subject: Do You Need Burial Insurance? [print this page] There's been ads on TV and newspapers lately about how expensive the burial process is, and how for a few dollars every month, you could cover that expense easily. These are advertising a type of burial insurance. This type of insurance is very old, and not that popular anymore, although lately it's been making a come back. But do you really need burial insurance?
The idea is that when someone dies, taking care of them can cost a lot of money. This includes getting a coffin, a spot in a cemetery, exposing the body, taking care of legal succession, and so on. Typically, this type of insurance doesn't cover much more than that. It's not a life insurance, in the sense that no family member will receive direct funds from a burial insurance. Instead, the aim is purely to cover the process of getting someone who died, into the next life. But the question is whether that's something you need or not. These ads talk of very high costs, sometimes over $10,000 just to cover these expenses. But does it cost that much?
The fact is that it can be very costly to cover someone who passed away, if you want to do it in a way that's traditional and also very expensive. For a full service, you're looking at thousands of dollars being spent, either by the family, or coming directly out of the inheritance. That's an expense many people may want to avoid. That's why many elderly people may be tempted by these ads. But before going through and getting a burial insurance, you need to ask yourself what the cost will likely be. It can, in fact, be very inexpensive to dispose of a body. If you don't want to have a full exposition, and a burial, you may instead opt for a quiet family gathering, and to be incinerated. This can reduce the cost to just a few hundred dollars, because you don't need to buy a coffin or a burial ground.
Religion also does play a part in this. It's true that in many cultures, you may not have a choice, and want to follow traditions, getting the full treatment when you're dead. But that's a personal choice, and whether or not you're ready to put the burden on others depends on your choice. In this case, it may be worth getting such an insurance. If you don't care, on the other hand, you may want to ask close family members what they think, before calling the number on your screen. The important thing is to understand fully what you're getting into, and what the true cost will be, instead of what the insurance company tells you.
by: Casey Trillbar
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
