Love does not equal $
I was reading an article in the NY Times this morning about banks lending to people who have declared bankruptcy. The practice has nothing in particular to do with planning a funeral.
However, it did start me thinking about the very common scenario of someone losing a loved one and then going into debt to pay for a “nice” funeral. “Nice” generally being defined by funeral home directors (but certainly friends and family are not immune to making judgment calls). As you are being guided through the selection of caskets to choose from – good, better, best – the implicit message to you is: “How much do you love your deceased relation?”
I don’t think there is anything wrong with having “nice” funerals. Nor do I have a problem with capitalism. But I do think consumers need to understand what is motivating their purchase decision. And generally speaking, if you don’t have money or are deeply in debt already, you should not fall victim to the lie of “if you REALLY love your [insert name here], then you’ll buy the premium funeral products”. How much you love someone does not equal how much you spend on someone. A low cost burial or cremation should not make you feel stigmatized.
And if you’re bankrupt, don’t take on any more debt. As the original article points out, you cannot declare bankruptcy again.
