Pre-paying a funeral

What is a prepaid funeral plan?

If you’re wondering, “what is a prepaid Funeral Plan, and can it work for me?” the below information will help you get a clearer understanding.
Funeral Plans are a great way to share final wishes and cover costs so that decision making and financial outlays don’t fall on loved ones at the time of need. When you purchase your unique Tong & Peryer plan, you create peace of mind and reduce the stress for those trusted with carrying out your funeral plans.

What are the benefits of prepaid funeral plans?

From choosing your Funeral Director and dealing with paperwork, to organising the service and transport arrangements, everything in the Funeral Plan will have been taken care of when the time does eventually come.  We capture all those details and keep them securely at the funeral home until they are needed.  You are welcome to come in as many times as you like to make any changes that may arise as we know life changes and you want to be sure your plans remain as relevent as possible.

It is important to note: The estimate of costs made at the time of the set up of your prepaid plan can change when the plan is finally activated.  This is because some plans stay inactive for a number of years and inflation and funeral home costs can fluctuate during that time.  The main thing is the majority of the costs will be covered and we will always revise an estimate at the time we are asked to activate your plan so full disclosure is gauranteed.  We are confident, the changes will be minor and we will be transparent with every element so there are no surprises.

What’s included in a prepaid funeral plan?

At Dignity, we believe that your plan should be as unique as you are. Because we believe that every life is unique and special, every funeral should be too. We specialise in helping people record their unique wishes for their final send-off, however personal, creative or unusual they might be.
That’s why you won’t find any set package plans at Tong & Peryer.

We can capture your hopes and wishes for the day whilst providing some inspiration for you along the way. Whether you have planned a funeral before or this is the first time you’ve considered what that might look like, we can help inspire your celebration with stories of others and a guided journey to help capture the essence of the day you want.

Our online journey allows you to make a record of your preferences for the service itself, whether this includes any special readings, music or flowers you’d like. You can add in as much or as little detail as you wish. Once we have that detail, we can provide an estimate of costs

Setting up your plan

Once you agree on your funeral details, we complete an application.  To make the process easier, we manage this on your behalf.  Depending on your cicumstances, there is a little paperwork but we will explain that all as we go.

The money you pay for a plan is placed in The Funeral Trust (part of the Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand), where trustees ensure the money is prudently managed. As a recognised funeral plan, contributions up to $10,000 are currently exempt from asset testing when assessing eligibility for a subsidy for long-term residential care.

Our commitment to delivering fair value to our customers means that the price of your Funeral Plan is no more than you’d be expected to pay for the same core elements of a funeral at today’s prices.

We pride ourselves on providing financial peace of mind, so we choose to pay our customers’ money into the Funeral Trust so no matter what happens; your money will be protected.

Activating your plan

When you die, and a nominated representative has been appointed, we will ensure they are kept informed so they can ensure that all of your wishes are executed in the way you wanted.