The Passings library · 132 articles · updated Sep 2026
A complete end-of-life plan covers four things: a will or trust, a healthcare directive, a written record of your wishes for arrangements, and a single list of the accounts and documents your family will need on the day they're needed. Most people can put the basics in place in one sitting, then revisit them as life changes.
A funeral with viewing and burial has a median cost of $8,300 in the US — $9,995 with a burial vault — per the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 survey. Cremation with a viewing and ceremony has a median of $6,280; a direct cremation with no service typically runs $700 to $2,500.
A will takes effect after death and usually goes through probate court; a revocable living trust takes effect immediately and can pass assets to beneficiaries without probate.
No — every state lets families handle at least part of a funeral themselves, and many permit a fully family-directed funeral. Some still require a licensed funeral director for steps like filing the death certificate.
Green burial returns the body to the earth without embalming, a metal casket, or a concrete vault. It's legal in all 50 states, though individual cemeteries set their own additional policies.
What goes into a plan, and when do you start one?
The first steps, in the days right after a death.
Wills, trusts, probate, and the paperwork that follows.
Costs, laws, and consumer rights — state by state.
Choosing a funeral home or provider without the upsell.
Where to find support, for as long as you need it.
Reading about planning is a start. Passings helps you actually do it — checklists, documents, provider connections, and a companion that's available whenever you're ready.
