Cremation rates have been rising over the past several years. Many believe this is due to escalating funeral costs forcing families to choose this means of disposition because of finances. Others believe it is simply an option for final disposition whose time has come and the financial aspect has no bearing on their decision.

As a longtime funeral director I can see validity in both viewpoints. However, having assisted many families through the years, I’ve witnessed these decisions being made based on the family’s finances more times than not.

Is cremation the lowest cost funeral service available? It really depends on the funeral facility a family has chosen. Many funeral homes now offer direct and limited burial services that are competitively priced with their cremation services offerings. This gives those families a choice instead of being forced by their finances to choose a service they don’t really want. I suggest talking with your funeral facility of choice about all options available before deciding.

For those who choose cremation, it offers an economical means of disposition. As an active funeral director I’ve observed, that many families don’t realize that cremation offers the same opportunity for traditional funeral services as does ground burial.Many families are now choosing to have full services and then cremation instead of ground burial. Other families are opting for a “direct cremation" and handling memorial services themselves.

Final disposition decisions shouldn’t be forced by the family’s finances in my opinion. A reputable funeral home will always work with a family to provide the type services they desire and can afford. Let your funeral director know your wishes, ask questions and you may be surprised to find that you can still get a low cost funeral with ground burial as well as cremation. The result should be that the family will get to decide based on choice and not finances.