Start with the funeral you have in mind
There is no single right amount of final expense coverage. A good number starts with the kind of goodbye you want. Burial and cremation carry different costs, and the services you choose add to the total.
For a national reference point, the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List Study put the median funeral with viewing and burial at $8,300 and the median funeral with viewing and cremation at $6,280. Neither figure includes cemetery, plot, monument or marker costs, so add those if burial is your plan.
Add the bills that come after
Final expense benefits are paid to your beneficiary, who decides how to use the money. That means the amount can stretch past the funeral. Some people add enough for a last medical bill, a final round of utilities, or a credit card balance they do not want to leave behind. A simple list helps:
- Funeral or cremation costs
- Cemetery, plot, monument or marker
- A last medical or utility bill
- Small debts you want cleared
- Travel for family who need to come home
Talk to a licensed agent: (949) 807-3995
Then check the amount against your budget
The premium depends on your age, health, tobacco use and the face amount you choose. Final expense premiums are usually level, so the amount set at the start does not go up later. Since coverage stays in place only as long as premiums are paid, choose a premium you can keep paying for the rest of your life.
If the first quote feels like a stretch, an agent can show the same plan at a smaller face amount. A policy that covers part of the funeral may serve your family better than a larger one you struggle to keep.
How health affects the amount you can get
Face amounts often run from a few thousand dollars up to about $50,000, but the ceiling depends on the insurer, your age and the plan type. Level benefit plans, which ask a short list of health questions with no medical exam, tend to allow larger amounts. Guaranteed issue plans ask no health questions, usually offer smaller face amounts, and pay a limited benefit if death from natural causes happens in the first two years.
Graded or modified plans sit in between. They pay a reduced benefit for a natural-cause death in the first two or three years, though accidental death is usually covered in full from the start.
Talking it through with a licensed agent
Bring your rough number to the call, even if it is only a guess. The agent will ask what you want the money to cover, your age, tobacco use and a few health questions, then price two or three face amounts across several insurers so you can see the difference side by side. You can apply by phone if one fits. The quote is free and you are under no obligation.
Eterna's licensed agents help New Hampshire residents compare plans from several insurers, and plans, prices and availability vary by state, insurer, age and health. Calls are taken Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Eastern time. You can confirm an agent's license, or bring an insurance question or complaint, to the New Hampshire Insurance Department at https://www.insurance.nh.gov/.
