What you should know.

Before making any decisions on preplanning or prefunding funeral goods or services, or signing a preneed funeral contract, we urge you to ask any and all questions you may have regarding the planning process.

An ethical and reputable funeral home will ensure the following rights and protections:

• Provide you with detailed price lists of goods and services before you make your selections.

• Provide to you, at the conclusion of the funeral arrangement conference, a written statement listing all of the goods and services you have purchased and the price.

• Give you a written preneed funeral contract explaining, in plain language, your rights and obligations.

• Guarantee in the contract that if any of the goods or services you have selected are not available at the time of need, goods and services of equal or greater value will be substituted at no extra cost.

• Explain in the contract the geographical boundaries of the funeral home’s service area and under what circumstances you can transfer the preneed contract to another funeral home if you were to relocate, or if the death were to occur outside of the service area.

• State in the contract where and how much of the funds you pay will be deposited until the funeral is provided.

• Explain in the contract who will be responsible for paying taxes on any income or interest generated by the preneed funds that are invested.

• Inform you in the contract whether, and to what extent, the funeral home will guarantee the price of goods and services you are purchasing. If the prices are not guaranteed, the contract will explain who is responsible for any additional amounts that may be due at the time of the funeral.

• Explain in the contract whether and under what circumstances you may cancel your preneed contract and how much of the funds you paid will be refunded.

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