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.

Social Security $255 Death Benefit: Who Qualifies and How to Apply for the Lump-Sum Death Payment - Funeral.com, Inc.

Social Security $255 Death Benefit: Who Qualifies and How to Apply for the Lump-Sum Death Payment

After a death, families often describe the first few days as a blur of phone calls, decisions, and paperwork—made heavier by grief and a sense that everything is urgent. In...

Freeze a Deceased Person’s Credit: Preventing Post-Mortem Identity Theft (“Ghosting”) - Funeral.com, Inc.

Freeze a Deceased Person’s Credit: Preventing Post-Mortem Identity Theft (“Ghosting”)

In the days after a death, families often feel pulled in two directions at once. One part of you is trying to grieve, to breathe, to get through the next...

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? What’s Inside, How Cremains Are Packaged, and How to Fill an Urn - Funeral.com, Inc.

Are Ashes Loose in an Urn? What’s Inside, How Cremains Are Packaged, and How to Fill an Urn

If you’ve ever wondered are ashes loose in an urn, you’re asking one of the most common, practical questions families have after cremation. It’s also a question that can carry...

How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Passport: Where to Mail It + What to Include - Funeral.com, Inc.

How to Cancel a Deceased Loved One’s Passport: Where to Mail It + What to Include

After someone dies, families often find themselves doing two kinds of work at the same time: the deeply human work of grieving, and the practical work of closing loops. Some...

Can You Bury a Cremation Urn? Cemetery Rules, Vaults, and Burial Options - Funeral.com, Inc.

Can You Bury a Cremation Urn? Cemetery Rules, Vaults, and Burial Options

Yes—most of the time you can you bury a cremation urn, and many families choose this option because it creates a permanent place to visit. What makes it feel complicated...

Do Red Cardinals Mean a Visitor From Heaven? Symbolism, Stories, and Comfort - Funeral.com, Inc.

Do Red Cardinals Mean a Visitor From Heaven? Symbolism, Stories, and Comfort

A red cardinal is hard to ignore. The color is vivid, the silhouette is familiar, and the song is often recognizable even when you don’t know much about birds. That’s...

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? The Science Behind Cremated Remains - Funeral.com, Inc.

What Are Cremation Ashes Made Of? The Science Behind Cremated Remains

The moment the cremated remains come home can feel strangely quiet. The hard part is “over” in the way paperwork is over—forms signed, calls returned, a receipt tucked into a...

When Cardinals Appear: Comforting Grief Quotes, Sayings, and What They Mean - Funeral.com, Inc.

When Cardinals Appear: Comforting Grief Quotes, Sayings, and What They Mean

Cardinals show up in grief conversations because they’re easy to recognize, memorable, and often present year-round. When someone is missing a loved one, a bright red bird at the right...

Carbon Offsetting for Funerals: How to Offset Cremation and Travel Emissions Without Greenwashing - Funeral.com, Inc.

Carbon Offsetting for Funerals: How to Offset Cremation and Travel Emissions Without Greenwashing

In the middle of grief, “carbon” can feel like a strange word to carry. You may be planning a service, answering messages you don’t have the energy to answer, and...

Deep Space Burial: Sending Ashes or DNA Beyond the Moon Into ‘Infinite’ Space - Funeral.com, Inc.

Deep Space Burial: Sending Ashes or DNA Beyond the Moon Into ‘Infinite’ Space

For many families, cremation is chosen for reasons that are practical—simplicity, flexibility, cost, or a loved one’s clear wishes. But what happens next is rarely “just practical.” The moment the...

Moon Burial Services: Sending DNA (or Ashes) to Lunar Orbit or the Moon’s Surface - Funeral.com, Inc.

Moon Burial Services: Sending DNA (or Ashes) to Lunar Orbit or the Moon’s Surface

In the middle of grief, families often find themselves holding two truths at once: a love that feels too big for the room, and a stack of practical decisions that...

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...

Space Burial Explained: Celestis Orbital Memorial Flights, Launch Process, and What to Expect - Funeral.com, Inc.

Space Burial Explained: Celestis Orbital Memorial Flights, Launch Process, and What to Expect

For many families, the hardest part of cremation is not the paperwork or the logistics—it’s the quiet moment afterward, when the question arrives without warning: what to do with ashes. Some...

Hotel Loyalty Points After Death: Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors Transfer Rules - Funeral.com, Inc.

Hotel Loyalty Points After Death: Marriott Bonvoy and Hilton Honors Transfer Rules

Sometimes grief shows up in places you don’t expect. A confirmation email from a hotel you once stayed at together. A “We miss you” marketing message addressed to someone who...

Transferring Airline Miles After Death: Delta, United & American Policies and Workarounds - Funeral.com, Inc.

Transferring Airline Miles After Death: Delta, United & American Policies and Workarounds

In the middle of grief, it can feel strange to think about airline miles. And yet families do—often because the miles represent something real: a way to bring siblings home...

Urn Size Calculator Guide: How to Choose the Right Capacity for Ashes - Funeral.com, Inc.

Urn Size Calculator Guide: How to Choose the Right Capacity for Ashes

If you’re searching for an urn size calculator, you’re usually trying to avoid one very specific problem: ordering an urn that doesn’t fit. Most families don’t want to become experts...