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Tag: funeral planning

  • After vs Cremation Club (2026 Review): Which Digital Legacy & Cremation Service Is the Best Choice?

    After vs Cremation Club (2026 Review): Which Digital Legacy & Cremation Service Is the Best Choice?

    In todayโ€™s evolving deathcare landscape, families want more than just low-cost cremationโ€”they want legacy protection, security, and control. This in-depth review compares After and Cremation Club, two very different approaches to end-of-life planning. While Cremation Club offers direct cremation at a budget price, After delivers a full digital legacy platform with secure will creation, encrypted…

  • How to Find a Special Needs Estate Planning Attorney Who Actually Knows What They’re Doing

    How to Find a Special Needs Estate Planning Attorney Who Actually Knows What They’re Doing

    Most estate planning attorneys say they “do special needs trusts,” but few truly understand SSI and Medicaid rules. Here’s how to identify attorneys with real expertise and avoid the ones who will destroy your child’s benefits while charging you thousands.

  • Anticipatory Grief: How to Cope When Your Loved One is Dying (Terminal Illness & Hospice Care Guide)

    Anticipatory Grief: How to Cope When Your Loved One is Dying (Terminal Illness & Hospice Care Guide)

    Your loved one is still alive, but you’re already grievingโ€”the guilt, the exhaustion, the relief you’re afraid to feel. This is anticipatory grief, one of the most isolating and exhausting forms of loss. This comprehensive guide offers validation, practical coping strategies, and honest support for navigating the long goodbye of terminal illness.

  • 9 Things Funeral Directors Wish They Could Tell You (But Usually Don’t)

    9 Things Funeral Directors Wish They Could Tell You (But Usually Don’t)

    Funeral directors see families at their most vulnerable – and there are truths they wish you knew but rarely share. From optional embalming to dramatic casket markups, these insider insights could save you thousands and protect you from decisions you’ll regret.

  • Memorial Service Planning: Options and Considerations

    Memorial Service Planning: Options and Considerations

    Planning a memorial service involves decisions about format, timing, location, and content that honor your loved one while meeting the needs of those gathering to remember them. This guide explores different service types, burial versus cremation considerations, location options, and ways to create meaningful personalized tributes.

  • Funeral Service Costs: Industry Pricing Structure Explained

    Funeral Service Costs: Industry Pricing Structure Explained

    Understanding how funeral homes structure their pricing helps you make informed decisions during a difficult time. This comprehensive guide breaks down funeral service fees, merchandise costs, cemetery expenses, and the factors that influence pricing across the funeral industry.

  • What to Do When Someone Dies – First 24 Hours Checklist

    What to Do When Someone Dies – First 24 Hours Checklist

    The first 24 hours after someone dies require specific actions while you’re processing grief and shock. This comprehensive checklist covers immediate steps including obtaining pronouncement of death, body transportation options, securing belongings, gathering essential documents, and knowing what can wait until later.

  • The FTC Funeral Rule: Consumer Rights and Legal Protections

    The FTC Funeral Rule: Consumer Rights and Legal Protections

    The Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule provides essential legal protections for families during funeral planning, including the right to itemized pricing, the ability to purchase goods from any supplier, and protection from deceptive practices. Understanding these consumer rights helps you make informed decisions without pressure or manipulation during one of life’s most difficult times.

  • EXPOSED: How Funeral Homes Legally Rob Grieving Families of $15,000+ (Investigation)

    EXPOSED: How Funeral Homes Legally Rob Grieving Families of $15,000+ (Investigation)

    The shocking truth about funeral costs: Families routinely pay $15,000 for services that cost $3,530 from direct suppliers. That’s $11,470 in unnecessary markups during your most vulnerable time. Our investigation exposes how funeral homes exploit grief for profitโ€”and reveals the trusted alternatives that can save your family thousands while still honoring your loved one with…

  • From Loss to Legacy: Why I Built Memorial Merits

    From Loss to Legacy: Why I Built Memorial Merits

    After losing my father while serving at sea, I discovered how overwhelming grief and end-of-life decisions can be. Memorial Merits was born to give families clarity, comfort, and trusted resources when they need them most.

