All You Need To Know About Planning Your Funeral With The Good

Funeral Guide Is Included In The Following Pages

We couldn’t find a funeral plan that delivers everything it ought to...

...so we created one

The 100% consumer-focused Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan offers greater

flexibility, transparency and value for money than any other current comparable prepaid

funeral plan – by far.

Charles Cowling, Co-Founder and Director,

The Good Funeral Guide

Welcome

The Good Funeral Guide is a staunchly independent information

resource enabling all people who need to arrange a funeral, whatever

their beliefs and values, to make informed choices and find the best

suppliers of services and merchandise.

Our mission is to be useful.

The Good Funeral Guide is a not-for-profit social enterprise company.

We’re a Community Interest Company (No 7818343).

You can find the Good Funeral Guide here – www.goodfuneralguide.co.uk.

What is a prepaid funeral plan?

A prepaid funeral plan is a way of ring-fencing money to pay for your funeral.

Your money is paid into a trust fund where it is invested and grows so that your investment keeps pace with the

rising cost of funerals. This is a tax efficient way of saving. You personally have no tax to pay on the value of your

plan at the time of need. It is protected in important ways. It cannot be raided to pay for your care home fees and it

does not count towards probate. Because the trust is not a savings vehicle, money paid into it cannot be taken into

account by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when calculating eligibility for certain benefits.

Any money you pay into a prepaid trust fund can only be used to pay for funeral expenses.

Why did we create our own prepaid funeral plan?

We created the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan for two reasons. First, we saw that there was an urgent

need for a product that focusses 100% on the needs and interests of you, the consumer. Second, we observed with

growing dismay a market that has become feverishly competitive, complicated and cut throat, with high costs and

charges that are not always clear - and reduce the value of your funeral plan.

In response, we are offering you a prepaid funeral plan which we believe to be as simple, sober and honest as a

prepaid plan can be, one which also offers the best return available on your investment.

Because our prepaid funeral plan is designed with the exclusive purpose of serving your welfare, all but one of its

features is unique. There is nothing else like it on the market.

We explain what we consider the be the drawbacks of other prepaid funeral plans later in this brochure.

A word about words

In this brochure, the term ’personal representative’ refers to your executor, if you have made a will, or your closest

living relative, if you have not. These are the people who, in law, have the right to take custody of your body when

you have died and take responsibility for your funeral arrangements.

The Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan

denotes a unique feature of the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan.

1. A GFGPlan fund can cover the funeral costs of up to five people – family members or friends - at any one

time.*

2. It’s flexible, so that you do have a plan for more than one person. Each member can determine the value of

their contribution if they wish to. *

3. A GFGPlan fund is not designed to cover the costs of a package funeral designed by us. Instead, you design

the funeral that’s right for you, or leave the arrangements to your personal representative. Your fund is

therefore simply a pot of money which may be used as either i) a contribution to funeral expenses; or ii)

enough to cover from one to five funerals. *

4. According to the terms of the trust, each plan holder must record, at the least, their basic funeral wishes on

their application form in the clear understanding that these will be useful and informative but not legally

binding at the time of need. *

5. The maximum allowable input per named plan holder is £20,000. *

6. All money paid into your fund will grow at the rate of 4 per cent1 per year. *

7. A fund may be started with any sum of money, plus a single one-off fee of £195.00. This pays for the

administration of the fund for its lifetime and contributes a single payment of £25 towards the work of the

Good Funeral Guide CIC. No deductions whatsoever are made from the money you pay into the trust in the

form of salaries, commissions, incentives or rewards. Nothing. *

8. A fund may be added to, either in staged payments or as-and-when you want to. This is intended to favour

people with budgetary constraints or uneven income flows. Start your fund anytime and add to it when you

can. Your money starts growing at 4% per year1 as soon as it is invested.1 *

9. Additional plan holders may be named when the number of plan-holders falls below five. Each new named

plan-holder will incur an administration fee of £95.00. *

10. Fund-holders may log in to check their account and see if it needs topping up. *

11. On the death of a plan-holder

i. Their personal representative notifies Open

Prepaid Funerals Limited who confirms the sum of

money available. *

ii. The personal representative of the deceased

person agrees a budget for the funeral with the

other named plan holders. If a split of the plan fund

was defined at the outset, Open Prepaid Funerals

Limited will calculate the relevant value.*

iii. The personal representative selects and

appoints a professional funeral director or appoints

him/herself to be the funeral director and notifies

Open Prepaid Funerals Limited who can then

confirm to the funeral director what funds are available. *

12. Money trusted may, according to the terms of the trust, be used to cover only funeral expenses and will only

be paid out on production of receipts after the funeral has taken place. The trust doesn’t give change, but…

13. …a personal representative may make a reasonable claim for their own input to funeral arrangements,

whether as funeral director (e.g. in the case of a family-directed or DIY funeral) or in addition to the cost of

instructing a professional funeral director. *

14. Money unspent must remain in the trust for the use of other plan-holders. Where there is only one plan-

holder, unspent money will be returned to the estate excluding any growth applied which by law remains in

the Open Trust Fund. *

15. The role of the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan will at all times be one of facilitator, never

intermediary. *

How much money should you deposit?

