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.

Funeral Scams to Watch For: The “Grandchild in Trouble” Call and Other Grief Exploitation Tactics - Funeral.com, Inc.

Funeral Scams to Watch For: The “Grandchild in Trouble” Call and Other Grief Exploitation Tactics

Most families expect grief to arrive like a wave. What they do not expect is the paperwork, the phone calls, the urgent decisions, and the strange feeling that time speeds...

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...

Guaranteed vs Non-Guaranteed Prepaid Funeral Contracts: What Can Still Increase in Price - Funeral.com, Inc.

Guaranteed vs Non-Guaranteed Prepaid Funeral Contracts: What Can Still Increase in Price

Most people sign a prepaid plan for one reason: they want to remove uncertainty for the people they love. In a season of grief, even “simple” decisions can feel heavy,...

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...

Backyard Burial: Zoning, Health Rules, and How to Record a Home Burial on the Deed - Funeral.com, Inc.

Backyard Burial: Zoning, Health Rules, and How to Record a Home Burial on the Deed

Most families who look up backyard burial laws are not chasing a trend. They are trying to honor a specific person, a specific place, and a very human wish: “Bring...

Cremation Choices That Feel Manageable: A Gentle Guide to Urns, Pet Memorials, Cremation Jewelry, and Funeral Planning - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Choices That Feel Manageable: A Gentle Guide to Urns, Pet Memorials, Cremation Jewelry, and Funeral Planning

There’s a moment many families recognize, even if they can’t quite name it. The immediate decisions have been made, the paperwork has been signed, and the phone calls finally slow...

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...

Cremation Urn Size Guide: Adult, Keepsake, Companion, and Pet Urn Capacities Explained - Funeral.com, Inc.

Cremation Urn Size Guide: Adult, Keepsake, Companion, and Pet Urn Capacities Explained

When you’re choosing an urn, you’re rarely in the mood to do math. Most families start with something simpler: you want a memorial that feels like your person (or your...

From Ashes to Meaning: A Practical Guide to Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, Cremation Jewelry, and Funeral Planning - Funeral.com, Inc.

From Ashes to Meaning: A Practical Guide to Cremation Urns, Pet Urns, Cremation Jewelry, and Funeral Planning

There’s a moment many families recognize, even if no one says it out loud. The paperwork is moving, the calls have been made, and someone asks a question that sounds...

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...

Probate 101: Which Assets Avoid Probate and Which Ones Go to Court - Funeral.com, Inc.

Probate 101: Which Assets Avoid Probate and Which Ones Go to Court

After a death, grief and logistics arrive together. You may be planning a service, calling relatives, and trying to keep the household running—then a bank tells you an account is...

How to Notify Credit Bureaus After a Death: Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Step-by-Step - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Notify Credit Bureaus After a Death: Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Step-by-Step

Notifying the credit bureaus after a death is a straightforward way to prevent identity theft after death. TransUnion notes that fraud using a deceased person’s identity is sometimes called “ghosting,”...

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 Transfer Ashes Into an Urn: Step-by-Step Instructions, Tools, and Mess-Free Tips - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Transfer Ashes Into an Urn: Step-by-Step Instructions, Tools, and Mess-Free Tips

There is a moment after cremation that catches many families off guard. The big decisions may be behind you, but the temporary container arrives and suddenly you are holding something...