A death in the family is always going to be a distressing time… to compound the emotional distress however might be the knowledge that you are unable to afford the funeral costs. According to the BBC, the average cost of a funeral is now £3,675. A substantial amount of money to find, with burials costing at least £4,000. Without proper planning this can be a struggle for many families – inability to pay can mean there is no choice but to arrange a ‘public health funeral’, more commonly known as a paupers funeral where the local council pays for a basic ‘direct cremation’.
In the absence of funds to pay for a funeral and wishing to avoid a public service funeral, many people are now turning to crowdfunding to raise the money required for a proper send off. Charles Wells, chief operations officer for JustGiving, said: “Thinking about the costs of a funeral is the last thing a grieving family wants to do but with the cost of funerals rising JustGiving has seen increasing numbers of people turning to crowdfunding to help say farewell to their loved ones.”
The increasing need for people to turn to such platforms highlights that lack of planning that is being done to prepare for funeral costs. Although no-one likes the idea of planning for their own death, a simple and affordable funeral plan can ensure there are funds available to pay for your funeral and means this is one less thing for your family to have to worry about at what is an already difficult time.Our advisers can recommend the best plan for you. To arrange a consultation to find out more please contact us.