Utah Insurance License Number: 88816         Pre-Need Sales Agent Number: 325672-5802

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This agency only works with local, privately-owned funeral homes. This means you will be dealing with a trusted member of your community, not some distant corporation only worried about a bottom line.

Why Your Memorial Estates Burial Is Going to Be Expensive






Many people who own cemetery property at Redwood Memorial, Lakeview Memorial, Lake Hills Memorial, Holladay Memorial Park, and Mountain View Memorial (Memorial Estates) buy funeral plans through me. As I prepare to do another updated survey of all the funeral homes and cemeteries in the Salt Lake area, I notice that Memorial Estates is continuing to raise its prices as usual. As of July 1, 2015, opening and closing of a grave on a weekday is now $895.00 or $1,145.00 on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday—which is something I can’t get you out of if you use them. I can help you account and pay for these costs, however, or get out of paying them at all if you sell or otherwise transfer your burial space and make arrangements somewhere else. I have a list of alternative cemeteries in the area you can use instead and sell or transfer ownership of your current lots.

Why You Might Be Better Off Buying Your Burial Vaults Through Memorial

Let's assume that you plan to keep and use your burial spaces at Memorial (Lake Hills, Holladay Memorial Park). If you don't have burial vaults paid for yet, the primary reason you might be better off purchasing your burial vault (grave liner or grave box) through Memorial (Estates) is because your pre-payment freezes the cost of vault setting (labor). It does not, however, include opening and closing of the grave. Memorial does not allow pre-paying of digging the hole and then closing it. They did in the past for a few years, but they later decided it was uprofitable to continue doing this. Valley View Memorial, however, allows this on certain terms that include paying interest. Valley View is owned by Service Corporation International. It was formerly owned by the Winder Family. During my stint with them under Winder ownership, I sold 388 burial space, vault and marker contracts.

If you have already purchased burial vault(s) with Memorial (Estates), your cost of both labor of setting and the physical vault itself is frozen. They will freeze the cost of both on any new contracts. The last price I recorded this year was $1,498 for a fully installed burial vault/liner/grave box. This is in an already opened grave. They offer up to 24 months on payment plans with no interest. They fund contracts up to five years at 8% interest. These vaults, once paid for, can be used for anyone, not just the purchaser. If they are included in a pre--paid funeral plan funded by insurance, they can only be used for the insured.

THE RIDICULOUS, DIRTY GAME MEMORIAL ESTATES PLAYS. Funeral homes like to provide the family they are serving with the convenience of including a burial vault in the their funeral plans. But Memorial (Estates) will penalize anyone who purchases a vault from another company, by around $500+. This is DIRTY, but they get away with it because it's legal. I can "freeze" the cost of the physical vault, for example, through Premier Funeral Services at $850, but at the time of need Memorial will charge (at today's prices) right around $1,000 just to set a vault in an already open grave. For this reason, paying $1,498 through Memorial is often a better idea. Nevertheless, some of my customers are quite happy freezing just the $850 portion, and we account for all the cemetery labor with extra funds.

How to Sell Your Cemetery Property (Click Here)

Use the following table to help plan your burial costs:

CLICK TABLE TO DOWNLOAD AND PRINT IN PDF FORMAT



Another Reason Your Memorial Estates Burial Could Be More Expensive

Another reason your Memorial Estates burial could be more expensive is the fact that their memorial parks all now require granite foundations on all NEW marker installations. This means that even if you have a marker already paid for with the costs of all casting, installation, warranty, etc., frozen, if it is not already on the ground they are going to nail you with this requirement. A granite foundation is around $1,200. SURPRISE, SURPRISE! If you haven't bought your marker yet, no big loss. But a marker 13" x 36" right now is over $3,000. Remember, if you are a veteran, your marker for an individual is free. The granite foundation they require is not.

