with loss and moving forward with it. This is where having a clear funeral funeral advice becomes invaluable.
Take the time to research your options. Would you prefer a burial, cremation, or an alternative? Do you want a traditional service or something unconventional?
By noting down your preferences and sharing them with your nearest and dearest, you’re giving them the gift of clarity and peace of mind for a difficult time. Including financial preparation for these services can further ease the burden.
Let us be clear: Planning ahead does not mean rushing to purchase a prepaid funeral plan. In fact, these plans often fall short of expectations, and their benefits are unsubstantiated. Taking the financial stress out of the funeral is invaluable but rather than handing your money to a large corporation, set your money aside in your own savings account or invest it somewhere where you will accumulate the interest and not them. This proactive end-of-life planning can offer significant peace of mind.
Discussions of death are often not easy but it is a conversion so worth having ahead of the time of need.
How would you like to make your exit? Where would you like your final resting place to be? What music, readings, rituals reflect you? These choices are deeply personal.
If you would like help exploring your funeral planning options or discussing how much to set aside for the future, please do get in touch. There’s no obligation—just an open and honest conversation to ensure that when the time comes, saying goodbye is as kind and meaningful as possible.
Many thanks to Piercefield Oliver Financial Advisors for inviting Debbie Malynn, founder of Thereafter Funeral Services to contribute to their blog https://piercefieldoliver.com/
Following up from this blog. Louise Oliver has shared further advise on financial planning for our inevitable death.
https://piercefieldoliver.com/blog/financial-planning-after-death/
