The average cost of a funeral rose more than 17.5 percent in the five-year period from 2004 to 2009, according to the latest figures available from the National Funeral Directors Association. The average price of a funeral, according to the association, was $6,550, up from $5,580.
This inflationary trend started decades ago, said Ron Spaulding, funeral director at Wilson-Schramm-Spaulding. He said the cost of a funeral has doubled since he bought the Middletown business about 25 years ago.
Funerals, he said, can be the third largest expense in a person’s life, behind only their house and automobile.
These averages, directors warned, don’t include the cost of the grave space and opening and closing a grave ($2,500), a headstone ($2,000) or grave marker ($1,000), making the average closer to $8,000 to $10,000.
Pam Parramore, manager of Baker-Stevens-Parramore Funeral Home in Middletown, said people who haven’t planned a funeral in 10 or 15 years are “surprised” by the price increases.
She said outside vendors raise their prices every year.
In the last several years, she said, she has noticed what she called “price shoppers,” those who call numerous funeral homes seeking price quotes.
She said consumers need to check with their insurance companies to make sure their policies are keeping up with inflation. Otherwise, some of the financial burden of the funeral may fall on relatives.
Brian Flick, owner of Brown-Dawson-Flick Funeral Home in Hamilton, said more than ever “cost is a concern” when planning a funeral.
As a way to cut expenses, more consumers are choosing to be cremated because cremations are about half the price of a traditional funeral and visitation, according to Butler County funeral home directors. They’re also selecting less expensive caskets — they range from $500 to $25,000 — and deciding to hold the visitation and funeral on the same day to save money and make it more convenient for the out-of-town guests, the directors said.
Three years ago, according to the Cremation Association of North America, the number of cremations constituted 36 percent of all deaths in the U.S. By 2025, that number is expected to rise to 60 percent, the group estimated.
Spaulding experienced a “spike” when 20 percent of his customers chose cremations in 2010, but the percentage dropped to 15 percent in 2011. When he bought the business in 1986, about 5 percent of his funerals were cremations, he said.
Regardless, if people choose a burial or cremation, price plays a major role in their decision, the directors said.
Funeral directors are required by law to provide a list of prices for every casket they sell, and the consumer may, if they choose, purchase a third-party casket, and have it shipped to the funeral home. Funeral directors are required to accept a casket purchased from an outlet, and they can’t legally charge the family an additional fee.
One Middletown woman said she was treated “very poorly” by a local funeral home and cemetery when she decided to purchase goods from third-party businesses for a grandmother’s funeral.
Melissa Joy said her grandmother, who died April 13, had $5,000 available for her funeral: $2,500 in life insurance and $2,500 in savings.
But when Joy started pricing funerals, she realized her family would have to finance part of the services. So she contacted a Cincinnati casket company and a memorial monument maker on the Internet. By using these companies — instead of buying similar goods from the funeral home and cemetery — Joy said she saved more than $2,500, $2,000 on the casket, $500 on the marker.
She described the “attitude change” from the funeral home and cemetery employees “shocking to me.”
She said both businesses expressed their concern that the products would be delivered on time. But Joy said the casket and marker were delivered promptly and she’s very pleased with her purchases.
She encouraged those who are planning a funeral to “do your homework,” before making any purchases.
“You need to be smart about things like this,” she warned.
Looking for a way to protect consumers, especially those who are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral — all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress — the Federal Trade Commission established the Funeral Rule in 1984. The rule requires funeral homes to provide a written price list with itemized fees. Still, funeral directors admitted, there can be a great disparity when it comes to funeral costs.
Thinking ahead can help people make informed and thoughtful decisions about funeral arrangements, directors said.
It allows them to choose the specific items they want and need and compare the prices offered by several funeral providers. It also spares relatives the stress of making these decisions under the pressure of time and strong emotions.
Some funeral directors said relatives have gotten into verbal altercations when planning a funeral because the loved one didn’t express their wishes.
Bob Breitenbach, owner of Breitenbach-McCoy-Leffler Funeral Home in Middletown, said he considers himself “a good listener” and his goal is to “make an uncomfortable situation as comfortable as possible.”
When his phones rings, he said, he has no idea who’s on the other end. He only knows they’re hurting. “This is a ministry in certain ways,” he said. “They may simply say, ‘We don’t know which way to turn. We are seeking help.’ ”
Ann Colligan-Wyrick, a third-generation owner of Colligan Funeral Home in Hamilton, compared planning a funeral to planning a wedding, only instead of having months, she has a few days.
When she meets with a family, she asks what type of funeral service they want and tries to match a specific package with their needs. If a package doesn’t fit, she encourages them to “pick and choose” from the services and goods.
Spaulding said price “does enter into the picture” when people are selecting their services and funeral home, especially during the last five or six years.
For a few, money doesn’t matter, said Bob Webster, funeral director of Webster Funeral Home in Hamilton. After showing a man every casket on display, the man told Webster: “There isn’t a casket in this room good enough for my dad.” So Webster, with the man’s blessing, order a gold-plated casket — the same style Michael Jackson was buried in — at a price tag of $22,000.
Most of the time, Webster steers his customers to the least expensive casket.
In 1963, a book — “The American Way of Death” — was written by an English author that poked fun at the traditional American funeral. Following the release of the book, Webster said there was a shift toward simpler, less expensive funerals in the U.S.
But later that year, when President Kennedy was assassinated and his funeral was broadcast live on TV, Americans again became fascinated with funerals. He credited Kennedy’s funeral for possibly saving the funeral home business.
He said people are reluctant to preplan their funeral because they’re “afraid of death,” what he called the “last great mystery.”
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Planning for a funeral
Shop around in advance. Compare prices from at least two funeral homes. Remember that you can supply your own casket or urn.
Ask for a price list. The law requires funeral homes to give you written price lists for products and services.
Resist pressure to buy goods and services you don’t really want or need.
Avoid emotional overspending. It’s not necessary to have the fanciest casket or the most elaborate funeral to properly honor a loved one.
Recognize your rights. Laws regarding funerals and burials vary from state to state. It’s a smart move to know which goods or services the law requires you to purchase and which are optional.
Apply the same smart shopping techniques you use for other major purchases. You can cut costs by limiting the viewing to one day or one hour before the funeral, and by dressing your loved one in a favorite outfit instead of costly burial clothing.
Plan ahead. It allows you to comparison shop without time constraints, creates an opportunity for family discussion and lifts some of the burden from your family.
SOURCE: National Funeral Directors Association
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