The Funeral.com Journal

Resources to help you create tributes as unique as the people (and pets) you love. Learn how engraving, photos, colors, and symbols add meaning; discover scattering rituals and at-home memorial ideas. We focus on the details that matter—because small choices can carry a lifetime of comfort.

Cremation Laws in District of Columbia (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Laws in District of Columbia (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order

When a death happens in Washington, DC, families often describe the first few days as a blur of phone calls and paperwork. And then, right in the middle of grief,...

Cremation Laws in Florida (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Laws in Florida (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order

If you are dealing with a death in Florida, the paperwork can feel oddly fast and painfully slow at the same time. A funeral home may ask about cremation within...

Cremation Laws in Alabama (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Laws in Alabama (2026): Waiting Periods, Permits, Cremation Authorization & Next-of-Kin Order

If you are arranging a cremation in Alabama, you usually have two parallel experiences at once. One is deeply human: grief, decisions, and the feeling that time is moving too...

Starting a Family Cemetery on Private Land: Legal Steps, Permits, and Long-Term Planning - Funeral.com, Inc.

Starting a Family Cemetery on Private Land: Legal Steps, Permits, and Long-Term Planning

For some families, the idea of a small family burial ground is not about making a statement. It’s about continuity. A place that stays put when everything else changes: the...

What the FTC Funeral Rule Means for Cremation Pricing and Transparency - Funeral.com, Inc.

What the FTC Funeral Rule Means for Cremation Pricing and Transparency

In the days after a death, families often find themselves doing funeral planning while they are exhausted, grieving, and trying to coordinate relatives. In that moment, even “simple” questions can...

GoFundMe After a Death: Are Crowdfunding Donations Taxable and Do They Affect Benefits? - Funeral.com, Inc.

GoFundMe After a Death: Are Crowdfunding Donations Taxable and Do They Affect Benefits?

A death has a way of turning ordinary life into a stack of urgent decisions. You might be choosing dates and writing an obituary, but you may also be trying...

Pre-Need Funeral Plans and Moving States: Portability Options and What to Ask Before You Relocate - Funeral.com, Inc.

Pre-Need Funeral Plans and Moving States: Portability Options and What to Ask Before You Relocate

Moving is already a lot. Even when it’s a happy change, relocation comes with paperwork, deadlines, and a steady stream of decisions you have to make while your brain is...

Federal Estate Tax Exemption (2026): $15M Limits, Portability, and What Form 706 Does - Funeral.com, Inc.

Federal Estate Tax Exemption (2026): $15M Limits, Portability, and What Form 706 Does

In the weeks after a death, most families are juggling two very different kinds of work at the same time. One is emotional: figuring out how to say goodbye in...

Executor Liability: Can You Be Sued for Mistakes When Settling an Estate? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Executor Liability: Can You Be Sued for Mistakes When Settling an Estate?

Being named executor can feel like an honor—until the paperwork starts piling up, family emotions run high, and every decision seems like it has legal consequences. If you are asking...

Executor Fees and Taxes: Are Executor Payments Taxable Income? - Funeral.com, Inc.

Executor Fees and Taxes: Are Executor Payments Taxable Income?

Serving as an executor (also called a personal representative) can feel like being handed a second job at exactly the wrong time. You may be coordinating family conversations, court paperwork,...

Administrator vs Executor: What Happens When There’s No Will (Intestate Estates) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Administrator vs Executor: What Happens When There’s No Will (Intestate Estates)

When someone dies, the first hours and days are rarely “only” grief. They are grief plus logistics: phone calls, forms, decisions you never wanted to make, and the sudden feeling...

Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Deeds: Pros, Cons, and Common Problems to Avoid - Funeral.com, Inc.

Transfer-on-Death (TOD) Deeds: Pros, Cons, and Common Problems to Avoid

Most families do not start thinking about real estate paperwork because they love paperwork. They start because they want fewer delays, fewer court filings, and fewer “what happens now?” moments...

How to Plan a Funeral in 2026: Costs, Trends, and Preplanning Options for Seniors - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Plan a Funeral in 2026: Costs, Trends, and Preplanning Options for Seniors

When someone dies, families often describe the same strange collision of realities: grief feels timeless, but decisions arrive on a deadline. If you are planning for a parent, spouse, or...

Small Estate Affidavit by State: How to Skip Probate, Limits, and Requirements - Funeral.com, Inc.

Small Estate Affidavit by State: How to Skip Probate, Limits, and Requirements

After a death, families often find themselves doing two kinds of work at the same time. There is the emotional work of missing someone, of making decisions that feel too...

Joint Tenancy With Right of Survivorship: How Real Estate Transfers After Death - Funeral.com, Inc.

Joint Tenancy With Right of Survivorship: How Real Estate Transfers After Death

When someone dies, families often discover that grief has a practical side. There are calls to make, documents to gather, accounts to freeze or transfer, and decisions that cannot wait....

Unclaimed Property Search After a Death: Finding Lost Accounts in State Databases - Funeral.com, Inc.

Unclaimed Property Search After a Death: Finding Lost Accounts in State Databases

After a death, the world gets very small. The to-do list grows, but your capacity shrinks. There are the visible tasks—calls to family, a service to plan, paperwork you can’t...