Is Burial Insurance Worth It for Seniors?

In short, yes burial insurance is worth it especially for seniors. If your are a senior that has not saved up money for your funeral services this means your loved ones will ultimately become responsible for your final expenses.

They will be responsible for the thousands of dollars of funeral expenses if you do not have burial insurance. So if you are a senior with no money saved up to pay for your funeral then the answer to the question “is burial insurance worth it?” is a resounding yes.

In this article we will explain in further detail why burial insurance is the best option to protect your loved ones from debt they can be responsible for with the funeral home after you die to pay for the funeral.

Is Burial Insurance Worth it? The Pros & Cons

Pros

• Financial Security for Loved Ones: Burial insurance pays for your funeral expenses. This protects your family from any financial burdens of paying for your funeral
• Quick Payout: Policy’s pay out quickly which offers immediate financial assistance to your family.
• Easy to Qualify: No medical exams required just answers to health questions and consenting to medical & prescription history checks.
• Peace of Mind: Burial insurance provides peace of mind knowing that funeral expense will be taken care of by the policy
• Protection Against Debt: Without burial insurance, loved ones may have to take out a loan or resort to crowdfunding in order to cover a funeral which leads to debt and financial stress.
• Legacy & Inheritance: Any money left over from the life insurance death benefit after funeral costs can be kept and used for any purpose. This can be an inheritance or legacy gift.
• Cash Value Accumulation: Cash value builds in the policy over time that can be borrowed against or used to make premium payments.
• Additional Riders: Riders for Living Benefits, Accidental Death and Grandchild Riders can provide additional benefits and coverage.
• Affordability: Typically monthly premiums depending upon age can range between $50-$100 which makes it very affordable for seniors.

Cons

• State Limitations: Not all burial insurance companies are available in every state. Certain states may be morel limited than others.
• Does Not Substitute for Other Insurance: Burial insurance does not substitute larger policies like term or universal life.
• Costs Vary with Age: Older individuals are always going to pay more in premiums compared to younger individuals.

Do I Need Burial Insurance?

If you are a senior that has not developed a payment plan for your funeral or set aside the money in separate savings accounts to leave to your family for final expenses or worked with the National Funeral Directors Association on preplanning then yes you need burial insurance.

Burial insurance is life insurance for final expenses also known as final expense insurance or whole life insurance. You can read more on that on our other article here.

If someone dies without life insurance and they have no money this creates a world of problems. Your family will be responsible for coming up with the money to bury you and any other expenses you have left behind. This results in people hosting GoFundMe’s for the funeral and taking out loans.

This is all just to make sure you are buried with dignity. If you think the Social Security Administration will pay for the funeral then you are out of luck. They only pay $255 for the burial.

That is the equivalent to throwing a small pin at a brick wall.

According to bankrate.com

The average funeral costs for a burial is $7,640.

Thanks, Social Security….

This is why you need funeral insurance it is designed to cover burial and end of life expenses.

Does Burial Insurance Make Sense?

Yes burial insurance makes sense because the insurance will cover the funeral expenses. It also does it quickly within 48 hours so your family is not stuck waiting.

Your family recieves the death benefits when the insurance companies pay out and your family uses the money to pay for the funeral. This is why burial insurance makes sense it is quick and efficient at getting the job done for your family.

Qualifying for Coverage

Now when it comes to qualifying for burial insurance can either qualify for a life insurance policy with no waiting period or a guaranteed issue life policy with a 2 year waiting period. Use our tables below to determine your eligibility.

Type in any of your current health conditions into the table and it will tell you if you qualify for no waiting periods.