A funeral service through Memorial Estates, even if you use your church, is $4,595.00 without a casket; with a low-end casket, $6,590.00! (This means $13,467.32 on a ten-year payment plan if you pay through their "Preferred Plan"). This I can get you out of or prevent. I’ll get you the same for over $2,845 instead of $6,590. I also offer a "single payment discount," which Memorial Estates through Security National Life does not offer. Go to this page on this Web site. See examples of what a funeral plan will REALLY cost you if you set up a funeral plan through one of these high-profile funeral homes. A publicly-traded “chain” funeral home operation will hardly ever give you the best value for your money. But I can.

 Note: If you see the figure of $2,990 anywhere on this Web site, replace it with $2,845. Premier Funeral Services has lowered its services prices. I haven't had the time to make the change on all the pages.

Full Funeral Service With Casket:





No Sacrifices For Paying Less

www.premierfuneral.com
Over 3,000 Sucessful Funerals to Date




THE BEST PLAN FOR YOUR MONEY



Similar plans offered elsewhere in the U.S. This plan is not an oddity.



How much do you want to pay?


This is how much you should be paying for a funeral:



To work with other ages and payment periods:



Many years of experience by the same people. Honesty. Stability.






Don’t Pay “Chain” Funeral Home Prices for Your Funeral!



An average of $112.23 per month per person (per plan) just for a funeral service and a casket! DON'T DO IT!

Jared O.M. Fairbanks, owner of Premier Funeral Services, Inc., has more experience as a funeral director, mortician, manager of funeral homes and cemeteries, and as a business owner with continuous integrity and consistency of performance of high quality service than anyone in the State of Utah. Among many positions in the funeral, hospice and palliative care industries, he has been the manager of operations for Memorial Mortuaries (Memorial Estates), Serenicare and Wasatch Lawn. He has been in the business since age 17, and will likely remain for the rest of his working life. This is a man whose company you want handling your funeral.

Formerly V.P. & Director of Operations - Memorial Estates

 Testimonials

    "I would like to express my thanks for the professional and compassionate way Jared Fairbanks handled my daughter-in-law's funeral arrangements. He came to the house and took care of everything. He really took a lot of stress off the family. I would highly recommend him to anyone." - Beverly J. Lund

    "I wanted to write a note to describe how our family felt about the funeral arrangements made by Jared Fairbanks with Premier Funeral Services orchestrated for my father Melvin Hill Garner in January 09. My father's death came earlier than we might have expected. We had talked only briefly prior to his death about funeral plans. We did not have a plot nor did we have a funeral home selected. Knowing how Jared had taken care of some of my patients' family's funeral arrangements in the past I chose to call him the week prior to my father's passing. If I had to go through this again the only aspect that I would have changed would have been to have called Jared earlier for planning and scheduling. I cannot thank Jared enough for the way he cared for my mother through this seemingly complicated process and made the road smooth through the entire process. I have been a physician for 15 years and thought that I could handle most of this myself. I forgot that I was also a son, brother, uncle and father myself and soon became overwhelmed and turned most of the preparations and details over to Jared. Our family and friends have all complimented us on the professional, efficient and personalized way that we chose to handle my father's services. I remain indescribably grateful for the details that were explained and taught to us that made this a special moment for my father. He would be proud. Sincerely." - Gary M. Garner, MD

    "When my mother died Jared Fairbanks took care of her. He was most caring and kind throughout the entire process. Very recently we experienced his kind manner again when my husband's brother died. Mr. Fairbanks took care of all arrangements including the graveside service. It was done in a professional and pleasing manner to all of our family members. Our thanks to Jared Fairbanks at Premier Funeral Services." - Beverly Ruggles




Plans that are REALLY the best for most seniors and the $3,000 full funeral

Paying for Cemetery Arrangements

Many cemeteries can set up a payment plan for you to pay for lots, vaults, headstone/marker, and sometimes labor of opening and closing of the grave and vault setting. I have set up these plans for Valley View Memorial Park and for the Memorial Estates parks. It is still a good idea to do so. But with companies like Memorial Estates, pre-paying opening and closing is not usually an option. Many cemeteries, such as city cemeteries, will not have any pre-payment plans for anything. The ones who do have prepayment plans normally FREEZE most of your costs at today's prices, but they almost all charge an interest rate on plans that are beyond, say, two years.

