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The Funeral Planning Binder

Would your family know whether you want burial or cremation, and who should speak?

The Funeral Planning Binder

For anyone who wants their family to know what they want, before anyone has to ask.

This is where you write down the funeral or memorial you'd like and the practical details behind it, so the people you love aren't guessing or arguing in the hardest week of their lives.

39 pages · 16 sections · 747 fill-in boxes · fillable or printable

It works when you type in it. The boxes line up and the Tab key moves through each page in reading order. It doesn't save itself, so the first page shows you exactly how to save your work.

Shop funeral homes with your rights in hand. A side-by-side page compares up to three funeral homes, built on the FTC Funeral Rule: prices by phone, a price list you can keep, and buying only what you want.

Fillable PDF on EtsyPaperback on Amazon

What's inside

  1. Start here — how to use it, and what it is and isn't
  2. Burial, cremation or something else — your choice and why it matters to you
  3. Who decides and who helps — the person you want carrying out your wishes, and a backup
  4. Comparing funeral homes — three side by side, plus your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule
  5. Already paid for — pre-paid plans, burial insurance, a plot already bought, and where the paperwork is
  6. Burial details — cemetery, plot, casket, headstone wording
  7. Cremation details — the urn, and what happens to the ashes
  8. The service — funeral, memorial, graveside or none; where, who leads it, viewing or not
  9. Order of service — music, readings, who speaks, pallbearers, flowers or donations
  10. Veterans — service details, where the DD214 is, and the VA benefits to ask about
  11. Organ and body donation — registered or not, and where the paperwork is
  12. My obituary — the facts filled in, plus room to say it in your own words
  13. Who to tell — the people and groups to notify, and who tells each one
  14. Letters to loved ones — lined pages addressed by name
  15. For my family — a first-days checklist for the funeral arrangements
  16. Filled-in examples and notes

The few federal facts inside name their source and the date they were read, so you can check them yourself: the FTC Funeral Rule, VA burial and memorial benefits for veterans, and how organ donor registration works.

The sections inside The Funeral Planning Binder
Sample pages from The Funeral Planning Binder

What you get

  • The complete binder as a fillable PDF: 39 pages, 16 sections, 747 fill-in boxes, and a CLEAR THIS PAGE button on every fillable page that asks before it erases anything
  • A zip of the same binder split into 16 separate section files, so you can open or print only the part you need
  • Every box prints as a bordered box to write in, so it works with a pen straight out of the printer

Who it's for

Anyone planning ahead for themselves, and grown sons and daughters helping a parent put their wishes on paper.

Fillable PDF on EtsyPaperback on Amazon

Common questions

What do I need to fill it in?

A computer and a free PDF program: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (tested on a Windows computer). No account, no subscription, nothing to sign up for.

Does it save by itself?

No. The first page shows you exactly how to save your work in each of those programs.

Can I print it and use a pen instead?

Yes. Every box prints as a bordered line, so it works with a pen straight out of the printer. Print the whole thing or only the pages you need. US Letter, 8.5 x 11.

Is anything shipped?

Not the fillable PDF: that's a digital download from our Etsy shop, for personal use in one household. There is also a paperback edition, an 8.5 x 11 inch glued book printed and shipped by Amazon.

Please read

This is a place to write down your wishes. It is not a will, it does not make your wishes legally binding, and it does not tell you what to do. Funeral and burial rules differ from state to state and change over time, and nothing in this binder tells you what your state requires. Nothing here is legal or financial advice, and we are not attorneys or funeral directors. This book is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. For what the law allows where you live, ask your state or an attorney.

This item was created with the use of AI.