Final expenses insurance in Australia

When it comes to planning for important life stages like marriage or retirement, we’re quite proactive. Yet very few of us want to think about what happens once we’re gone—more specifically, our own funerals and other end-of-life costs.

When you pass away, your loved ones will need to organise your funeral on top of having to grieve their loss. Your family may not have the money ready to cover the cost of your funeral and any other financial obligations that you may have, and this can add extra stress at an already very difficult time. Preparing for your own funeral is one thing you may want to do to help make things easier for your family, so that they can focus on their grief without having to worry about money. One way to help ensure the cost of your funeral will be taken care of is by taking out a final expenses or funeral insurance policy.

The good news is that finding a final expenses or funeral insurance policy is an easy task. There are many plans and policies to compare, so there’s likely to be an option that suits your needs.

Here are some things to consider:

Draw up a budget

Before you purchase either final expenses or funeral insurance, it’s a good idea to draw up a budget. Think of what sort of funeral you want. Things to include are direct funeral expenses, the funeral director fees, coffin, death certificate, flowers and any other associated expenses. This can help give you an idea of how much your funeral will cost, and you can then decide whether it suits your budget.

Other cost items to include in your budget may be any other immediate expenses that your family may need to pay, such as travel expenses for your family members to attend your funeral and any other urgent costs or debts that you may leave behind.

Do your research

Put some time aside to research the variety of final expenses and/or funeral covers available to you, as there are so many options out there. Now that you know how much your funeral may cost, you can compare policies that will pay out this amount to your family. Choosi can help you compare funeral insurance policies from a range of trusted Australian brands.

Update your will

If you’re thinking about purchasing final expenses or funeral insurance, then this may also be a good time to update your will. Consider meeting with a solicitor and reviewing your will to make sure that it’s still in line with your wishes. This may be a good time to prepare anything else you may want to leave to loved ones in the event of your death, such as letters, poems, or family heirlooms. It may also be useful for your family to have your insurance policy contract included with this document, so that they have all your important documents in one place.