It’s up to you to make sure there will be enough money in your account. But what’s enough?

Here are some guide prices. The cost of a mid-range funeral provided by a funeral director in 2015 is around

£3,600.00. A much simpler funeral costs around £2,500. Direct cremation costs £1000-£1300. Burial is normally, but

not always, more expensive than cremation, and figures vary in different parts of the country, so it is very hard to

give a guide price.

It may be very difficult for you, emotionally, to sit down

and plan exactly how you want your funeral to be and

then get quotes from funeral directors. If you don’t feel

like doing all that just now, or if you wish to let your

personal representative or your family make

arrangements when the time comes, all you have to do

now is give us some very basic information on your

application form and either pay a lump sum into your

fund, using the figures above for guidance, or save

towards that sum in your own time.

If you want to plan your own funeral, we suggest that you make sure that your personal representative or family

are aware and onside. When you have mapped out what you’d like -- the Good Funeral Guide website will help you

every step of the way -- ask your local funeral directors to quote. This will give you an exact figure. It will also

enable you to get to know your local funeral directors – no bad thing – and state a preference. If you would prefer

to research funeral directors’ prices online then we suggest that you use www.yourfuneralchoice.com.

You may need to top up your fund from time to time. You can check your plan account online any time you want to

see how much it has grown. You can then decide if you want to add more money or just leave it to carry on

growing. You can also make changes to your recorded funeral wishes. If ever you are unsure of what to do just get

in touch and we will happily help you. We are only a phone call away.

Hard work? Compared with any other commercial transaction? No, not really. This is funeral planning for the self-

reliant. And remember: the Good Funeral Guide Plan makes your money go further than anyone else.

Is the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Plan the one for you?

The Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan does not try to be all things to all people. It stands for what we

consider to be two important principles:

1. Empowerment of your personal representative to take full advantage of commercial competition in the

purchase of goods and services at the time of need—to get the best value for your money as they see best,

free from the interference of any intermediary.

2. Openness and transparency about what we do with your money. No payments to any third party without

the permission of the fundholder/s.

We are very clear about our goals and we recognise that our prepaid plan will not suit everybody. As the proverb has it, “a friend to everybody is a friend to nobody”. If, to you, our plan looks too complex and insufficiently detailed, then you may prefer the convenience of a more formal, standard prepaid plan and a straightforward funeral package. If this is how you feel, we recommend that you consider buying an Open Prepaid Funeral Plan. It

will protect your interests as a consumer and grow your money more efficiently than any other competitor plan. What’s more, it will deduct nothing from the money you pay in hidden commissions.

A Word About Our partner

The Good Funeral Guide has neither the resources nor the know-how to create a financial product free of all the

drawbacks of other funeral plans – drawbacks which we regard as anti-consumer and which, ironically, most

funeral directors regard also as anti-funeral director.

Over the years we have invited owners of prepaid funeral plan trusts to design an ethical, consumer-focussed plan

according to our own specifications – in vain. Just when we had all but given up hope we were approached by Open

Prepaid Funerals Ltd. To our delight they were able to provide us with exactly what we wanted. As a result we are

proud to be able to offer a prepaid funeral plan that puts your interests first.

We like Open because the way they work is calm and conservative –

the highest recommendation for any business that has a financial

responsibility to others. Although we like to maintain an arm’s length

relationship with the funeral industry, the fact that two of Open’s

trustees are experienced members of the industry pleases us greatly.

They are all acutely risk-averse and anxiously protective of their

reputations. They represent a healthy force for caution and

prudence.

You can learn more about Open by visiting www.openprepaidfunerals.co.uk or calling their team on 0330 660 0072.

How could existing prepaid funeral plans be better?

Short answer: by giving priority to the needs of consumers. Here are seven things we don’t like about them:

1. Most prepaid funeral plans are designed by funeral directors for funeral directors. The funeral plan is a

commercial weapon in an increasingly ugly turf war which enables funeral directors to capture tomorrow’s

market share today. One of the biggest funeral planning companies even describes its business as “owned

and run entirely for the benefit of independent funeral directors”.

