PrePlanning Payment Options
If you choose, there are several ways to prepay for your funeral that can offer you financial benefits. However, prepaying is not required, but an option that many individuals find helpful.
Full Payment
This option insures that every financial aspect is taken care of. We place all monies in an interest-bearing government backed certificate of deposit account. A certificate of deposit allows for the highest interest rate available and has a minimum opening amount of $1,000. Cooper Funeral Home is designated as trustee on the account and can only use the funds to satisfy funeral expense after the beneficiary has passed.
Pay Over Time
This option is done through opening a burial savings account. Unlike certificate of deposits, burial savings accounts allow you to begin with a minimal opening balance and allow you to make additional payments to the account at the amount you desire. We, Cooper Funeral Home, are designated as trustee on the account and can only use the funds to satisfy funeral expenses after the beneficiary has passed.
Life Insurance
If an individual has life insurance, we make copies of the life insurance policy and keep it on file along with your other pre-planning documents. In NYS funeral homes and funeral directors cannot be designated as beneficiary on a life insurance policy. After the individual passes, we have the beneficiary sign an "Insurance Assignment" which is then sent to the insurance company.