American consumer advocate and media personality Clark Howard is best known for his practical advice on saving money and avoiding scams. Howard’s advice on funeral planning is centered on one primary goal: avoiding emotional overspending by fighting against the industry's high-pressure tactics and high-cost, low-value products.
His funeral planning advice is designed to take the emotion out of the transaction and turn it into a simple consumer purchase. To do this, he strongly recommends that these decisions be made far in advance of any need.
Howard's fundamental belief is that when you are grieving, you are in the worst possible state to make a major financial decision. He argues that the funeral industry is structured to capitalize on this vulnerability, using guilt and emotional pressure to upsell families.
“If you don’t know your loved one’s wishes and you don’t plan ahead, you could find yourself out of a lot of money during what could be one of the most vulnerable times of your life,” Howard says. "You may be left being the one who has to figure it out.1"
Appointing a "Designated Skeptic"
A unique piece of Howard's advice is to tell your loved ones to bring a non-emotional, skeptical friend or relative with them when they go to the funeral home to develop a funeral plan. This person's job is to be a financial bodyguard, question costs, and prevent emotional decisions.
Clark Howard and Legacy of Love are on the same page regarding this "financial bodyguard" concept. You can start your funeral plan with Legacy of Love on your own without visiting a funeral home. When you have questions or need that "designated skeptic", our expert local counselors are just a phone call or mouse click away. They can fulfill the role Howard recommends, helping you craft a sensible funeral plan that aligns with your budget and preferences.
Beyond our local counselors, Legacy of Love also offers funeral concierge services as an add-on. Our trusted partner Sequoia Funeral Concierge Services gives you a best-in-class dedicated advocate to take charge and manage all details of the funeral service, scrutinize projected costs to identify any excess, and provide industry discounts available to them.
Ever the consumer advocate, Howard counsels against prepaying a funeral home in advance, "There is no guarantee that the funeral home you paid upfront will be around when it’s time."
Howard offers 3 primary reasons against pre-paying a funeral home for a funeral. We list them here, but then we provide details on how Legacy of Love offers flexible alternatives that do not pay out to funeral homes:
| Clark Howard's Warnings | Legacy of Love's Alternatives |
| The funeral home could go out of business, and you could lose your money. | With our pre-need and burial insurance pre-funding options, you name the beneficiary, and it's NOT a funeral home. If the funeral home you selected in your plan goes out of business, you can shift to a new funeral provider in your funeral plan. |
| The plans are often not transferable if you move. | With our pre-need and burial insurance pre-funding options, you have portability and flexibility. Since your beneficiary is likely a family member, you can move anywhere in the U.S. and the funds go with you, or opt to change funeral providers and not forfeit your funds. Your funeral plan and policy benefit can be used at any funeral home. |
| The money you pay into the plan could be invested with better returns elsewhere. | This may be true. Every family's financial situation is different. However, for families where there is no emergency fund, where inadequate savings or monthly cash flow prevent investing, or where age or pre-existing medical conditions deter traditional term insurance options suggested by Clark Howard or Dave Ramsey, then affordable funeral insurance premiums may make more sense. |
Nationally known consumer advocate Clark Howard urges people to funeral plan now to avoid emotional overspending when you're family is in a vulnerable state. By taking the emotion out of the transaction and turning it into a simple consumer purchase, families can "save big bucks." Howard does not recommend plans that include prepaying a funeral home. And, neither does Legacy of Love. Legacy of Love offers the alternative of pre-funding your funeral plans with portable, flexible pre-need insurance or burial insurance to affordably address the issue of not having sufficient savings to pay out-of-pocket for a funeral or cremation.
Millions of listeners trust Clark Howard and his staunch advocacy for consumers. Are you ready to follow Clark's advice to pre-plan your funeral? You can get started now from the comfort of your own home and, if needed, have one of our dedicated counselors answer questions or collaborate as much or as little as you wish. Call us now at 833-888-0355 or Start Here »
