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.

Pet Cremation Cost by State: What to Expect and How to Compare Quotes

Pet Cremation Cost by State: What to Expect and How to Compare Quotes

When a pet dies, most people are not thinking about line items and taxes. They are thinking about the collar by the door, the empty food bowl, and how quickly...

Home Burial vs. Pet Cremation: Legal and Emotional Considerations

Home Burial vs. Pet Cremation: Legal and Emotional Considerations

Every pet leaves a unique mark on your home and heart, creating memories that stay long after they are gone. Choosing how to honor those memories—whether to bury them at...

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

Scattering Pet Ashes: Places, Permissions, and Emotional Meaning

There is a particular moment after a pet has passed and their ashes have returned home when you find yourself standing before the pet urn and wondering what comes next....

Honoring a Pet in Your Will or Estate Plan

Honoring a Pet in Your Will or Estate Plan

For many people, a dog, cat, or other companion animal is woven into daily life as deeply as any human family member. You notice it in small routines: the expectant...

Is It Okay to Bury Your Pet at Home? Legal, Safety, and Emotional Considerations

Is It Okay to Bury Your Pet at Home? Legal, Safety, and Emotional Considerations

When a beloved dog, cat, or other companion animal dies, many families feel a strong pull to lay them to rest at home. The backyard is where they chased balls,...

Social Security and Death: Survivor Benefits, One-Time Payments, and What to Report

Social Security and Death: Survivor Benefits, One-Time Payments, and What to Report

The days following the loss of a loved one can feel disorienting and emotionally heavy. Families often find themselves juggling numerous responsibilities at once, arranging a service, coordinating with a...

Death Certificates: Why You Need Them, How Many Copies to Order, and How to Get Replacements

Death Certificates: Why You Need Them, How Many Copies to Order, and How to Get Replacements

Life can change in an instant. One moment, everyday routines carry on as usual; the next, you are faced with the sudden absence of someone who shaped your world. Amid...

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a Pet During a Divorce: The Battle for Ashes

Losing a pet is heartbreaking in any season of life. Losing a pet in the middle of a divorce or separation can feel almost unbearable. You may already be arguing...

Scattering Ashes vs Keeping an Urn at Home: Emotional, Practical, and Legal Things to Consider

Scattering Ashes vs Keeping an Urn at Home: Emotional, Practical, and Legal Things to Consider

When someone you love is cremated, you don’t just receive a container of ashes. You receive a new kind of responsibility: deciding what to do with ashes in a way...

When You Inherit a Pet: Legal Responsibilities, Emotional Adjustments, and Planning Ahead

When You Inherit a Pet: Legal Responsibilities, Emotional Adjustments, and Planning Ahead

When someone you love dies, you expect to be making decisions about services, funeral planning, and maybe which cremation urns for ashes or cremation jewelry feel right. You may not...

Home Funerals and Family-Led Care: Legal Basics, Preparation, and When It Makes Sense

Home Funerals and Family-Led Care: Legal Basics, Preparation, and When It Makes Sense

When someone dies, many families move almost automatically into a familiar script: call a funeral home, schedule a viewing, let professionals take the lead. Increasingly, though, some families pause and...

Estate Planning Basics After a Death: Wills, Probate, and What Executors Actually Do

Estate Planning Basics After a Death: Wills, Probate, and What Executors Actually Do

The passing of a loved one brings a wave of practical responsibilities alongside grief. Beyond emotional loss, families often face immediate questions about financial accounts, property titles, debts, and the...

Ashes at Home: Safety, Etiquette, and Talking with Family About Long-Term Plans

Ashes at Home: Safety, Etiquette, and Talking with Family About Long-Term Plans

Keeping cremated remains at home has become a meaningful and increasingly common choice for many families. More than just a practical decision, it can be a deeply personal way to...

Memorializing a Loved One on Social Media: Posts, Tributes, and Privacy Choices

Memorializing a Loved One on Social Media: Posts, Tributes, and Privacy Choices

In the first hours or days after a loss, many families face that empty text box on their screen: “What’s on your mind?” Even though it feels impossible to summarize...

cremation urn on the table

Siblings and Inheritance: Preventing Conflict Over Money, Keepsakes, and Care Decisions

Family dynamics are complex, and they become even more intricate when questions of inheritance arise. Stories unfold not just around bank accounts or property, but around who showed up when...

When a Death Is Sudden: Coping with Shock, Autopsies, and Unanswered Questions

When a Death Is Sudden: Coping with Shock, Autopsies, and Unanswered Questions

A sudden phone call. A knock at the door. A message from a hospital, police officer, or neighbor that doesn’t feel real. When a death is unexpected, after an accident,...