Nicholas Vander Plaat • Manager
NJ License #4711
NJ License #4711
530 High Mountain Road • Franklin Lakes
NJ • 07417 • 201-891-4770
NJ • 07417 • 201-891-4770
Jim Vander Plaat • Funeral Director
NJ License #3166
NJ License #3166
We understand that it is not always possible to pay respects in person, & hope that this small token will help.
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Frequently Asked
Below is a list of questions and responses that we commonly receive at the funeral home. We will continue to include any new questions in this section that we feel would be helpful to others.
If you have a question that has not been covered in this site we would like to hear from you. You may use the "Ask the Director" section of our site to forward your question or comments to us.
If you would prefer to call us on the telephone, our staff would be pleased to provide an answer to any funeral related matter you may have. If we do not have the answer immediately, we will find it for you and contact you the minute the information is in our hands.
| Question #1 | What is Pre-planning, or Pre-arrangement? |
| Answer: | When you plan in advance, you are making choices now based on your wishes as to how your final arrangements will be carried out. Thus, you can reduce family concerns at the time of your death. |
| Question #2 | What do I need to do to preplan? |
| Answer: | At your convenience, you can meet with a member of our staff to discuss your options and your preferences. When you make arrangements in advance, you’ll want to consider your site of choice, the committal service, and the type of permanent memorial. By making some or all of these decisions now, you give your family peace of mind, and also benefit financially. |
| Question #3 | What are the advantages of advanced planning? |
| Answer: | There are many advantages when you take care of your final arrangements in advance. The most obvious benefit is financial, but there are a number of emotional benefits, too. When you make arrangements in advance you have a better opportunity to make informed choices. If you decide to prepay, you guarantee today's prices, and can take advantage of affordable payment plans. We can provide additional professional advice on preplanning and prepaying. |
| Question #4 | What is the difference between prepaying and preplanning? |
| Answer: | When you preplan, you do not need to pay for everything in advance—your estate can pay for the services at the rates being charged when your funeral is held. When your plan is complete, the funeral director will keep it on file until it is needed. However, if you prepay at the time you make your pre-arrangements, you can lock in today’s prices. We offer several affordable payment and investment options. We’ll be happy to discuss these options with you and help you make a decision that best suits your needs. |
| Question #5 | Where does the money go that I prepay into a plan? |
| Answer: | Typically, 100% of the money you prepay will be used for your interment/inurnment. Once we receive preplan money from you, we will deposit all of it into a trust where it cannot be released to us until after the funeral you have chosen has been provided for you. • Types of Trusts: • A Revocable Trust is a trust that any amount of money may be deposited into. At anytime, you may ask for this money and the interest it has made. At the end of the year you will receive a 1099 statement on which you must pay taxes on the interest as it is considered income. • An Irrevocable Trust is most commonly purchased by someone who eventually might need care in excess of his or her assets. Once purchased, it can be used for burial purposes only. This trust can be started for any amount. It may be added to at any time. |
| Question #6 | What if the cost of the services/products I pre-pay is greatly increased at the time of my death? |
| Answer: | Once you prepay for a site on our property, the terms both parties agree to are permanently in effect. For other types of services, the cemetery cannot guarantee that the fund of money established by the purchaser will be sufficient to purchase those services. However, the interest earned by a fully funded account should offset any reasonable price increase. |
| Question #7 | What if your cemetery is no longer in business at the time of my death? |
| Answer: | Because your money is held in a certified Trust governed by state law, it will always be there for you, even if our business were to be purchased or go out of business. |