You have to decide whether it would be better to estimate future costs of cemetery arrangements and make that part of a fully insured burial and funeral plan--which I can set up for you, or pay the interest on the contract with the cemetery. When you set up plans with most memorial park companies, and you should need to use any of what's in the plan because someone has passed away, whatever is going to be used must be paid in full. Their plans are usually not insured in any way. And you can't continue payments on anything that gets used. I can make it all ONE PLAN, so that no balance is due at the time of need.

If you don't have burial vaults and cemetery labor paid for yet, my best advice is (unless you can arrange a no interest plan) is to pay for a burial/funeral insurance plan, such as the National Guardian Life Funeral Expense Trust, with all of its benefits--rather than paying interest on the cemetery contract which gives you nothing in return. I can help you reasonably estimate what future cemetery costs will be and also recommend cemeteries that charge less for the same arrangements as the larger, high profile companies. The exception(s) would be if the cemetery you have chosen has family members or close friends you wish to be near or the cemetery is running out of space. In these cases, you probably don't want to defer paying the cemetery until later (as with using an insurance plan).

But if these factors are not an issue, and you don't mind having your survivors choose from among what is available at the time you pass, you're probably better off with burial/funeral/cremation insurance plan--one I can set up for you at the best rates through National Guardian Life.

Also, read my CEMETERY page.           

NO SALES PITCHES OR MANIPULATION—ON THE PHONE OR ANYWHERE!

I have learned the best way to “sell” something I believe in is through education, which is often a gradual, slow process. When someone calls you for an appointment, or if you call them, when they arrive you automatically develop a defensive posture in most cases. After all, you don’t know much about what they are going to discuss or what they might have up their sleeve. You want the best option for your circumstances, not theirs. And you don’t want to get “buffaloed.” I don’t want you to get buffaloed either. This is why I have a Web site you can study and explore as time permits.

How much enthusiasm an agent has or how nice of a person he or she may be means nothing if what you would end up with turns out to be a “raw deal.” Most representatives who sell funeral plans don’t take the time to first discover what your individual circumstances are and what you really want. They usually have “packages” the funeral home or the corporation that owns the funeral home or chains of funeral homes wants to push. If you look at the package and don’t like it or deviate very much from the package being offered, you lose $500-1,000 they say.



Do things the right way. I have been in the business of setting up funeral and burial plans for over 22 years. I don’t get paid by any company that owns funeral homes. I fund for a number of funeral homes that I believe are good values for your money. My money comes from the funding company, not the funeral home operation. This makes a huge difference. I don’t get bonus money or any points from the funeral home operation for “pushing” you in any direction.

I custom-design pre-paid funeral plans based on many years of extensive research and first-hand experience dealing with the true needs of families, without focusing on improving the profits of the funeral service provider.

I have written 750-800 funeral, burial and cremation plans over 22 years for numerous providers and funding companies. There are a handful I still fund for. I show them to you in the order of value. I have no vested interest in any particular funeral home, and I am not paid by any funeral home. This makes me completely unbiased and objective.



There are many pitfalls and too much over-charging that most families are unprepared to overcome. But I can show you exactly how you can do it. We will summarize your most important final wishes onto one sheet of paper so no mistakes are ever made and no money is ever paid. (See example of completed Final Wishes Summary).

I make it that simple. We’ll be done with exactly the funeral plan you want in 90 minutes or less.



I have set up over 150 plans in the past three years alone that pay for a full traditional service with casket included for around $3,000.00-half of what most funeral homes charge. You use your church, a reception center, a lodge, the graveside, or some other location you arrange. No sacrifices! Just a better plan for your money. And your casket and services costs are FROZEN. This applies to other plans that include cremation. All the factors discussed on this page make my funeral plans no-brainers.

