Planning a headstone before it’s needed — often called pre-need — is one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give the people you love. It lets you make calm, considered choices now, so your family isn’t left making difficult decisions in the middle of grief. There’s no pressure and no obligation; many families find peace of mind in having it settled.
What pre-need means
Pre-need means arranging, designing, and often purchasing a memorial ahead of time — for yourself or for a loved one. The memorial can be crafted and set now with the final date added later, or designed and held on file until it’s needed. You decide how far to take it, and you can revisit the plan anytime.
Reasons families choose to plan ahead
A shared decision
You spend your whole life making important decisions alongside the people you love. Why should this one be any different? Planning together means the memorial reflects everyone.
Estate planning is complete
The memorial is one of the last steps in estate planning, and the plan isn’t truly finished until it’s included. It can even be used as a spend-down.
Family harmony
Disputes can arise over the details of a monument or memorial. Deciding now, together, avoids putting your family in that difficult position later.
Life insurance goes where it’s meant to.
Your life insurance is used for its intended purpose: to take care of those you love and care about.
Risk-free
You see the finished memorial yourself, fully prepaid and prepared before the time comes. All that remains is the minimal cost of engraving the final lettering.
Stress-free
A major decision won’t have to be made in the raw, emotional days after a loss. Knowing your options in advance eases the whole design process.
A hedge against inflation, and life’s uncertainties
No matter what the future holds, memorialization will be complete. We can’t predict our financial future, and certain hardships can delay, or indefinitely prevent, a family from arranging a proper memorial in time. Make sure your legacy is preserved in stone.
A full range of options
As time goes on, choices narrow. Certain granite colors may no longer be available, cemetery space grows scarcer, and restrictions on size, shape, color, and design keep tightening. Planning now keeps every option open.
A lasting legacy
Memorialization is a time-honored tradition dating back thousands of years. Choosing and marking your family’s sacred ground with a memorial ensures your legacy and heritage live on.
A process that can be fun and fulfilling
The design and decision process can often be fun, believe it or not. It allows you to reflect on your life and discuss it with family and friends to come up with a way to best represent the life you lived.
Good to know: Bring your cemetery lot information if you have it — the cemetery name, section and lot number, and how many burials the lot allows. It helps us design within the cemetery’s rules from the start. Don’t have it handy? We can help you look it up.
How payment works
Pre-need memorials can often be paid over time. We’ll explain the options clearly and put everything in writing, so there are no surprises.
When you’re ready, the easiest first step is simply to talk with one of our memorial designers — in an office, by phone, or by video. There’s no obligation.