Life inevitably comes to the end – in fact, the end is certainly one of the most inevitable parts of life itself, the one thing that none of us can avoid forever. We all hope that we will die warm in our beds, wrapped in the cocoon of old age, surrounded by our loved ones, our legacies. But before we get to that point, it is far more likely than it is not that we will first experience the loss of loved ones. Death is a natural part of life, though a sad one, and it is important to know how to proceed with things like funeral arrangements and the carrying out of last wishes (and other such things).

Fortunately, working with the majority of funeral homes in this country ends up being a relatively good experience, all things considered. Much of this can likely be contributed to the fact that funeral homes are predominantly owned by families. In fact, less than 15% of all funeral homes are NOT owned by a family, or at least by some other type of small grouping. The owners of these funeral homes can help you to make the final decisions for your loved ones in question, easing them from one state into the next and helping you to bear the process along the way. After all, there are more considerations to be made when planning a funeral than what many people imagine there would be.

For one thing, the method of burial is key. After all, more and more people are choosing to be cremated, either out of personal wishes or religious beliefs. The data that has been gathered on the subject more than backs up this claim, showing that nearly half of all people – more than 48% of them – will be cremated instead of buried. This means that now, even more people are cremated than buried, as only around 45% of people who die throughout the United States will be buried in the traditional manner.

But with up to two million people passing away throughout this one country alone over the course of the year, there are still plenty of traditional funerals taking place. And there are many things to decide for them, such as what kind of wake you’ll have, as well as what type of burial service. The type of casket or coffin that is used also makes a difference, as too does the matter of having it opened versus closed for the wake part of things.

There are so many little details to be decided on that many people will actually choose to engage in their own funeral planning – before, of course, they have passed away. In fact, up to one quarter of all people will have participated in some level of funeral planning for their own funeral services by the time that they pass away, and this is again something that is more than backed up by the statistics that have been gathered on the subject. Up to this same percentage of people have not only engaged in funeral planning, after all, but have even worked to pay off some of their funeral, so as to hopefully lessen the load that is borne by their loved ones.

Funeral planning is a great way to make the funeral and meaningful and even healing experience for the people that you ultimately leave behind, and is certainly one of the defining reasons for planning your own funeral, at least in part. After all, very nearly 90% of all people surveyed stated that they felt having a discussion about what they wanted for the end of their lives would be hugely meaningful – and likely not just for them but for others as well.

Funeral planning for your own funeral can even be preferred – at least, this was the case for up to 69% of the population surveyed. Not only can funeral planning in advance help to take some of the strain and stresses of funeral planning from your loved ones in the event of your death, but it is also something that can and will help to ensure that your funeral represents and remembers you in the way you would want it to.