Whether you’ve been given the responsibility of memorializing a loved one or you’re planning for the future, you’ll soon find that there are plenty of options to consider when arranging a funeral service. Arguably one of the most common decisions that people will have to make is whether or not they want to be cremated or would prefer a burial. But when it comes down to the two, is cremation better than a burial? To help you answer this question, here are a few benefits that come with choosing cremation over a more traditional funeral service.
Cremation is the far more affordable option of the two.
One reason why cremation is generally more popular than burial is due to the fact that it comes at a more affordable price, something that’s very important during a family’s time of need. In fact, you can often save thousands on cremation services, since you won’t have to pay a funeral home for items like embalming and preparing the body, transportation fees, the casket you decide to purchase, or even other items like the cemetery plot itself and the headstone that you choose. Rather, cremation providers will focus on essential items like transportation of the body, getting copies of the death certificate, help with filing veteran’s benefits or social security benefits, and finding the right urn option to hold the loved one’s remains in.
Cremation may also be the best choice for those who are concerned about their estate and interested in taking advantage of tax strategies. If you find that the estate you’re settling is subject to tax by the federal government, you may be worried about how the tax burden, as well as any withdrawals needed to take care of cremation services, may impact the overall amount left. The good news? Those using the estate to cover these costs may be able to file a deduction for funeral services, cremations, memorial services, and the like. These tax benefits may only be available for very few with specific estate plans, but they can be helpful for those who truly need the money back from the IRS moving forward.
If cost is something that plays a major role in your decision, reach out to professional services offering cremation near you to learn more about the process and how to proceed when you’re ready.
You can memorialize your loved one at home.
Looking for cemeteries where others can have easy access to the memorial site isn’t always easy. One additional advantage that cremation has over being buried is the fact that you don’t have to find a physical space to memorialize your loved one. Whether it’s your spouse or another family member, you have the peace of mind you need knowing that they’re safe at home every day.
You can also take personal measures to ensure they’re never forgotten, such as placing fresh flowers and candles next to their urn, having a personal cloud storage device with plenty of storage space nearby so that you can always tap into your favorite memories (no more having to manage dozens of folders on your Macbook and having to download them a different hard drive or USB drive each time you want to preserve your memories), and keeping some of their favorite items near their memorial space. No matter which memorial ideas speak to you, consider this as one of the major advantages of having a loved one cremated.
It’s a quicker process, which can help the grieving process.
Traditional funeral services take a long time to prepare, and as someone who is mourning the very recent loss of a loved one, the last thing that you may want to do is deal with the extensive process of getting all of this done. Although it does come with the downside of having to plan your own memorial and gather friends and family (should conditions of Covid-19 improve), opting for cremation can offer major incentives if you’re simply not ready to deal with all of the items that would need to be taken care of if you were working with a funeral director. While you will be treated with compassion no matter where you choose to go, it’s important to think about your mental health and, should your loved one not have specified what they wanted before they passed, which option is the easiest option for you.
Things like cremation and burials can be difficult to talk about, especially because speaking about these things tends to make them all the more real. That being said, we all have to come face-to-face with funeral planning at some point, and it’s best to be prepared and know what we want ahead of time. If you’ve been looking at these two options and wonder which one is the best fit for you, consider the three points offered above that argue in cremation’s favor, and start planning ahead now.