  • The Complete Funeral Planning Checklist: 47 Essential Resources Every Family Needs (Save $3,000+ on Final Arrangements)

    The Complete Funeral Planning Checklist: 47 Essential Resources Every Family Needs (Save $3,000+ on Final Arrangements)

    The average funeral costs over $9,000, but prepared families save $3,000-$7,000. Discover 47 trusted resources for affordable, dignified final arrangements that honor your loved ones without breaking the bank.

  • Why I Created the Legacy Journal I Wish My Family Had

    There’s a moment that changes you.It usually comes quietly — in a hospital room, during a late-night phone call, or when you’re holding onto someone’s belongings with more […]

  • Meet Solace: The World’s First AI Assistant for Grief Support, Funeral Planning, and End-of-Life Care

    Meet Solace: The World’s First AI Assistant for Grief Support, Funeral Planning, and End-of-Life Care

    Born from compassion, built with intention, and guided by lived experience, Solace is the worldโ€™s first AI assistant designed exclusively to help individuals and families facing grief, funeral planning, emotional overwhelm, and the complexities of end-of-life preparation.

  • Pre-Paid Cremation: Is It a Smart Choice for You?

    Pre-Paid Cremation: Is It a Smart Choice for You?

    Planning for the future can be a daunting task, especially when it comes to making decisions about end-of-life arrangements. One option that has gained popularity in recent years is pre-paid cremation. This approach allows individuals to plan and pay for their cremation in advance, alleviating the financial and emotional burden on their loved ones. But…

  • Top 10 Myths About Cremation Debunked

    Top 10 Myths About Cremation Debunked

    Cremation has become an increasingly popular choice for final arrangements. Despite its growing acceptance, there are still many myths and misconceptions surrounding this process. This article aims to […]

  • Comprehensive Guide to Funeral Planning: Legal Documents You Need

    Comprehensive Guide to Funeral Planning: Legal Documents You Need

    Among the most crucial steps in funeral planning is ensuring that all necessary legal documents are prepared. These documents play a vital role in confirming that your final wishes are honored and that the process is as smooth as possible for those you leave behind.

  • Themed Funeral Ideas for Unique Personalities: Celebrating Lives Uniquely

    Themed Funeral Ideas for Unique Personalities: Celebrating Lives Uniquely

    From motorcycle processions to Star Wars celebrations, themed funerals honor the person your loved one actually was. This guide covers six popular themes, planning tips, and how to work with funeral homes on unconventional requests.

  • Essential Funeral Planning Checklist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparation

    Essential Funeral Planning Checklist: A Step-by-Step Guide to Preparation

    This step-by-step guide aims to provide clarity and support throughout the funeral planning process, ensuring that no detail is overlooked while you honor your loved one’s memory.

  • Life Insurance on Someone Else: What Insurable Interest Means for Your Family
    Insurable interest determines who you can get life insurance on and who you cannot. This guide explains the rules in plain language for unmarried partners, divorced co-parents, adult children insuring aging parents, blended families, and small business partners, including the workarounds and conversation strategies nobody else covers.
  • Life Insurance with Pre-Existing Conditions
    Every article about life insurance with pre-existing conditions opens with the same line: “yes, you can still get coverage.” Then it skips everything that actually matters. This guide breaks down the table rating system in plain English, explains how the same condition gets evaluated completely differently by different carriers, reveals the informal inquiry strategy that keeps formal declines off your MIB record, and walks through condition-specific underwriting reality for cardiovascular, metabolic, cancer, mental health, and autoimmune conditions. Written from the patient’s perspective, not the broker’s desk. Free preparation checklist included.
  • Life Insurance for Special Needs Families
    Standard life insurance advice assumes your dependents will eventually become independent. When your child has special needs, that assumption changes everything. This guide covers the real coverage calculation, trust funding strategies, family coordination failures, and protection planning that generic financial content ignores.
Open legacy journal on bedside table with pen, coffee mug, and glasses in warm morning light, with prompt to reflect and write