Countryboy1

I'm at the point now where I am thinking about the impact of my death upon my wife and in this regard I am considering a pre-paid funeral plan.
I envisage having sufficient funds to enable my wife to pay for my funeral here in Spain, but I wish to remove as much hassle for her from the process as is possible.
With this in mind, I am looking at a Golden Leaves funeral plan which seems to comprehensively take care of most if not all my concerns.
So, I'd appreciate some advice/opinions please on this and would also welcome any personal experiences you may have of such plans.
Thanks.

Pulaski

There was another thread earlier this year that discussed the issues of what the funeral plan would pay for after they had returned to the UK. In other words, it no longer paid for "everything".

While I understand the convenience angle, and that "everything is taken care of", I consider that sort of pre-paid package deal to be a racket - not objectively good value (discounting any value you place on convenience), and sold knowing full well that a certain number of the packages sold are never claimed.

dmu

FWIW, my late British neighbour paid into such a plan for years, until her daughter realised that she had already paid much more than what her future funeral would cost. She terminated the Contract and was reimbursed, less an appreciable percentage as a "penalty".
Far better to open a joint savings account and put enough money into it to cover the cost of TWO funerals. Don't forget, either of you can go first, not necessarily the husband!
If you do decide on a plan, ensure that it wil pay your funeral expenses, wherever you die. My neighbour returned to the IK and died there, and it's doubtful that the French Funeral Plan would have been valid, and all that money would have been lost...

Countryboy1

Thanks to those who have responded. Have found the old thread and will read it through.

chrisjolly

We went through this process a couple of years ago and compared all the different schemes on offer, the Spanish ones being cheaper than Golden leaves, and came to the conclusion that if you put 3000€ aside in a savings account that would cover it for the next few years. Obviously prices will go up but having even visited our local Funeral Directors we decided to keep the money in an account which either of us can access and put all the necessary paperwork needed in a file so at such time the money is there and the documents. We have made what will be a difficult time as easy as is humanly possible.

Countryboy1

Thanks Chris, appreciated.

lurchio

Totally personal choice of course, but the adage that you may pay in more than the funeral costs will mean nothing unless you are totally happy that in the sad event of one of you dying,you can 'take it from there' as an ex pat. Remember, it will not be like shopping or ordering a meal and your command of Spanish better be up to it all to get it right.... All at the same time as coming to terms with the loss. Also remember, this is NOT the UK and losing a loved one on a Monday could mean a funeral on a Wednesday the same week. We took out a plan locally,because we don't want the one left to have all the stress as above and SOD any notion of money saving on this one. Also, as it is local, the Agent can request delays etc on a 'who you know' local basis to allow time for family to get here. Its NOT always about the money when as an ex Pat you are trying to manage really important and sometimes unpleasant things in somebody elses Country, culture and mindset. Think about it.

Countryboy1

Thanks very much for that. Much to think about. I agree, don’t think money, though important of course, is the total picture. Peace of mind is a factor also I think.

lurchio

On this one, yes it is! Also bear in mind that funeral directors here are also NOT like the UK type. Much more informal, maybe not as caring as well. Expect the worse, plan for the best as its a totally different way here!Good luck to you.

Countryboy1

Thanks again for that.

OTA63

Would putting a monthly amount away in a bank account to cover funeral costs either in Spain or the UK affect your tax liability if you are resident in Spain for tax purposes?

Fred James

Any interest that it accrued would be taxable.

Rosemary

Dealing with the funeral director is straightforward if you are well prepared. My husband and I wrote out all of the details that they would need in English and in Spanish so when I was organising his funeral all I had to do was hand over this paperwork so that the gentleman could fill out the forms that he had. You have to pay for the funeral before it happens so having sufficient funds in your account is a good way to handle this.

In the UK my MIL had paid in advance for her funeral, not a funeral plan but direct to the undertakers which she thought was a wonderful idea and that we would not have any financial problems. She was wrong, this only covered certain aspects so in effect she had only paid for half of her funeral, so sad that she was duped in this manner. This experience made us very wary and that is why we covered ourselves by having the money in our account.

Rosemary

dougal03

I have a plan taken out in 2004 with Golden Leaves which I liked.Since then I have constantly been sought out(must have found I'm a wrinkly)by Avalon,even when I was a few months back in Exeter.I am quite sure it has gone up in price meantime,but I was pleased with the personal attention & the quote I received.However,I am not going for the "hearse pulled by black horses type final farewell".

Pulaski

Like I said, "a racket". .... Your idea is much better for most people.