2. The personal representative or family of the person who has

died is too often deprived of the ability to shop around for a

funeral director. Many funeral plan companies acts as

brokers and subcontract the job of carrying out the funeral

arrangements to one of their approved funeral directors. In

addition that funeral director may then be put in the position

of having to provide the funeral for several hundred pounds

less than the face value of the funeral plan. So: everyone loses

– except the funeral plan company. We believe that a funeral

director should be chosen on merit by the customer at the

point of need. Above all, we believe that face-to-face

accountability between buyer and seller provides the only reliable consumer protection.

3. The formulaic package funerals offered by many funeral plan companies are limited in range. In an age of

creative, highly personal funerals, an off-the-peg funeral is not for everybody.

4. Not all prepaid funeral plans presently on the market are transferable. If, for example, a family member

dies unexpectedly before the plan-holder, he or she may not be able to donate their plan to pay for their

relative’s funeral. (Some will allow a plan transfer before or after death.)

5. Funeral plan companies typically promise that your funeral will be carried out according to your wishes. What they don’t tell you is that your funeral wishes will not be legally binding on those who will be responsible for making your funeral arrangements. You have no guarantee that your instructions will be carried out. So, whilst it is a good thing to think about how you’d like your funeral to be, and though most personal representatives or families will want to honour your wishes, we believe that you also need to negotiate your funeral details with your personal representative or close family and secure their willing collaboration before you die.

6. Far too much of the money you hand over for safekeeping, many hundreds of pounds, is spent on

commissions, incentives, rewards and salaries to salespeople, funeral directors and others in ways that are

not made apparent. We believe that a good funeral plan provider has a right to a decent living, but we also

think that you have the right to know exactly where your money goes.

7. Our opinion, widely shared, is that the level of deductions made by some funeral planning companies is

unsustainably high and poses the substantial risk that they will not, at some time in the future, be able to

meet their obligations. This has become an alarmingly overheated market.

The Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan addresses every single one of the issues outlined above.

So you want to put aside money for your funeral?

To make financial provision for your funeral is a responsible thing to do – a duty.

Funeral costs more or less double every ten years, so it makes sense to invest your money in a

financial product that can keep pace.

There are a range of products that enable you to do this and you should check them out. In

recent years the prepaid funeral plan especially has grown in popularity. The market has

become feverishly competitive, complicated and cut-throat; posing, we think, a growing risk to

consumers.

In response, we are offering you a prepaid funeral plan which we believe to be as simple, sober

and honest as a prepaid plan can be.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is my money safe? Absolutely. Your payment is made into the Open Prepaid Funerals Trust Fund where it is managed by a board of trustees. The trust fund is a separate entity and independent from the Good Funeral Guide and Open Prepaid Funerals Limited. Do I have to pay a large amount up front? No, the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan is designed so that you can start small and add funds along the way if that suits you better. There is a fixed administration fee of £195.00 at the start of the plan. Anything over that becomes part of the value of your plan and starts growing almost immediately. What’s to stop my personal representative disobeying my instructions? In a word, nothing. The law is clear: funeral instructions are unenforceable (the legal term is void). This is because,

bluntly, you have no legal right to direct what is done with your body. If you are sure that your personal

representative feels that they have a moral duty to carry out your instructions, then you must trust them to do so. If

you can’t be sure, the best you can do is incentivise your personal representative by drawing up a will including a

clause making any bequest to your personal representative conditional on their carrying out your funeral

instructions. The Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Plan, like any other prepaid funeral plan, does not have the power to

offer you any protection which the law cannot give you. That’s why we think it so important that you negotiate your

instructions with the person or people who will be responsible for carrying them out.

But surely my Will can dictate how my funeral must be?

Sorry, no, a Will is for distributing your property, not for dictating how your body will be taken care of.

