Understanding why families choose funeral preplanning is key to developing meaningful connections within your community and building a strong preneed program for your funeral business. Today’s consumers are more informed, more intentional and more motivated by both financial and emotional needs.

Our Preneed Motivators report offers a fresh look into the attitudes, behaviors and decision-making patterns shaping preneed today. Built from policy owner insights, the research helps funeral professionals better understand what drives families to take action and how to build stronger, more meaningful conversations around planning ahead.

In this post, we’ll highlight several emerging themes from the upcoming edition of our Preneed Motivators report and preview insights that will be explored further during our free webinar, Breaking Down the Modern Preneed Buyer: Insights You Haven’t Seen Before, taking place Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. CT. Presented by Homesteaders executives Courtney Gould Miller and Laurie Covington, the one-hour session will provide a deeper look into the research along with practical strategies funeral professionals can apply right away to strengthen their preneed efforts.

Why do families preplan funerals?

Families consider preplanning for deeply personal reasons, often centered on care for the people they love. The desire to reduce future emotional and financial burden on their loved ones is one of the most consistent motivators behind funeral preplanning.

Preplanning allows people to:

• Relieve loved ones from making difficult decisions
• Ensure their wishes are clearly documented
• Gain a sense of control and peace of mind
• Provide funds for unavoidable funeral expenses

These motivations reflect a broader shift toward intentional end-of-life planning. Funeral plans are no longer viewed as transactional decisions but as meaningful acts of preparation, care and love.

What motivates people to preplan?

Preneed insurance is often part of a broader financial strategy. While long-term planning plays a role, many families are motivated to act because of meaningful life experiences that shift their perspective and priorities.

One of the strongest themes uncovered in the upcoming Preneed Motivators report is the emotional impact major life events can have on a family’s decision to begin planning ahead.

This aligns with what many funeral professionals see every day. Navigating the challenges of losing a loved one gives many people a clearer perspective and a sense of urgency, inspiring them to take steps to protect their own families from facing a similar situation.

Additional motivators highlighted in the research include:

• Feeling emotionally ready to plan
• Reaching what they perceive as the “right” age
• Having the financial means to move forward

These insights reinforce the importance of timing and empathy. Supporting families after a loss and maintaining meaningful touchpoints over time through a thoughtful aftercare approach can create more natural opportunities for preneed conversations.

Want to better understand what motivates today’s consumers to take action? Our upcoming free webinar on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. CT for an exclusive first look at the latest Preneed Motivators research and be among the first to unpack the insights shaping today’s preneed consumer behavior. You’ll also gain practical strategies for applying these findings to strengthen your preneed efforts.

How satisfied are people who preplan?

One of the clearest takeaways from the upcoming report is that the vast majority of people who choose to preplan feel positive about their decision. The research reveals exceptionally high levels of satisfaction among policy owners, reinforcing the value families place on preparation, peace of mind and reducing future burden for loved ones.

This level of confidence highlights an important opportunity for funeral professionals. Preplanning delivers lasting peace of mind, strengthening trust with families and reinforcing the value of planning ahead.

For funeral professionals, this creates an important opportunity. Positive preplanning experiences build trust, strengthen relationships and can naturally generate word-of-mouth referrals within the community — boosting your reputation and helping your preneed program continue to work on your behalf without requiring additional outreach effort from your team.

Why getting started with funeral preplanning is the biggest barrier — and how to overcome it.

Despite strong interest in funeral preplanning, getting started is often the most challenging part of the preplanning process.

One of the biggest themes emerging from the upcoming Preneed Motivators report is that uncertainty around how to begin often delays action, even when the value of preplanning is recognized. This gap presents a clear opportunity.

Funeral professionals can guide families forward by:

• Offering a simple funeral planning checklist
• Providing clear explanations of prepaid funeral plan options
• Addressing common misconceptions about funeral insurance cost and process
• Creating approachable entry points for conversations

When families feel informed, supported and confident, they are far more likely to move from research or consideration to taking action.

What does the Preneed Motivators report data mean for funeral professionals?

The insights behind why families preplan are more than interesting. They’re actionable. The eighth edition of the Preneed Motivators report highlights several important themes shaping consumer behavior today.

Insights covered in our eight edition:

• The emotional drivers behind planning decisions
• The importance of timing and life events
• The role education and guidance play in overcoming hesitation
• How trust and experience influence long-term relationships

For funeral home leaders, these insights can help strengthen outreach strategies, improve conversations and create more meaningful engagement throughout the customer journey.

Key opportunities include:

• Providing consistent education across every touchpoint
• Building relationships before families are ready to act
• Equipping your team to lead meaningful, needs-based conversations
• Maintaining engagement over time, not just at the point of inquiry

By doing so, you position your funeral home as a trusted resource, not just a service provider. Our upcoming webinar will take a deeper dive into these findings and provide practical strategies your team can use to put the research into action.

How can the Preneed Motivators report strengthen your preneed strategy?

Families choose funeral preplanning for many reasons, but at the center of those decisions is a common desire to care for their loved ones and ensure they are protected, prepared and supported in the future.

When funeral professionals better understand these motivations, they can create stronger conversations, more meaningful connections within their communities and more effective preneed strategies.

The upcoming eighth edition of Preneed Motivators offers deeper insight into the behaviors, attitudes and decision-making patterns shaping today’s families — and what those insights mean for funeral homes looking to grow and strengthen their preneed program.

Be among the first to explore insights from the latest edition of Preneed Motivators by joining our free webinar on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. CT. We’ll break down emerging consumer trends, unpack key findings from the research and share practical, actionable strategies your team can use to strengthen conversations, increase engagement and support preneed growth immediately.