There's a lot of talk about funeral costs - from tv commercials to magazine articles and even complete websites. There are a lot of misconceptions about funeral costs so hopefully this page will help eliminate them.

A few widely seen commercials say something like, "The average funeral today costs about $6000." A few days later, you're out somewhere talking to some friends, and one of them says, "When my father died, the funeral bill was $9,000." Is there really that much disparity? There can be but here's an explanation that you don't usually hear -

• funeral homes include costs that aren't theirs, for your convenience ie. cemetery costs, newspaper fees, flower prices, clergy and church costs, and certified copies of the death certificate, to name the most common. The funeral home commonly includes these to keep you from having to write separate checks to all of these entities.
• there are variable factors that differ for every service - few people will pick out the same casket, burial vault, and urn if applicable
• other differences may be the type of services selected, such as times of visiting hours, type of service, use of a limousine, or other related expenses.

If you have financial concerns, it may be helpful for you to check around to compare the prices at area funeral homes. If you call on the phone, funeral homes are required by law to answer questions about their costs over the phone. Some funeral homes have employees who are not licensed funeral directors or who only work part-time and are not knowledgeable about the home's pricing structure. In that case, that person will offer to take your name and number and have a funeral director get back to you. You may also ask for a copy of what is legally called the "General Price List" to be mailed to you, faxed, or emailed. Although required to answer price questions on the phone, a funeral home is not required to mail, fax, or email their price list, but a reputable one will.

If you go in person to a funeral home and ask questions about pricing and services they offer, they are required to give you a copy of their General Price List.