News and Links
"The Covid-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus."
"A growing paradigm shift is taking hold throughout the country that is once again bringing simplicity to the ways we care for the dead" by Kristen Wafield.
Debt after Death: WREG investigates the high costs of funerals, surveys local homes
"New research indicates some funeral homes don't do a good job of disclosing prices, especially online. A WREG investigation also found that getting precise details about costs can be difficult even when speaking to funeral directors over the phone."(Click the link above to watchWREG interviewing Furniss Harkness - FCAMS President.)
Help take the burden off your loved ones by taking your end-of-life decisions in advance.
A funeral may cost you thousands less just by crossing the street.
"Direct cremation is the same no matter where you go," says Slocum. "When we're talking about situations where some consumers do not know or can't find out that that same business offers the same service at a lower price, maybe at a similar location, that is when I would have a problem with it."
Despite decades old law funeral prices still unclear.
"It took me as a longtime lawyer and a professional consumer advocate literally an eight-hour day just to get a solid list of what funeral services were offered by nearby funeral establishments and how much they cost. Eight hours," he says."
National Funeral Consumers Alliance
Click here for information about the National Funeral Consumers Alliance
“Consumers charged high prices undisclosed online are not treated with dignity by the many funeral homes operated by Dignity Memorial,” said Josh Slocum, Executive Director of the Funeral Consumers Alliance.
Complying With the FUNERAL RULE
These rules are for the funeral provider. The Funeral Rule requires the funeral provider to "give consumers accurate, itemized price information and various other disclosures about funeral goods and services. In addition, the Rule prohibits them from: • misrepresenting legal, crematory, and cemetery requirements; • embalming for a fee without permission; • requiring the purchase of a casket for direct cremation; • requiring consumers to buy certain funeral goods or services as a condition for furnishing other funeral goods or services; and • engaging in other deceptive or unfair practices." They can be fined penalties for violation of the Funeral Rule. (Parts of the Funeral Rule that are of particular interest to you (cash advances) may be found beginning with page 15.)