When it comes to planning for the future, death is not usually on the mind of many people. Often, things like retirement and saving for medical expenses are on the forefront of many people's minds. However, it may be a good idea to also consider those final expenses when preparing for the future. What many people are unsure of is exactly how much they need to save in order to have their funeral costs covered. The answer may surprise many people. The average cost of a funeral is now between $7,000 and $10,000. In order to estimate costs, it's important to keep in mind a few things.

Cremation

For those looking to save money, cremation is actually one of the most cost effective options. The average cost of direct cremation, where the body is immediately cremated and no viewing takes place, is $1,100. This is one of the least expensive ways to deal with final costs,but the lack of viewing may not coincide with the wishes of family members. A viewing before the cremation takes place can tack a few thousand dollars to that price depending on the funeral home's prices.

Burial

The cost of a burial in a cemetery is something that does require a fair amount of savings. The costs from the funeral home, including things like the casket, viewing, body preparation, and more, cost on average $6,000. The cemetery fees can also be pricey. These costs include things like the plot, the grave marker or mausoleum, as well as the cost to open and close the grave. The average cemetery costs alone amount to between $4,100 and $11,600. In many places, a cemetery burial can easily add up to over $10,000. Those who are planning on a traditional cemetery burial should plan on stowing away thousands of dollars for their future burial costs.

Other Expenses

Another thing that many do not realize is that there are many other costs associated with dying that should be prepared for. Things like moving the body can cost money. This is especially true is someone dies far away from home and their bodies must be shipped to their final resting place. Shipping a body internationally can easily cost up to $10,000. This is an expense that should be considered when preparing for the future. 

When saving money for the future, funeral costs are not usually something that many people think about. However, the high cost of dealing with human remains makes preparing for death a financial necessity. Cremation services remain the cheapest option, but even that can easily costs thousands of dollars. The first step should be to decide upon final wishes and then to begin saving from there. 

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