Do I have to choose a funeral director now? No, you don’t have to. You can leave this to your personal representative/family. They can choose the best funeral director on merit when the time comes. But I can choose a funeral director if I want to? By all means choose now so that your relatives know who you want at the time of need. But don’t forget that your favoured funeral director could retire, sell up, move away or even die before you do. It is an important principle of the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan that your personal representative is empowered to deal direct with a funeral director, and this means having the right to choose the right funeral director for them when the time comes. What if I want a more formally structured funeral plan? The easiest thing to do, if this is the case, is to choose one of the Open Prepaid Funerals standard plans. We’re happy to recommend them as one of the very few plan providers in the UK that we trust. Get in touch with them directly to discuss your needs. Their number is 0330 660 0072 or visit their website www.openprepaidfunerals.co.uk 1How much will my money grow by? From 1st January 2015 the Open Trust Fund is applying growth at a rate of 4% per annum, which is a very good rate indeed. This figure can go up and down depending on market changes but because it is invested in a cautious manner and with as small an amount of costs charged to the trust fund as is reasonable the average annual growth since 2003 has been 3.8%. What happens if I die while on holiday or away from home? The funeral director carrying out your funeral will arrange collection from anywhere in the UK, although a fee may apply. If you die abroad then repatriation costs will be incurred. Please check that your normal travel insurance policy covers this. How can I pay for my funeral plan? There are a number of ways. You can pay securely online through the website, you can pay by cheque or bank transfer or you can pay by instalments, regular or ad hoc. The vast majority of people who take out a plan pay by cheque. Some pay by bank transfer. A small percentage pay by Direct Debit (ideal if you want to make regular payments that suit you) and even less by card. It’s up to you though, just get in touch if you want to discuss anything. Will there be any difficulty placing my plan with a funeral director? Because the Good Funeral Guide Plan is a prepaid funeral plan, but not in the traditional sense, then yes, absolutely, simply because the Open Trust Fund will pay the funeral costs that have been agreed once the funeral has taken place. Your relatives will know what’s available to spend and will make the arrangements to suit the budget. Is the company independently owned? The Good Funeral Guide is an independent Community Interest Company and Open Prepaid Funerals Limited is a privately owned UK based company and has been successfully operating since 2003. Both are separate from the Open Trust Fund. If I have a financial emergency can I ‘borrow’ money from the fund? You can, but only what has been paid in by you. We can’t pay you the matured sum because the law does not allow the trust to be used as an interest-bearing savings account. The Open Trust Fund can only pay out the matured sum for funeral expenses which have already been incurred. Equally, if you choose to cancel the plan (in the case of multiple plan holders all must unanimously agree to cancel in writing) then you will be refunded what you have paid in, less the administration fee.

What if we have five nominated plan holders and one dies, can we add another? Yes you can. Again this is one of the great things about the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan. You can keep a maximum of five named plan holders within your ‘plan fund’ so it can keep being added to for the purposes of paying, in part or in full, for your family funerals. Each time you add a new plan holder (after initial plan creation) there will be an additional fee of £95.00 per named addition to cover the administration required. If you have any other questions simply get in touch and we’ll answer them for you.

The Open Trust Fund

The Open Trust Fund is invested to achieve capital growth over the medium to long term (5 years +) in a diverse portfolio of assets including, but not limited to, equities, fixed interest, property and cash with a global geographical spread. The assets are held in collective funds (OEIC's) managed by some of the world's largest asset management companies chosen by the trustees after a rigorous selection process, assisted by independent financial advisers. The performance of the Trust Fund is monitored continually and measured against standard industry benchmarks to ensure above average returns with appropriate controls on risk and volatility. The assets of the Trust Fund are independently audited and a triennial actuarial report is prepared by independent actuaries in line with the Financial Conduct Authority's guidelines. The assets are held in a segregated account on behalf of the trustees, separate from the assets of Open Prepaid Funerals Limited.

Elements to Consider We’ve tried to make everything as easy and self explanatory as possible. You can complete as much or as little of the application as you want to and we’ll help you fill in the gaps.

Some things that you will need to consider are suggested here;

1. Do you want to arrange your plan through our website? That’s absolutely fine if you do want to do that, we’ve built it so its easy to use. However if you’re happier dealing by post or would like to speak to one of our team directly that’s fine as well, we’re here to help you.

2. What’s your preferred method of payment? We’re happy for you to pay using the method you’re most comfortable with. You can pay securely online through our website, you can pay over the phone, you can pay by cheque or by bank transfer and if you wish to you can even pay by instalments. Please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team to discuss the payment options.

3. Do you have all the details to hand to complete your plan application? If you have that’s great but don’t worry if you haven’t. You can start with the basics and add additional detail, instructions and even additional elements to your plan in the future, it’s totally flexible.

4. Do you have all the plan holders in mind at the outset? You don’t have to start with five! The minimum number of plan holders to start with is just one. The whole idea of the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan is flexibility, it’s designed to fit your needs as much as possible.

What To Do Next?

1. If you’re happy with all the information you have received and wish to go ahead with your Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan, then simply complete the application form filling in all or as many of the details as you can. Send it to us with a cheque made payable to Open Prepaid Funerals Trust for the initial amount you want to deposit, plus the administration fee of £195.00. Once we have received your paperwork we’ll get in touch to discuss any additional details with you and to confirm next steps.

2. If you’d like to go ahead but would prefer to pay by card, bank transfer or instalments, please complete and send the application form as above and we’ll then get in touch with you to arrange payment for your plan.

