Is my money safe in a funeral plan? When taking out a funeral plan with Aubrey Kirkham Funeral Directors your money will be looked after by Ecclesiastical Planning Services.

Ecclesiastical Planning Services has over twenty years of experience in dealing with funeral plans for independent Funeral Directors, like ours, throughout the UK.

When taking out a plan all payments are made directly into Ecclesiastical Planning Services, their plans provide the highest levels of financial security. The money you pay, excluding the initial management fee, is held securely and ring-fenced for your funeral at the time of need. Learn more about their unique financial promise here.

The payment for the funeral can only be withdrawn from Ecclesiastical Planning when the service has been provided or if the plan is cancelled.

How safe is my funeral plan?

A funeral plan is not an investment product but a secure and safe way of paying for your funeral in advance.  Each purchaser receives a guarantee that the services itemised in the plan will be provided when required by your chosen Funeral Director.

Registered with the Funeral Planning Authority

For your added peace of mind, they are registered with the Funeral Planning Authority (FPA); an organisation which exists to regulate funeral pre-payment plan providers in the UK.

Registration with the FPA is not mandatory, and providers are only accepted into membership if they can show that they operate to the highest standards demanded by their rules and Code of Practice. Providers are reviewed annually by the FPA’s compliance committee.

The FPA also works to resolve customer complaints about funeral plans and funeral plan providers.

FCA regulation update – February 2022

As of 29 July 2022, all funeral plan providers in the UK will be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

We are pleased to report that Ecclesiastical Planning Service have their application for authorisation by the FCA in and is being progressed, they remain positive that they will be authorised from 29 July 2022 when the new regulation becomes effective. We can confirm that Ecclesiastical’s pre-payment funds remain safe and secure, and would like to reassure customers not to be concerned at this stage. If you have any questions, please contact Aubrey Kirkham Funeral Directors

Benefits of a pre-paid funeral plan

Our pre-paid funeral plans enable you to pre-arrange and pre-pay for your funeral. This can help to reduce the worry for your loved ones, allowing you to get on and enjoy life, knowing that the essential arrangements are in place. A pre-paid funeral plan through your local funeral director also enables you to:

• Pay your funeral director’s costs in advance.
• Make a contribution towards third party costs, such as doctor’s and minister’s fees.
• Pay by lump-sum or manageable monthly instalments.
• Choose from a range of set plans or the ability to make bespoke arrangements.
• Access expert advice from an approved funeral director.

Your pre-paid funeral plan guarantees

Ecclesiastical Planning Services pre-paid funeral plans give you the following guarantees:

• Guaranteed acceptance: anyone aged 18 or over can take out one of our pre-paid funeral plans – there is no age limit, nor will you be subject to any medical questions or examinations. 
• Peace of mind: your plan will cover the cost of your funeral director’s services, as set out in your plan paperwork, no matter what happens to the economy. As long as you stay in the same area, use the same funeral directing firm and your requirements don’t change, your family won’t pay a penny more for your funeral director’s services, regardless of how long you live or how much prices rise. You also have the option to make a contribution towards third party costs which are outside of your funeral director’s control. Only if these costs increase more than the growth of the plan, will there be additional charges at the time of the funeral. Please see the Funeral Plan Terms and Conditions for full details. 
• Flexibility: if you change your mind about any of the details of your plan, that’s not a problem. You can add to or alter your plan whenever you wish. Please note, that there may be an additional cost if you add new features and services to your plan. 
• Exceptional financial security: every penny of the full value of your plan (excluding the initial management fee) is held securely in a whole of life assurance policy and ring-fenced to pay for your funeral for total peace of mind. They could pay out on all of our plans at any given time.

What happens if Funeral Director were to go bankrupt?

The funeral director does not get the money until the funeral has been provided.  Therefore if the funeral director was to go bankrupt another funeral director would be appointed.  It is very unusual for funeral directors to close but you are covered if this should happen.