Not all funeral directors are the same. So it pays to do your homework! Navigating the hundreds of funeral homes in Australia when dealing with a loved one’s death can leave many of us vulnerable to upselling and confused with no understanding of the industry and little idea of our rights and choices. Are Value […]

Why go past your local funeral director? There is something special about supporting local communities across the Sutherland Shire, Greater Western Sydney, Wollongong and Central Coast areas, says Stephanie Kelly, Owner Personal Farewells. While traditional funerals are still important, one thing that Covid 19 has taught us is that we need to support each other. […]

There is a big push by some funeral companies to tout the benefits of the prepaid funeral plans they sell to pensioners. They urge pensioners in Sydney and Melbourne to pay for their own funeral in advance—in order to spare their loved ones the trouble and expense and lock in current prices. However, if you […]

Pre-paid funerals have come under fire recently, with Choice, Australia’s leading consumer advocacy group, claiming that some funeral providers are unfairly profiting from Australians who purchase pre-paid plans. “Australians don’t always get the full benefits when it comes to prepaid plans,” Choice’s investigative journalist Saimi Jeong said. According to the Choice, InvoCare made $800,000 in 2019 […]

What you need to know Most funeral directors allow people to ‘prepay’ their funeral, with the cost calculated on the choices that the person selects, such as the style of coffin and the type of service. These funerals are in ‘today’s dollars’ and can be paid as a lump sum or in instalments. This is […]

While we know that cremation rates have been increasing in Australia, what many people don’t know is that some people take cremation and memorialisation a step further. Instead of scattering their loved ones’ ashes or saving them in an urn, many people now converting the ashes into diamonds and specially made jewellery that they wear […]