Brookside Chapel

Pre-Planning

Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home realizes that most people feel a little uneasy contemplating their own funeral; but more adults are finding that pre-planning their own service offers great emotional and even financial security for them and their families. Families have found comfort in knowing that the funeral reflects what their loved one wanted. Pre-planning can relieve the surviving family members of the stressful decisions that need to be made at a difficult time.

Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home's funeral director can walk you through the pre-planning (pre-arrangement) process. As a member of the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), which recommends pre-arranging for everyone, Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home incorporates the NDFA's Consumer Preneed Bill of Rights as a resource for understanding what to expect from a preneed contract.

Consumer Preneed Bill of Rights*

An ethical and reputable funeral home will guarantee the following rights and protections:

Provide you with detailed price lists of services and merchandise before you make your selections.
Provide to you, at the conclusion of the funeral arrangement conference, a written statement listing all of the services and merchandise you have purchased and the price.
Give you a written preneed funeral contract explaining, in plain language, your rights and obligations.
Guarantee in the contract that if any of the merchandise or services you have selected are not available at the time of need, merchandise or services of equal or greater value will be substituted at no extra cost.
Explain in the contract the geographical boundaries of their service area and under what circumstances you can transfer the preneed contract to another funeral home if you were to relocate or if the death were to occur outside of the service area.
State in the contract where and how much of the funds you pay will be deposited until the funeral is provided.
Explain in the contract who will be responsible for paying taxes on any income or interest generated by the preneed funds that are invested.
Inform you in the contract whether and to what extent they are guaranteeing prices of the merchandise and services you are purchasing. If the prices are not guaranteed, they will explain to you in the contract who will be responsible for paying any additional amounts that may be due at the time of the funeral.
Explain in the contract whether and under what circumstances you my cancel your preneed contract and how much of the funds you paid to them will be refunded.

* Source: National Funeral Directors Association web site: www.nfda.org.

Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home strongly recommends that once you've made your prearrangements, you should:

Keep a copy of your plan and any pertinent paperwork in a safe place.
And very importantly, inform a close friend or relative as to what arrangements you have made and where the information may be found.

Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home does not require prepaying for your prearranged funeral, but this is an option that many individuals find helpful. If you choose to prepay, Brookside Chapel & Funeral Home Funeral Director will explain the methods that are presently available for prepayment and the different financial benefits associated with each method.

As noted by the National Funeral Directors Association*

"If you feel prepaying is wise for you, then be sure to go over all available options with your funeral director. Remember, like with any contract, ask any and all questions you may have regarding your preneed plan before you sign an agreement."

* Source: National Funeral Directors Association web site: www.nfda.org.

Arrangements can be made in the comfort of your own home by clicking the button below. Fill in as much as you are comfortable with and we'd be pleased to meet with you to discuss further. See the form below for details.

Pre-Arrangement Form