All plans are guaranteed portable, including cash value growth as long as you're alive. Even though you may have designed your plan around the prices of one particular funeral home, the funds can be used at another that charges similarly or less so you get the same result if your plans change. In any case, your money is never stuck with a funeral home where you have to pay a penalty for withdrawing that money. You don't have to worry about getting any money back from a funeral home, because your money is safely deposited with a large insurance company. And no current or past health condition can disqualify you from the insurance plan.


Your money stays safely deposited with a large life insurance company until you pass away, a company in business since 1909. www.nglic.com. You can change whom you want to use for a funeral at any time. We have 1-3-5-7-10 year plans, with full insurance coverage should something happen before you make all the payments, and always a discount for making a single payment or paying off your plan early. And always with growing cash value tax-free.

Our average ten-year plan at most ages is around $33.00 a month. Compare that to what other funeral homes you may have had in mind can offer you. The average funeral plan in the Salt Lake area on a ten-year plan is around $90.00 per month per person.

Let me show you in detail in your home how to outline your final wishes and preferences in the best way possible. Let me show you the best plan for your money.

Other Web pages on this site

The Truth About Your Favorite Funeral Home
Why Financial Advisors Give Bad Advice About Funeral Planning
Why National Guardian Life and My Agency Will Best Care For Your Family
Fallacy: "We'll do better if we just keep our money invested. We don’t need a funeral plan."
Fallacy: "We have plenty of life insurance. We don’t need a funeral plan."
What Does it Mean that Funeral Costs Are "Frozen" or "Guaranteed"
Why Alex Trebek Says Today's Funeral Costs Over $7,000
Methods of Planning the Funeral Industry Doesn't Want You to Use
Why Life Insurance Companies Are the Safest of All Financial Institutions
One Funeral Policy Covers Yourself, Kids, and Grandkids
How Can Senior Citizens Live Well Without Social Security?
The Purpose of Death
Russell M. Nelson on Death
Memorial Estates 2015 Prices vs. Premier Funeral Services
How to Buy or Sell Your Cemetery Property
Traditional Church Funeral Followed by Cremation
How to Construct Your Own Funeral Plan Instead of Being "Sold" One
What to Do if You Own Burial Plots At a Chain Operation
Preparing A Will Yourself for Under $50
Burial Only Plans (No Services)
Which Plans Are REALLY Best for Most Seniors?
Why 85% of My Appointments Buy A Funeral, Burial or Cremation Plan
Why Top Professionals Buy My Plans
Why Premier Funeral Services Doesn't Raise Prices
Is Prepaying for a Funeral a Good Idea?
Meet With Me Once and You're Done
What Most Ten-Year Funeral Plans Cost
$5,000 Will Cover It All
With One Company, It's Always About the Money
The Biggest Problem with "Chain" Funeral Homes
Federal Trade Commission Helps You Get Best Value on Funerals
How to Save Huge on Caskets


 I don't need your Social Security number. There is a major funeral funding company based in the Salt Lake area that owns many mortuaries and cemeteries that insists on getting your Social Security number when you set up a plan with them. Don't fall for this. That number is only needed for a death certificate, not for a funeral or burial plan. National Guardian Life does NOT require your Social Security number. Turn down any plan that does.

Get professional, personalized service at the right price, on the best terms.

    UtahsFuneralPlanningSite.com serves the funeral and funeral planning market in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. Our goal is to help you plan a funeral in as much detail as possible well in advance. This website provides the tools you need to pay for funerals the right way, so affordable funerals don’t end up being a sacrifice but instead a more comfortable reality. We offer or point you to Utah's best funeral prices and lowest cost for funeral plans, which can include caskets and burial vaults, and final expense whole life insurance, especially for seniors with bad health and with low incomes. You will be able to not only outline your final wishes with accuracy, but you will know exactly how to calculate and control the cost of a funeral (church, mortuary chapel, or graveside), the cost of a burial, and, if applicable, cremation options. You will not become the victim of funeral rip-offs, over-priced caskets, or plans that don’t suit your family’s true needs and budget. There will be no confusion in your family at the time of need concerning arrangements. Once you have done things correctly, they will know where the line has been drawn on spending for your final expenses, and no mistakes will be made.