PREPLANNING CHECKLIST

Preplanning Checklist

Losing someone is overwhelming enough. Add all the decisions, paperwork, and “what do we do now?” moments on top of it, and your family ends up juggling stress they never asked for. Preplanning is basically your way of saying, “Let’s not make this harder than it has to be.”

By handling the details ahead of time, you spare your loved ones from scrambling, guessing, or trying to make big decisions while running on grief and bad coffee. It’s one of the simplest gifts you can give them — fewer surprises, fewer arguments, and a whole lot less chaos.

Choose the Type of Service You Want

Preplanning doesn’t just ease the burden on your family — it also guarantees your wishes don’t turn into a guessing game. Some families handle decisions well, and others… well, let’s just say not everyone should be making big choices while grieving and running on casseroles.

Here’s what you get to decide ahead of time, while you’re calm, alive, and not in a hurry:

• Pick the funeral home and director you actually want — not whoever your cousin recommends because “they had a coupon.”

• Choose the type of service you want: traditional, cremation, donation, or whatever fits you best.

• If you want a traditional burial, decide where you want to be buried so your family isn’t driving around comparing plots like they’re house‑hunting.

• Meet with the funeral director and look at casket or urn options before it becomes a high‑pressure, last‑minute shopping trip.

• If you’re choosing burial, pick out clothing now so your family isn’t standing in your closet debating your fashion legacy.

• Decide where you want the service held — a funeral home, a religious space, a meaningful location, or a simple graveside gathering.

• Figure out the flower situation: big arrangements, small arrangements, no flowers, or donations to a charity instead.

• Choose who you want involved in the service — pallbearers, speakers, officiants — and maybe even warn them ahead of time.

• Pick the music you want played so no one accidentally chooses something wildly off‑brand for you.

• Write your obituary or at least jot down the important details so your family isn’t crowdsourcing your life story under pressure.

• Preplanning isn’t about being morbid — it’s about making sure your family isn’t left sorting through decisions you could easily make now with a clear head and a sense of humor.
  

Choose Who You Want to be in Charge

Your family and friends usually want to follow your wishes — they just need clear instructions instead of a mystery to solve. A little planning now saves them from guessing later.

Here are the basics to sort out ahead of time:

• Make sure someone (ideally your executor) actually has a copy of your will, not just a vague memory that “it’s in a drawer somewhere.”

• Give a trusted family member or friend a list of important accounts they’ll need to handle. Otherwise they’ll spend weeks trying to figure out who to call and what to cancel.

• Choose someone to be your power of attorney so decisions don’t end up being made by the one relative who volunteers simply because they were the first to answer their phone.

• Pick someone to cancel your utilities and subscriptions so you’re not still paying for Wi‑Fi, streaming services, and a gym membership you didn’t use even while alive.

A little clarity now saves your family from confusion later — and keeps them from having to guess their way through your final to‑do list.

Choose To Pay In Advance

Planning your service ahead of time isn’t just about decisions — it can help financially too. If you’re able, paying for things in advance means your family isn’t standing at a funeral home counter trying to figure out who’s covering what. It’s one of the few times in life where “paid in full” actually feels like a gift.

Here are the big things you can take care of now:

• Cemetery services and your burial plot — because no one wants their family comparison‑shopping real estate at the last minute.

• All funeral arrangements: casket, urn, flowers, transportation, and any specialized services — basically everything that would otherwise turn into a very expensive group decision made under stress.

• Prepaying doesn’t have to be complicated. It just keeps your family from dealing with a financial surprise on top of everything else