Health Condition	Eligible for No Waiting Period	Eligible Only for a Waiting Period
ADL’s(Assistance of Daily Living Eating, Dressing, Toileting, Bathing)	Yes	No
AIDS & HIV	No	Yes
ALS	No	Yes
Alcohol Abuse	Yes	No
Alzheimers & Dementia	No	Yes
Amputation Caused by Accident (No ADLS Needed)	Yes	No
Amputation Caused by Accident(ADL’s Needed)	No	Yes
Amputation Caused by Diabetes or Disease(No ADL’s Needed)	Yes	No
Amputation Caused by Diabetes or Disease(ADL’s Needed)	No	Yes
Aneurysm	Yes	No
Angina	Yes	No
Angioplasty	Yes	No
Assisted Living Facility	Yes	No
Asthma	Yes	No
AFIB (Atrial Fibrillation)	Yes	No
Autism	Yes	No
Brain Tumer(Non Cancerous)	Yes	No
Bipolar Disorder	Yes	No
Brain Tumor(Cancerous)	Yes	No
Bronchitis (Chronic)	Yes	No
Cancer	Yes	No
Coronary Bypass Surgery	Yes	No
Cardiomyopathy	Yes	No
Cerebral Palsy
COPD Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease	Yes	No
Circulatory Surgery	Yes	No
Cirrhosis	Yes	No
Congestive Heart Failure	Yes	No
Cystic Fibrosis	Yes	No
Defibrillator	Yes	No
Depression	Yes	No
Diabetes(Without Complications)	Yes	No
Diabetes(With Complications)	Yes	No
Dialysis	No	Yes
Down Syndrome	Yes	No
Drug & Alcohol Abuse	Yes	No
Emphysema	Yes	No
Heart Attack	Yes	No
Heart Disease	Yes	No
Obesity & Under Weight	Yes	No
Hepatitis C	Yes	No
Hospitlization(Current)	No	Yes
Huntington’s Disease	Yes	No
Kidney Disease Stage 1 – 3	Yes	No
Kidney Disease Stage 4 – 5	Yes	No
Lupus (Systemic)	Yes	No
Multiple Sclerosis	Yes	No
Muscular Dystrophy	Yes	No
Organ Transplant	No	Yes
Oxygen Tanks	No	Yes
Oxygen Concentrator	Yes	No
Pacemaker Implant	Yes	No
Pancreatitis	Yes	No
Parkinson’s Disease	Yes	No
Pending Surgery	No	Yes
Schizophrenia	Yes	No
Scleroderma	Yes	No
Seizures	Yes	No
Sickle Cell Anemia	Yes	No
Sleep Apnea	Yes	No
Stroke	Yes	No
Stent	Yes	No
TIA Mini Stroke	Yes	No
Tumor Cancerous	No	Yes
Tumor Non-Cancerous	Yes	No
Ulcerative Colitis	Yes	No

Is Term Life Insurance Burial Insurance?

No it can be if you die within the term period but term terminates and we never recommend that product for burial insurance. Term is meant to serve as mortgage protection and income replace when you are young. It is not designed to be burial insurance.

This is just another reason why burial insurance is worth it.

So if you are wondering is burial insurance worth it? Yes, it is considering those important facts.

Is it Good to Have Burial Insurance?

Absolutely it is very good to have burial insurance. This not only guarantees your burial expenses will be paid for and your family will be protected but how responsible you are for your family.

When your loved ones know you have insurance to protect them it gives them peace of mind knowing they will be taken care of. Ultimately burial insurance is the final gift and way of showing your family you love them so yes it is good to have burial insurance.

No one should ever have to bear the financial burden of paying for their loved ones funeral at the worst possible time. The time of grieving should be nothing more than grieving their loved ones. A big funeral bill piled on top of this makes for a very terrible experience for family members.

This is why insurance exists in the first place to protect ourselves and our loved ones. Giving them a lump sum death benefit of $20,000 to fall back on when you die will save them from selling personal belongings or borrowing money.

Burial insurance also serves as an inheritance, if you wind up leaving your family more money than the funeral costs then they can use that extra money for whatever they want. This could help them pay their rent for months or help them with buying a new car if they need it.

Leaving them extra money after your burial can help them better their lives in numerous ways so yes it is very good to have burial insurance.

Is Burial Insurance a Good Deal?

We get this question all the time, yes burial insurance is a good deal and heres why.

For a small monthly fee typically between $50 – $100 it vary’s according to age. Your family can recieve a benefit of $1,000 – $35,000 when you die to pay for the burial. In addition to this your policy gains cash value.

Cash Value

Cash value is a savings interest that builds in your policy over time and you can use this extra money to borrow against and pay for things incase you need it. You can even pay your own premiums with the cash value.

We recommend only using your cash value in times of emergency but it is great to know the money is there when you need it the most.

Other Benefits and Riders

You can also add additional riders to your policy depending on what life insurance company you are with.

There are Accelerated Living Benefit Rider’s. This provides living benefits meaning you can borrow from the policy’s face amount if you become terminally ill. This will allow you to pay for things in advance.

Other Riders Include:

• Accidental Death Rider
• Waiver of Premium Rider
• Grandchild Riders

All of these factors combined make burial insurance a good deal.

What Happens if you Don’t Have Burial Insurance?

If you do not have burial insurance and have no money set aside or any kind of preplanned burial then your family will go into debt or pay a huge amount of money out of their own pocket.

Burial costs vary from state to state but ultimately they are between $8,000 – $12,000 not counting inflation. So if you do not have burial insurance your family is going to have to pay that amount up front for your burial.

If they do not have the money to pay for it then they are going to look for ways to get the money by taking out loans or selling things they own to get the money required. In short if your dont have burial insurance your family will suffer.

Work with Us

We are a national independent broker that represents all of the top major carriers nationwide for burial insurance. This guarantee’s the best rate and coverage available.