CREMATION SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE
Plan Ahead
Planning ahead is not about making every decision today. It is about making things easier for the people you care about, documenting your wishes, and giving your family clear direction when the time comes.
CREMATION SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE
A little planning now can prevent uncertainty later and allow you to make important decisions at your own pace
Why Plan Ahead?
Preplanning is about more than making your wishes known. It can help protect your family from difficult decisions and unexpected financial responsibility later.
Our
Licensed Preneed Specialists
can help you understand your options, document your wishes, and determine whether funding your arrangements in advance is right for you.
Make Your Wishes Known
Preplanning gives you the opportunity to make decisions about your cremation and final arrangements in advance, at your own pace and without the pressure and emotion that often accompany a death.
Your family will have a clearer understanding of what you wanted rather than having to make those decisions for you.
Help Protect Your Family From the Financial Burden
Funding your arrangements in advance can help prevent your family from unexpectedly having to pay for your cremation arrangements at the time of your death.
Instead of wondering how the arrangements will be paid for, your family can focus on one another and the things that matter most.
Protect Today's Service Price
When eligible services are prepaid through a guaranteed prearrangement, the price of those guaranteed services is protected.
That means the guaranteed service price you arrange and fund will not increase simply because our service prices increase in the future.
Your Funds Are Held for Your Future Arrangements
Preplanning funds are not simply held by the Cremation Society of Milwaukee. They are placed with a third party in accordance with the terms of the prearrangement to fund future funeral or cremation expenses.
For qualifying arrangements, funds may be placed in an irrevocable funeral trust.
CREMATION SOCIETY OF MILWAUKEE
Medicaid Or State Benefit Planning
Planning for Medicaid or Other State Benefits
An irrevocable funeral trust may also be helpful for someone who is preparing to apply for certain
Medicaid or state benefits.
Wisconsin allows certain qualifying burial assets and amounts placed in irrevocable burial trusts to receive special treatment when determining Medicaid eligibility. Rules, limits, and individual circumstances vary, so preplanning should not be considered a guarantee of eligibility for any government benefit.
If this is an important reason for preplanning, a
Licensed Preneed Specialist
can explain the funeral preplanning options available to you. You should also consult the appropriate benefits professional regarding your individual eligibility.
Your Plans Can Move With You
Moving away does not necessarily mean losing the arrangements you made.
Prearrangement funding may be transferred or reassigned to another funeral home, subject to the terms of the particular agreement or policy. This can provide flexibility if your circumstances or location change in the future.
A
Licensed Preneed Specialist
can explain the transfer provisions that apply to your specific prearrangement.
Make Things Easier for Your Family
Perhaps the greatest benefit of preplanning is simply making things easier.
Your wishes are documented. Important information can be provided in advance.
Financial arrangements can be addressed ahead of time. And your family has fewer decisions to make during an emotional time.
Planning ahead is something you can do today for the people who may one day have to make those arrangements for you.
Choose Who Will Have the Authority to Make Your Final Arrangements
Wisconsin law determines who has the legal authority to make decisions about your final disposition after your death when you have not designated a representative in advance. That authority generally follows a legal order of priority, beginning with a surviving spouse and then moving to other legal next of kin.
This can create unexpected complications when family relationships are complicated, relatives are estranged, or the person you trust most is not legally your next of kin.
Long-Term Partners Who Are Not Legally Married
A long-term unmarried partner does not automatically have the same legal priority as a spouse simply because of the length of the relationship.
Even if you have shared your life with someone for decades, authority over your final disposition may instead fall to the family member or family members who have priority under Wisconsin law unless you have properly designated someone in advance.
Estranged or Separated Family Members
Estrangement alone does not necessarily eliminate a person's legal authority. For example, a spouse from whom you have been separated for many years may still have legal priority if you remain legally married.
This can become particularly difficult when a legal next of kin has been out of contact for many years or when family members disagree about what should happen.
When Several Family Members Share Authority
When multiple family members share the same level of legal authority, such as several adult children, Wisconsin law may require the appropriate majority to agree. Disagreements or difficulty locating the people who hold that authority can complicate or delay arrangements.
Planning ahead can help prevent your family from having to resolve these questions during an already difficult time.
Authorization for Final Disposition
Choose who will have the authority to make your final arrangements.
Wisconsin's Authorization for Final Disposition allows you to designate one trusted adult to control decisions regarding your funeral arrangements and final disposition after your death. The person you choose does not have to be a family member.
You may also name successor representatives in case your first choice is unable or unwilling to act.
This form may be especially helpful if:
- You have a long-term partner but are not legally married
- You are separated but not legally divorced
- You are estranged from a spouse or other family members
- You have several adult children who may not agree
- You want a partner, friend, or another trusted adult to make your final arrangements
- You simply want to make it clear who should have authority and help prevent uncertainty or disagreement later
Ready to Plan Ahead?
Our online preplanning process allows you to begin documenting your wishes and providing important information from the comfort and privacy of your own home.
You can take your time, consider your options, and make decisions without the pressure of an immediate need. If you would like assistance or have questions about funding, guaranteed services, trusts, or your preplanning options, our
Licensed Preneed Specialists
are here to help.