Funeral planning

With the rise in awareness of the environmental impacts humans are having on our planet, more Americans are choosing to have a green burial to reduce their individual carbon footprint. Through traditional burial, it’s estimated that every year in the U.S. alone, we bury the equivalent of 4 million a

While you may have heard about funeral insurance, burial insurance or final expense insurance, none of these actually exist—technically. However, these terms are generally used interchangeably to refer to a small whole life insurance policy that is purchased with the intention of making sure that

Embalming is the process of injecting a dead body with chemicals in order to temporarily preserve it. It is commonly used in the United States to help make a body look more lifelike before a viewing or funeral, as well as to help preserve corpses used for medical training and research. The His

While is certainly isn’t mandatory, many people choose to create funeral programs, prayer cards, obituary pamphlets, memorial posters, guest books and other custom printed materials for the funeral or memorial service of a loved one. If you’d like to have one or more of these at a funeral you’re pla

When you lose someone close to you, the last thing you want to worry about is finances, but unfortunately, funerals can be very expensive—in fact, the average funeral costs a whopping $9,000. Most people don’t have that

It’s easy for funeral costs to add additional stressors to the already stressful experience of losing a loved one. Whether you’re planning for the future or have recently lost someone, understanding your options and what the average funeral cost in the US might be is the first step to managing the p

While burial used to be the most common method of disposition in the United States, cremation has been growing in popularity at a rapid rate, becoming more common than burial in 2015. If you’re deciding between burial and crema

The average funeral costs about $9,000, which can be an enormous burden on a family that’s just lost a loved one. However, if you’re looking for a more affordable funeral option, there are lots of ways to reduce your costs and still do something very meaningful. Here are 7 tips for a cheap funeral t

When a loved one is cremated, families can choose to bury the ashes, keep them in an urn or scatter them somewhere. While the act of scattering as

Many people think about how they want to impact the world while they are alive, but most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how they’ll impact the world after they’ve died. While cremation and traditional burial continue to be the leading disposition options in the United States, there

Alkaline hydrolysis (sometimes referred to as liquid cremation, biocremation, resomation or water cremation) is a manner of final disposition that involves dissolving a cadaver in a heated alkali solution of potassium hydroxide (KOH). The process mimics the body’s natural process of breaking down, b

What does it mean to donate your body to science? Donating your body to science, also referred to as whole body donation or anatomical gifting, is the process of donating your body to a scientific organization (such as a medical school) after you die. In many cases, this means that your corpse w

While never mandatory, it’s common to hold a reception after a funeral or memorial service to give guests a chance to talk with one another and express their feelings in a more casual environment. If you choose to host one, here are some tips and considerations to help with process. Start wi

As more Americans have become environmentally conscious, green burial has become a growing trend. Through traditional burial, it’s estimated that every year in the U.S. alone, we bury the equivalent of 4 million acres of forest in casket wood and 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde, a toxic chemical tha

When someone close to you passes away, it can feel impossible to get anything done, let alone plan a funeral or memorial service. While it won’t be easy, here’s a guide to help walk you through the process. What is a memorial service? A memorial service is very similar to a funeral, except