Planning Ahead

Why Plan a Funeral in Advance?

We believe that making plans in advance about funeral and burial arrangements is important—for both you and your family. You can ensure that your wishes will be honored and you can ease the burden on your family at their time of loss.

As difficult as it might seem to think about these issues, we know from our years of experience that everyone benefits when a person has made arrangements in advance.

We often hear from family members about the comfort they feel when a loved one has made advance plans. With the major decisions already made, families are relieved of making complex and difficult decisions when they are overcome with grief. And families don’t have to guess what the person would have wanted, because it’s all there in writing.

Many people who make advance plans view it as another way to support their family and community after they die—and ensure their personal wishes are fulfilled. They make financial arrangements through wills, trusts, insurance plans, and charitable bequests. They write ethical wills to share what was important to them and what they wish for the next generation. And they specify their funeral wishes—issues like burial vs. cremation, type of service, and burial location—so that their family can focus on their grief and each other, instead of funeral planning.

Our advance planning counselors can meet with you and/or your family either at Sinai or in your home to make plans for the future—for yourself or someone in your family. Our counselors can also help you start a conversation within your family so they can begin exploring the idea—and the specifics—of advance planning.

We provide these services free of charge.

For more information, or to schedule a meeting, please call:

(415) 921-3636 | San Francisco 

(925) 962-3636 | Lafayette 

(650) 369-3636 | Palo Alto