Ishmael Kuduza took out a funeral policy specifically to help him when his parents would pass away. He did this because he believes that being prepared for the eventuality provides peace of mind that all the logistics will be covered, as well as some, if not all, of the funeral costs. He did not want to face any financial challenges during and after that difficult time, so he planned for the future. “I didn’t want to think about money when the time came as there is so much stress and emotion to deal with,” he says.
Ishmael adds that many people without a funeral plan have to take out loans to cover the costs of the funeral and then end up paying back the interest for years, which makes it very expensive. “By taking out a funeral plan well in advance, you protect yourself financially, and you can be sure that you can give your family members a dignified send-off.”
Ishmael says: “My mom passed away first. To make a claim I needed to submit the correct documents. It was a learning curve for me as I needed to rescan the documents, but once they were submitted, the payout was made within just four hours.
“When my father passed away, I knew the process so it was very easy. I was very impressed with Sanlam’s service and they were very helpful. This assisted me in arranging the funeral.”
Luckily Ishmael’s father also had a funeral plan, so he was able to cover everything for his mother’s and father’s funerals. “We were able to put the cherry on top to make the send-offs very special,” he says.
Ishmael’s message to anyone who is hesitant or procrastinating to take out a funeral plan is that they cannot run away from the inevitable reality of death or funerals – they will have to face it at some point. If they take out a loan to cover a funeral, they will be paying it off for years. This just adds to the pain of losing a family member.
“With a funeral policy in place, you have the peace of mind that you won’t need to get a loan. If you have a plan, you have the resources to cover the funeral’s needs to create a meaningful experience.”
Ishmael concludes: “Being prepared is important. I would advise people to put a funeral plan in place as soon as they can to avoid being caught in a financially difficult situation when someone in their family passes away.”
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