In February, 2003, my husband and I attended a seminar addressing intelligent and practical measures for managing finances for retirement as well as planning for the possibility of long-term care. Since my husband and I are retired, and because I am the primary care-giver for my elderly mother, we decided to attend. One of the items covered included doing a pre-paid or pre-funded funeral arrangement. I instantly perked up as I considered my 84 year old mother’s health condition and the very real probability of her needing long term care. Most long term care facilities require their residents to “spend down” all of their assets in order to qualify for Medical Assistance. A pre-funded funeral was one way to insure she would have money enough to pay for funeral costs without jeopardizing her long-term care. I contacted Bryan Jamison, an elder law attorney, to verify the soundness of such an action. He encouraged me to follow-through. I then contacted West Funeral Home in West St. Paul and they gave me the name of Richard Graner as the one to see regarding this matter. Within a week of the seminar, my brother, my mother and I met with Richard. Richard’s easy manner soon placed all of us in a very comfortable setting. He explained in great detail what was all involved. He answered our questions. He listened to the desires expressed and offered appropriate and timely suggestions. Together, we made the funeral arrangements that pleased my mother and met our expectations with complete satisfaction. All of us felt the pre-funding of a funeral to be a very positive experience. We now have peace of mind.