3. Still have questions? Just get in touch using any of the details following. We’re here to help and want to make sure you’re completely comfortable with everything before you proceed. Our experienced team can answer any questions you have to ensure your peace of mind.

4. Still can’t decide what to do? Then there must be something we still haven’t answered for you. Get in touch and we’ll see if we can help.

5. Remember, the Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan is 100% dedicated to serving your best interests and no one else's. It’s the most flexible prepaid funeral planning option available today.

Unique Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan Helpline—0121 562 0321

Open Prepaid Funerals Contact Details and Registered Office

Open Prepaid Funerals Limited Telephone 0330 660 0072 67 Warwick Road Fax 0330 660 0073 Solihull Registered In England Number 04747037 West Midlands B92 7HP Email enquiries@goodfuneralguideprepaidfuneralplan.co.uk

Website www.goodfuneralguideprepaidfuneralplan.co.uk Website www.openprepaidfunerals.co.uk

Proud Partners

Please use this area to make any notes you may want to keep.

Other personal preferences such as hymns, readings, songs, music, clothing, preferred funeral director, flowers, donations etc.*

Plan no. OPH /GFG

Good Funeral Guide Prepaid

Funeral Plan Application Form

Plan Holders

Plan Preferences —

Please Tick Your Most

Appropriate Preference

at the Time of Need

Title First Name (s) Surname

Address

Post Code Telephone

Email Address

Date of Birth Mobile

#

1

Cremation Burial

Hearse Alternative

Vehicle

Religious

Ceremony

Alternative

Ceremony

Traditional

Coffin

Alternative

Coffin

Funeral Tea Alternative

Event

Next of Kin Plan Holder #

or Executor

Official Use Only

Other personal preferences such as hymns, readings, songs, music, clothing,

preferred funeral director, flowers, donations etc.*

* Please note that while these preferences are your own they cannot be legally enforced in any way at the time of need.

Title First Name (s) Surname

Address

Post Code Telephone

Email Address

Date of Birth Mobile

Cremation Burial

Hearse Alternative

Vehicle

Religious

Ceremony

Alternative

Ceremony

Traditional

Coffin

Alternative

Coffin

Funeral Tea Alternative

Event

Next of Kin Plan Holder #

or Executor

Other personal preferences such as hymns, readings, songs, music, clothing, preferred funeral director, flowers, donations etc.*

Title First Name (s) Surname

Address

Post Code Telephone

Email Address

Date of Birth Mobile

Cremation Burial

Hearse Alternative

Vehicle

Religious

Ceremony

Alternative

Ceremony

Traditional

Coffin

Alternative

Coffin

Funeral Tea Alternative

Event

Next of Kin Plan Holder #

or Executor

#

3

#

2

Plan Holder #1 Next of Kin Contact Details:

Head Office Use Only:

The Good Funeral Guide Prepaid Funeral Plan is managed and administered by Open Prepaid Funerals Limited, 67 Warwick Road,

Solihull, West Midlands B92 7HP. Tel: 0330 660 0072 Fax: 0330 660 0073

Email: enquiries@openprepaidfunerals.co.uk www.openprepaidfunerals.co.uk

Other personal preferences such as hymns, readings, songs, music, clothing, preferred funeral director, flowers, donations etc.*

Title First Name (s) Surname

Address

Post Code Telephone

Email Address

Date of Birth Mobile

Cremation Burial

Hearse Alternative

Vehicle

Religious

Ceremony

Alternative

Ceremony

Traditional

Coffin

Alternative

Coffin

Funeral Tea Alternative

Event

Next of Kin Plan Holder #

or Executor

Other personal preferences such as hymns, readings, songs, music, clothing, preferred funeral director, flowers, donations etc.*

Title First Name (s) Surname

Address

Post Code Telephone

Email Address

Date of Birth Mobile

Cremation Burial

Hearse Alternative

Vehicle

Religious

Ceremony

Alternative

Ceremony

Traditional

Coffin

Alternative

Coffin

Funeral Tea Alternative

Event

Next of Kin Plan Holder #

or Executor

Payment Details—Initial Contribution To Funeral Plan Fund On Behalf Of Primary Plan Holders as Listed

Initial Amount Deposited including £195.00 Administration Fee

Method of Payment Cheque Online Card Other

Contact Us if you would like to talk to someone about monthly or other payment. All Cheques should be made payable to

OPEN PREPAID FUNERALS TRUST

£

#

5

#

4

Signed By Plan Holder #1/Next of Kin/Executor: _____________________________________

Name: ______________________________________

Date: _______________________________________