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302-478-7100 Wilmington & Hockessin, DE

Pre-Arrangement

Funeral Pre-Arrangement - Photo of Chandler Funeral Home Offices

Don Woodside is our Advanced Planning Director and Licensed Funeral Director with over 25 years of experience in the funeral industry. Don is available to assist you with any questions concerning pre-arrangements and could meet with you at either of our funeral home locations or in the comfort of your own home.

Planning your funeral arrangements in advance can offer you and your family a number of benefits:

Emotional Benefits

  • More Time to Consider Your Options – You and your family will have time to research your options and make well-informed decisions, without feeling rushed.
  • A Sense of Accomplishment – You’ll feel good knowing that these arrangements have been taken care of.
  • Fewer Family Concerns – Your surviving family members will have less to worry about in the event of your death.

Financial Benefits

  • The Pre-payment Option – When you pre-pay, you can lock in today’s prices. Our funeral director will explain each payment method and investment option available, and will help you make a decision that best suits you and your family.
  • Your Family Keeps More – When you pre-pay, your estate will owe nothing on funeral expenses. More of your assets and life insurance proceeds will go directly to your family.
  • Save the Amount You Need – Once you gain an understanding of all the costs involved, you can earmark a portion of your savings to cover those costs.
  • Fewer Last-minute Expenses – When you plan in advance, your family is less likely to incur additional expenses at the time of the funeral.

Start Pre-Arrangements

Funding Options

How Do You Pre-pay For A Funeral?

You may select one of two ways to pre-pay for a funeral:

  1. Pre-payment in Full – The first method is to make payment in full. This will guarantee the price of the funeral and merchandise selected.
  2. Pre-funding Through Life Insurance – Pre-funding funerals is a growing trend in America because of the peace of mind that comes from having one’s affairs in order. This will guarantee the funeral home charges and the merchandise selected. (Cash Advances may vary). Funding those arrangements with insurance coverage specific for funeral services may be paid in a single premium or multiple premium options depending on your needs. These policies are transferrable from funeral home to funeral home, state to state and can be made irrevocable.
Your Funding Is Secure

Your funding is backed by a national industry leader for many years providing pre-need insurance with thousands of policies in force. They consistently earn high marks for financial stability from the top financial ratings companies in the country.

Tax Free Value, Tax Free Benefits

Our plan provides life insurance benefits that are exempt from federal income tax when paid to a named beneficiary. Neither the increasing value of the coverage nor the total benefits paid at the time of death are federal income taxable.

Why Plan Ahead?

Planning in advance of need provides peace of mind. The death of a loved one is a time of great loss and advance planning can reduce stress for your family with the knowledge that your pre-plan has been completed. This allows your loved ones to devote more time to coping and understanding the loss and less time concerned with funeral arrangements and financial details.

Merchandise and Funeral Cost

Your Funeral Director understands that your personal choices are of the utmost importance. Your Funeral Director will meet with you to show the quality merchandise, assist you with the selection of the necessary merchandise and help you make the proper arrangements. Through pre-planning the cost of a funeral will be controlled. Merchandise selection during your pre-planning helps insure that you do not exceed what you want to pay. Pre-payment also offsets the risk of rising funeral costs in the future due to inflation.

Pre-planing Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Pre-planning, or Pre-arrangement?

    When you plan in advance, you are making choices now based on your wishes as to how your final arrangements will be carried out. Thus, you can reduce family concerns at the time of your death.

  • What do I need to do to pre-plan?

    At your convenience, you can meet with a member of our staff to discuss your options and your preferences. When you make arrangements in advance, you’ll want to consider your site of choice, the committal service, and the type of permanent memorial. By making some or all of these decisions now, you give your family peace of mind, and also benefit financially.

  • What are the advantages of advanced planning?

    There are many advantages when you take care of your final arrangements in advance. The most obvious benefit is financial, but there are a number of emotional benefits, too. When you make arrangements in advance you have a better opportunity to make informed choices. If you decide to prepay, you guarantee today’s prices, and can take advantage of affordable payment plans. We can provide additional professional advice on pre-planning and prepaying.

  • What is the difference between pre-paying and pre-planning?

    When you pre-plan, you do not need to pay for everything in advance—your estate can pay for the services at the rates being charged when your funeral is held. When your plan is complete, the funeral director will keep it on file until it is needed. However, if you pre-pay at the time you make your pre-arrangements, you can lock in today’s prices. We offer several affordable payment and investment options. We’ll be happy to discuss these options with you and help you make a decision that best suits your needs.

  • Where does the money go that I pre-pay into a plan?

    Typically, 100% of the money you pre-pay will be used for your interment/inurnment. Once we receive pre-plan money from you, we will deposit all of it into a trust where it cannot be released to us until after the funeral you have chosen has been provided for you.

    Types of Trusts:

    • Revocable Trust is a trust that any amount of money may be deposited into. At anytime, you may ask for this money and the interest it has made. At the end of the year you will receive a 1099 statement on which you must pay taxes on the interest as it is considered income.
    • An Irrevocable Trust is most commonly purchased by someone who eventually might need care in excess of his or her assets. Once purchased, it can be used for burial purposes only. This trust can be started for any amount. It may be added to at any time. You will receive a 1099 at the end of the year showing total interest earned.
  • What if the cost of the services/products I pre-pay is greatly increased at the time of my death?

    Once you pre-pay for a site on our property, the terms both parties agree to are permanently in effect. For other types of services, the cemetery cannot guarantee that the fund of money established by the purchaser will be sufficient to purchase those services. However, the interest earned by a fully funded account should offset any reasonable price increase.

  • What if your cemetery is no longer in business at the time of my death?

    Because your money is held in a certified Trust governed by state law, it will always be there for you, even if our business were to be purchased or go out of business.

  • What information will I need to provide on the On-line Pre-planning/Pre-arrangement Form?

    This easy-to-use form should take only a few minutes to complete and will require contact information, and your site/property and memorialization preferences. You’ll have the option to select services, based on your preferences and the associated costs. View or complete the On-line Pre-arrangement Form now.