Calculating Funeral Fees

Funeral directors just like everyone else, have to pay their bills, but just as in any other business, there are those who operate unethically. It is up to everyone to do their research thoroughly into funeral fees so as to find a funeral director who offers quality products and services along with fair pricing.

These days a funeral can mean anything from an affordable ‘green’ burial to cremation to a 3 day viewing and procession. When you do your research you will find that there is quite a difference in price between cremations and burials, and there are even significant differences in funeral fees between the same services but from different funeral homes.

Estimate what Your Type of Funeral will Cost

In the USA, by rule funeral homes have to give prices over the phone as well as provide a printed brochure of prices. So if funeral homes and crematoriums do provide a list of expenses, you can use a funeral cost calculator as a guideline to help estimate your burial or cremation and all the costs connected to each one.

There are people in South Africa who are making it possible to have cheap eco-friendly coffins with brightly painted exteriors. Thousands of them have already been sold and what is more, during cremation, these coffins produce 40% less carbon emissions than their wood counterparts. The point is that in South Africa, there are efforts being made to offer funerals which are by no means expensive. Burials can cost between R8 000 or R100 000 depending on what you want, but you don’t have to spend a lot – with careful calculations you can cut down on costs.

Take Advantage of Metropolitan’s Funeral Cost Calculator

Metropolitan has provided us with an online tool that will calculate how much a funeral will cost. The service is entirely free. The calculator starts off by asking users the location of the funeral – whether it is city-based or rural based. It goes on to ask you what accessories you need and want. The app includes costs for everything, from flowers to new clothes for the funeral to tents to transport, livestock and catering.

Calculating Funeral Fees – Be Realistic about your Needs not Wants

Marketing manager at Metropolitan says that the funeral calculator is to help people be more realistic about what they require in terms of a ‘dignified’ funeral. Metropolitan says however, that the results of the calculator are not meant to replace the excellent advice people can benefit from when they consult with an authorised financial adviser.

The calculations provided with the calculator shouldn’t be construed as the final authority on funeral fees – it is just a guideline to give you an idea of what your type of funeral might cost. It is a useful resource, simply allowing you to more accurately plan for all those costs. It may even spur you into action to buy your own funeral plan. Having a funeral plan means you can spare your own family, who may not be well off, from having to find the money from somewhere to pay for your funeral.

Why Metropolitan?

Metropolitan are one of South Africa’s biggest financial services companies. They have been serving different communities for about 115 years, believing that financial literacy and the right advice can go a long way to help with making the most of the money you have.

Remember that funeral homes want payment in full at the time of the funeral, and with funerals costing so much in South Africa, it can be stressful wondering how to plan.

Be realistic about what you’ve got to spend, and don’t spend more in funeral fees than you can afford just to please your friends and neighbours. It is only you who will suffer in the end when the bills start pouring in. Metropolitan’s funeral calculator puts you in some control as to what you can afford.

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All info was correct at time of publishing