While we strongly believe leaving last wishes instructions is a meaningful gift you can give your loved ones, the process of planning your own funeral may actually add meaning to your life and provide you with renewed purpose. Brian Vaszily's highly rated book, The 9 Intense Experiences: An Action Plan to Change Your Life Forever, suggests planning your own funeral and related steps may transform your life.
Make Your Last Wishes Original
To some people, memorial preferences are extremely personal. You may want yours to remain private, known only to your closest relatives, or you may want to use your last wishes to make your mark and leave a distinctive impression on the world you leave behind. Many ordinary people have made headlines with their unusual last wishes. See Unique Last Wishes for stories of these remarkable individuals and the surprising instructions they left behind.
Last Wishes Help Your Survivors
Even if you are reluctant to make decisions about your own final arrangements, completing a Last Wishes Planner can help the important people in your life more than you realize. Choices about cremation, burial, viewings, and final resting place are momentous decisions. In most cases, your family will be relieved to learn you left instructions on how things should be handled after you are gone. Even if they disagree with your choices, it gives survivors something to focus on, such as honoring your last wishes, rather than carrying the burden of making these decisions without you.
Free Last Wishes Planner
Pennyborn's free Last Wishes Planner is an easy to complete form that allows you to leave instructions about your last wishes, also known as memorial preferences. Print a copy of the Last Wishes Planner and fill in your own memorial preferences so your surviving spouse, partner, children, parents or friends will be able to plan your funeral services and make other final arrangements with a clear understanding of your intentions.
Note, a last wishes form is not a replacement for making a will, health care poa, or completing an organ donation form. A last wishes form is not a substitute for executing an affidavit or similar type of legal document that may be required under applicable state laws to appoint an agent to control your funeral, burial, cremation or other disposition of remains. Pennyborn's Last Wishes Planner is an informal document designed to be helpful to your survivors. If you need a formal, legally enforceable estate planning document, consult an attorney.
Depending on the requests you make in your Last Wishes Planner, you may want to write a letter explaining the reasons for your requests or asking your next of kin to respect your last wishes. For information on why such letters are often recommended by estate planning attorneys, see Last Wishes Letter.
Taking the Next Step
If one of your estate planning goals is to make things easier for those you leave behind, you may want to take the next step and make your own final arrangements. While you will need someone to carry out these arrangements on your behalf, there are several things you can do in advance. There are many resources online to help you create a customized funeral plan to match your personality. To get started, see How to Plan Your Funeral.
, suggests planning your own funeral and related steps may transform your life.
