Funeral Insurance (aka burial insurance – they’re the same thing) is a type of life insurance policy, which is designed to take care of all of your funeral expenses when the time comes (and it will come, you just can’t be sure exactly when). They’re generally designed to cover anyone up to the age of 100 years and really just take away the worry of the funeral expenses for the loved ones you’ve left behind. Funerals are pretty expensive things you know, after buying a house, a car and possibly getting married (some people still do that these days, several times!) they’re right up there in the “don’t come cheap” list of things to do.

Funeral insurance premiums are generally collected either weekly or monthly and there will be a pre-determined amount of cash available when you gasp your last breath to make sure that all of the funeral expenses are taken care of. If you don’t pay for your own send off, who will, had you thought of that one? Once you’ve joined the ranks of the “smart and thoughtful” ones, you might even like to make some of the arrangements too, or at least tell somebody what you fancy – it really does eliminate the possibility of family arguments, indecision and the inevitable heartache. There’s a big difference in the costs involved for traditional burials, for example, or alternatively direct cremations, so it makes sense to tell somebody about where you would like your final resting place to be.

Funeral insurance has one added advantage over many other insurance policies too, the premiums are fixed, you know exactly how much you have to pay out each week or month, and it doesn’t matter if you fall ill, the premiums will stay just the same. Some people like to make sure that there is plenty left over in the pot, so to speak, to pay for any other left over loans or other debts – mortgages, car payments, that sort of thing, and if you make sure there’s enough to pay the expenses there might even be a little left over for your loved ones.

If you know that your funeral expenses and other debts are well taken care of before you die, then surely that offers you some real peace of mind. As I’ve already said, millions of Americans have already taken out funeral insurance, why not join them?