Forgotten Death Planning - Buy Cemetery Plot Early

When people talk about death planning, 2 common things that you often hear are insurance and will witting. You rarely hear about buying cemetery plot as part of the package. Is this because of superstition and people are not comfortable with this topic or simply a forgotten death planning that we all don't prioritize?

It came into me how important of this when a relative of mine died in all sudden at very young age. It was unexpected, so many things became chaos at that time. Without a will is one thing (which I believe many have already known), buying cemetery plot is the one people often ignore it. This is essential because it is like a real estate or property. It appreciates every year.  The later you buy, it is more expensive. So one key take away for me in this incident is - "We Need to Buy Our Cemetery Plot Early".

However, I still haven't brought mine yet but have bought it for my parents in law. My parents are still in discussion stage. I think before you buy for your own, you need to buy for your parents first and this makes sense right? But be prepared for open discussion with them. :)


Where to Buy Cemetery Plot?

Depending on your preference, you can either choose to be buried or cremated. I think this also depends on what religions you're. Different religions do it differently. Since I don't have a religion, I go for the cheapest solution with cremated and we found this non-profit organization in Sungai Petani. It is called "Beng Siew Hall (明修善社)".

The building looks like it is only meant for Buddhism or Taoism but I think it should be independent because I have seen other religion cemetery's plots here (such as Christian and others). All the money that you buy for the cemetery plot is donated eventually.

When you go inside this building, you will see something like this.

There are total of 3 floors (if I remember correctly). This is in the middle section of each floor. There are sections that are facing east or west (facing the sky). Depends on your needs especially if you have Feng Shui considerations.

This is how the empty plot looks like and the prices. The one in middle and below eye level is usually the most expensive one. In this example, the highest level starts with letter A until the lowest letter J. The middle section is between number 9 and 15.

You can also buy the plaque (which is used to cover this box and also for displaying purpose). You need to decide what words that you want to put there. If you (not you obviously) want to buy it later on, it is okay too. Depends on your religion or your belief, there are also certain rules or requirements like how many words that you need to follow but this is totally up to you.


Conclusion

In my experience, buying cemetery plot is much or less very similar to buying a property. You need to choose the best location that best suits you or your parents but it is not necessary must be Feng Shui related considerations. For instance, you don't want your cemetery located at the unreachable area. On the other hand, it is also like an investment because the later you buy, the less choices you have with higher price. Isn't that it sound like buying a property?

The tricky part is, not everyone is comfortable in discussing this topic especially if you try to discuss this with your parents while thhey are still alive! It depends how open minded your parents are. In their perspective, it is like assuming they're going do die soon or you want them to die, that's why you discuss this with them. :)

Also, what I find strange here is I haven't heard of any financial planners talk about this topic at all. They often go for will and insurance when talk about death planning. It seems like none of them talking about buying or investing in cemetery plot. At least, I think they don't pay high attention in this area, do they?

Have you thought about this thing before? If no, I think we should all start to plan for it. Ultimately you don't want your kids suffering financially to find a home for you after your death. :) Personally, I have not yet do this for my parents and myself. It is one of my to do list. Things get harder now since I have migrated to Australia because I totally not familiar here.

I hope this article is useful. If you have any experience to share, feel free to leave your comment here.