There are no rules when it comes to arranging a funeral. At Frank J Siebert Funerals we can accommodate all manner of services and our supportive Funeral Directors will help you through every step.
Planning ahead can be of great benefit for you and your loved ones.
It may entail simply writing your wishes down on paper and giving them to your family or actually putting a Pre-Arranged Plan, Bond or a fixed Pre-Paid Funeral contract in place.
Communicating your wishes and investing in advance will ultimately reduce stress or any potential financial burden on your family. It will also give you the comfort and peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out and your personal choices acted upon.
Funerals are an important part of the grieving process, and are a means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings at the loss of a loved one. We celebrate all of our significant life events with others. Birthdays, weddings and other special anniversaries provide an opportunity to come together and share. A funeral will do the same, whilst giving friends and relatives the opportunity to understand how the lives of other people have been touched by their loved one. Ultimately this will assist families to move forward in grief. Grief is the internal response to loss. If we simply pack up our unmourned grief, we carry it into our future.
The Arrangement Process
There are no rules when it comes to arranging a funeral. At Frank J Siebert we can accommodate all manner of services and our supportive funeral directors will help you through every step of this difficult process. We will explain your options in order to craft a service that truly reflects both yours and your loved one's personal, cultural and religious needs. We can visit you in your family home or you can come into our offices.
What you will need and decisions to be made:
Usually an Arrangement meeting will take around 1-2 hours. This meeting would preferably be with Next of Kin, Executor (if applicable) and other family members or friends. There will be legal paperwork to attend to and decisions to be made on whether you are looking for a burial or cremation, service venue, flowers, coffin or casket choice, memorial cards etc. A few items that you may wish to bring along to this meeting are:
Your funeral director will advise you of any other specific requirements at the time of booking your arrangement.
Sometimes, it is necessary to report a death to the State Coroner's Office, although this does not always result in the Coroner's ongoing involvement. It is important to keep in mind that this reporting process cannot be rushed, and will often impact a funeral director's ability to commit to service bookings.
The need to report a death and the process for reporting is outlined in South Australian legislation and government regulation. The report is most often made by the treating doctor, hospital or police officer.
You will be kept informed by staff from the State Coroner's Office and your chosen funeral director as the reporting process unfolds.
Families are welcome to call the State Coroner and ask to speak with the social worker allocated to their family member's case.
The number to call is (08) 8204 0600
Please read the brochure from the link below to find out more.
Click to download the Coronial Process information.
Planning ahead can be of great benefit for you and your loved ones.
It may entail simply writing your wishes down on paper and giving them to your family or actually putting a Pre-Arranged Plan, Bond or a full Pre-Paid Funeral contract in place. Communicating your wishes will ultimately reduce stress or any potential financial burden on your family. It will also give you the comfort and peace of mind that your wishes will be carried out and your personal choices acted upon.
Download our Planning Ahead brochure to read more information about your options.
See the Financial Preparation page to learn more.
Pre-Arranged Funerals
A Pre-Arranged Funeral allows you to specify your wishes and preferences without paying any money. This does not protect your estate from future price increases but it will ensure that your wishes are recorded. Pre-arranging your funeral can be done at any time and does not cost you any money.
Pre-Paid Funeral Contract
A Pre-Paid Funeral Contract is a fixed price, fixed service contract whereby a funeral director commits to provide particular services at the time of need. At the time of drawing up the contract, funds equal to the value of the funeral director’s quote are invested with a registered Funeral Trust Fund. The funeral director is then obliged to provide the agreed services at the time of need for the funds invested, regardless of whether prices have changed in the interim.
At Frank J Siebert, your Pre-Paid funds are invested with an independent fund manager. It remains YOUR investment until we provide the services detailed in the contract. A funeral director cannot claim those funds until they have provided the funeral service specified in the contract. Your funds are PROTECTED until that happens.
Funeral Bonds
A Funeral Bond is a capital guaranteed investment for the specific purpose of contributing to your future funeral expenses. When assigned to a funeral director, bonds up to the value of $14,000 per person (as at July 2022) are excluded from asset testing for Centrelink purposes. Unlike Pre-paid Funeral Contracts, Funeral Bonds are not contracts for any specific service, however, your preferred funeral director will happily document your service preferences to be used in conjunction with your Funeral Bond.
Funeral Bonds do not offer a fixed price contract, but offer the ability to plan financially without the need to plan any specific details, or to accommodate aspects of your preferences for which a cost is variable. They also create space for you to change your mind about service details.
Download our Planning Ahead brochure to read more information about your options.
Funerals are an important part of the grieving process, and are a means of expressing our beliefs, thoughts and feelings at the loss of a loved one. We celebrate all of our significant life events with others. Birthdays, weddings and other special anniversaries provide an opportunity to come together and share. A funeral will do the same, whilst giving friends and relatives the opportunity to understand how the lives of other people have been touched by their loved one. Ultimately this will assist families to move forward in grief. Grief is the internal response to loss. If we simply pack up our unmourned grief, we carry it into our future.
