Rising cost of funerals

Those taking out funeral insurance should take note of the rising costs predicted over the coming years, recommends one neutral insurer.

As it stands, the outlay of a funeral can be up to £3,900 in the south-east of England and Shepherd’s Friendly forecasts this could rise to £6,000 in the next 20 years.

A funeral insurance policy’s value is usually decided by the projected funeral expenses at the time of death.

Geoff Spencer, Shepherd’s Friendly chief executive advised those attempting to calculate the cost of a desired policy to think on a monthly basis.

"What most people do is work out how much they want to pay. So if somebody said: ‘I’m 55 years old and I want to pay in £20 a month’, on our rate table that would get them £5,290," he said.

Meanwhile, people considering funeral insurance are reminded that most providers will not assist in arrangements for the funeral itself.

Mr Spencer confirmed: "We simply give the money to the family and they can then meet the funeral and burial costs and so on. We don’t get involved in the organising."