Most people don’t want to think about death. Nancy Smith understands that — and she has spent her career gently changing minds about why they should.
a As a pre-need consultant, Smith guides families through one of life’s most important — and most avoided — conversations: planning for the end of life before it arrives.
As a pre-need consultant, Smith guides families through one of life’s most important — and most avoided — conversations: planning for the end of life before it arrives.
“A pre-need consultant helps guide you from A to Z,” she explains, “from the time you take your last breath until your final destination — whether that’s cremation or burial. I help families document their wishes so that when they’re no longer able to speak, the transition is easy.”
NANCY SMITH
The Gift of Planning Ahead
Smith reframes funeral pre-planning not as a morbid exercise, but as an act of love.
“Many families break apart in that funeral home because they don’t know what their loved one really wanted,” she says. “They emotionally overspend or selfishly underspend. When your wishes are recorded, it solves those problems.”
The financial case is equally compelling. The average funeral service in the Chicagoland area has risen from around $5,500 years ago to between $8,700 and $10,000 today — not including burial space or a headstone. Pre-planning locks in today’s pricing, meaning inflation cannot touch it.
“Just like people talk about locking in the price of gas — we actually do that. Your price is locked and carved in stone.”
Payment plans are flexible — single pay, or financed over three, five, or ten years — and plans are fully portable, following a person wherever they choose to retire or relocate.
Documentation Is Everything
Smith stresses that without proper documentation, even basic services can stall. A death certificate is required before any arrangements can move forward — and that requires vital information many families simply do not have on hand.
“If we don’t have vital information, we can’t acquire a death certificate. Without a death certificate, the services stop.”
For those who say they don’t want to think about death, Smith offers a simple reframe.
“Talking about death doesn’t mean you’re going to die sooner. It means you’re leaving a loving gift to your family and making sure your wishes are honored, so it’s best to plan ahead.”
Money, she says, is for the living — and the greatest gift you can give the people you love is not leaving them to figure it out alone.
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