We plan for holidays, family, weddings, insurance, investments and retirement, but we do not like to think about funeral arrangements. However, more and more people are realising that to plan ahead for the future is to safeguard loved ones against funeral costs and help their grieving and stressed family.
Pre-arranging a funeral service will give your family comfort knowing they are carrying out the wishes of their loved one. When you set out your wishes, you remove the burden from your loved ones of making difficult choices at a time of hardship. You can choose whether you would like a burial or cremation, a celebrant or clergy, or a secular or a religious ceremony. You can also make a coffin selection, choose funeral flowers and bouquets, nominate the music for the service, and more.
At some point, however, there is a need to pay for the funeral. Many people find further comfort in setting money aside now to meet that future cost. This could influence your level of government pension, as money set aside in an approved manner is excluded from the assets test. Most people who choose to do this tell us that it is important to them and their family so that the funeral costs do not become a sudden burden to their partner or children.
We recommend that you consider the many benefits offered by an investment in a funeral bond issued by an approved friendly society. These societies are regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and the Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC). The money can only be accessed upon death. Any amount surplus to your funeral cost is refunded to your estate. The societies pay an annual bonus which is added to the amount invested and compound annually.
We hold investment brochures for several friendly society’s in Australia. These are comprehensive documents and set out the benfits of a bond investment in detail.