The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-07-10
BURIAL" AND FUNERAL"
INSURANCE

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Unlike burial" insurance, the
bulletin explains, funeral insurance
provides for payments in cash. The
proceeds of the policies are earmark-
ed for payment of the funeral bill.
The funeral director submits his bill
to the insurance company, and is
paid direct.
Before purchasing funeral in
surance, determine exactly what is
offered by the policy, including loan
values, cash surrender values, etc.
Then compare these benefits, and
the rates charged, with the cost of a
standard life insurance policy provid-
ing equal benefits"
SELECTION OF CEMETERY
PLOT
Part of the "high cost of dying"
is the cemetery cost. On this subject,
the bulletin says:
Careful consideration should be
given to selection of cemetery plot.
Investigate the reliability of the
cemetery, and be sure that adequate
arrangements exist for perpetual
care. The plot selected should not be
beyond the means of the purchaser.
One of the worst of "profiteering
in sorrow" is the sale of cemetery
lots for speculative profits. In re-
gard to this, the bulletin says:
at has been the experience of
Better Business Bureaus that, when
cemetery lots have been sold on
speculative basis, with promises of
resale at huge profits, purchases have
not generally been profitable from
the standpoint of investors
Thousands of persons, who have
been promised financial security from
such Investments have found them
selves. owners of lots in cemeteries
which have gone into receivership,
unable to dispose of their lots for
more than a fraction of their cost,
if at all.
I'm some cases, cemetery lots have
been promoted as part of package
plan, which includes a casket, vault,
or marker. This introduces additional
speculative aspects"
On "monuments and memorials"
the bulletin says "You should not buy
a monument or memorial hastily. Be
ware of statesmen who seek to high
pressure or shame you into precipi-
tate purchases of dubious value. Size,
alone, is not necessarily a measure
of memorial value"
EXAMPLES OF RACKETEERING
In conclusion, the bulletin gives
this warning and advice Better Bust
ness Bureaus have record of many
schemes and promotions, designed to
prey on recently bereaved people.
'Hearse chasers' seek to victimize
survivors by collecting for merchan-
disc which is falsely represented as
having been ordered by the deceased.
Sometimes they claim part payment
has been made by the deceased, and
endeavor to collect the alleged bal
ance.
"Some promoters make living by
mailing unordered merchandise, such
as religious items and plastic-sealed
copies of death notices. You do not
have to pay for unordered merchan-
disc unless you actually use it. You
are under no obligation to return
anything so received, and you can
make reasonable charge for storing
it.
Survivors who accept an offer to
include the deceased in biographical
book may subsequently discover that
they have contracted to pay high |
prices for engravings, reprints, or
other extras"
A news item from st. Louis says:
Investigations of promotional type
in st. Louis County was
begun today by the Prosecuting At
who declared that action must
De taken 'to stop the gouging Of the
public by cemetery associations
Investigation revealed that pro-
notional cemeteries do lucrative
business in the sale of burial lots,
space, grave markers, ana
other burial services, while operating
1nder non-profit charters issued by
L. -LzL