Of all the things I have planned for, I haven't taken the step of planning my funeral. I am seriously thinking of pre-paying for my cremation with this organization. Anybody have any info (dirt) on this organization. I also wonder whether to pay now or just let my executor know of my wishes and let them pay at the time I leave the mortal coil.
Neptune Society
- Thread starter OHjosh
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After digging in to this, I'm thinking to let my kids figure it out. Basic costs for a direct cremation s/b about $700, but will probably end up at $2000, with transport and necessary documents as well as some other mysterious costs. We have indicated our wishes to them along with the estimates I received from the local funeral parlor.
Depends on what your wishes are, reasonably simple cremation, with basic ceremony, attendant legal costs and "recommended" tributes, urns and newspaper notices. can easily go to $5000+.
We won't pay now, as circumstances can easily change...from either end. Probably narrow minded, but for the same reason, we don't buy an insurance policy to cover the P...P...P as in the TV ads... Price, Price, Price.
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38Chevy454
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Had a neighbor that did it for her husband many years ago. They rode out on a boat and dumped the ashes in the ocean. I don't know if it was a specific desire, or was because of cost, or other factors. No knowledge if it was prepaid or any of the costs. It seemed to go OK for her, although I was not involved with any of the details, just knew that was the path she used for her husband.
Midpack
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Neptune handled everything when my Mom passed away in 2015, and again when my Dad passed away in 2018. Mom and Dad prepayed (about $3K IIRC), you notify them and they handle everything contracted (which is a long list). Well worth the expense, they handled everything perfectly.
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pacergal
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Both of my folks prepaid with Neptune.
All it took was one call and they handled everything. Ashes returned in week or so.
It made it so easy for siblings and I.
DH and I have looked into it, but haven't committed. We have noted that basic cremation in our area is less expensive than Neptune.
We have end of life plans in place and have reviewed with kids.
All it took was one call and they handled everything. Ashes returned in week or so.
It made it so easy for siblings and I.
DH and I have looked into it, but haven't committed. We have noted that basic cremation in our area is less expensive than Neptune.
We have end of life plans in place and have reviewed with kids.
grasshopper
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I thought crossing the equator, not crossing into the abyss.
Texas Proud
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My oldest sister has bought from this company... she said there are others that could be cheaper but she had already purchased...
From what I understand they do everything, including getting the body home if overseas... just one call, so that makes it easy for the people involved...
The Cosmic Avenger
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
My family and I are all of the mind that funerals are for the living, so we're all leaving the arrangements up to the survivors. I've told my partner that, after anything useful is donated, I wouldn't mind my ashes being either kept, scattered, or maybe mixed into concrete for a bench or birdbath somewhere green and peaceful, if it can be arranged, but whatever they feel is fitting is fine with me. And we plan on leaving enough money for the funeral expense to be inconsequential, so we'd rather not prepay in order to preserve flexibility.
cbo111
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+1 for us. My dad passed a few years ago and Neptune was excellent. They even arranged a clergy to say a few words at his veteran cemetery service, which was nice because most of my family are not particularly religious and did not have a source for a minister. The combination of hospice and Neptune really helped out at a difficult time. A couple months after the service, DW insisted we purchase Neptune plans, and we did!
skipro33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
My wife and I are all signed up with Trident Society. My mother had this when she unexpectedly passed away at home. We simply called them and they took care of everything. No other calls necessary except to family. They knew if she wanted to donate tissue, what flowers she wanted at her memorial service, hymns, etc. I couldn't believe how easy they made things for us. My father is a vet, they took care of setting up the burial and all that goes with that too at the Veteran's cemetery. All we needed to do was pick the date and time. Best money ever spent for those left to deal with a loved one's death.
My sister prepaid Neptune, and they made everything easy as others have said. DH & I have signed up with Science Care. We will donate our bodies, they’ll use what they can and return ashes to our designee, all at no charge. We have left instructions in our will as to what we want done with the ashes. There should be plenty in our estate to fund a simple memorial service. No urns for us.
I'm not advocating for them, but another option is a company like ScienceCare. 100% free (because they sell any parts of you they can). You are not donating your body to science, you are donating your body to a company that sells to science. Pre-register and then your survivor makes 1 phone call. ScienceCare handles pickup and getting death certificates.
skipro33
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
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SumDay
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I always wonder, what if ScienceCare or the Neptune Society are out of business in 30+ years when I anticipate needing the service? Then what happens, if you've prepaid?
ScienceCare is free. no pre-pay. They make their money selling tissue and body parts. Kinda like an auto salvage yard. They cremate what they can't sell and optionally return cremains to you.
On if Neptune Society goes out of business, I asked that. The money you pay goes into a federal trust account in your name. If they go out of business (you change your mind or your family does), your or your estate gets the money back in full.
To the posters doing the ScienceCare route: What happens if you die out of city (country)? Do they pick up your body and then ship your cremains for no extra fee? Do they ship your cremains for no fee even if you die in city? Who does all the other death-related activities. (Death certificate, notifying SS etc?)
With Neptune Society "pick up insurance" and those other services is part of the full fee, quoted to me as $2668.
To the posters doing the ScienceCare route: What happens if you die out of city (country)? Do they pick up your body and then ship your cremains for no extra fee? Do they ship your cremains for no fee even if you die in city? Who does all the other death-related activities. (Death certificate, notifying SS etc?)
With Neptune Society "pick up insurance" and those other services is part of the full fee, quoted to me as $2668.
ScienceCare seems to use local mortuaries to do the pickup. I've only dealt with them once when they picked up my mom from hospice. Since my parents pre-registered the process was a single 20 minute-ish phone call and then wait until the pickup. I have no idea how long the process would take if not pre-registered. I'm sure it was also simplified by dying at a hospice (or medical facility) and not at home.
My cousins+uncle also used ScienceCare when my aunt died, but I have no knowledge of their details.
ScienceCare did the death certificates. We dealt with SS and other notifications.
There was no extra fee to get the cremains back. I don't know what difference it would make if they had to ship "in city".
The only thing we paid for is when it turned out we needed more copies of the death certificate than we originally ordered and that is paid to the state.
Their materials state there is a screening process.
Again, I am not advocating for ScienceCare. Just pointing out there are cheaper (free) options for those who are up for it. Personally I wasn't a fan when the folks signed up for it. But it sure made things easy when the time came.
Good to hear. We signed up as we don’t really care what happens to our remains after death. And the “free” part appealed to my value-conscious self.
