Guides
Guides for families
If you are trying to understand funeral or cremation choices, this is a calm place to begin.
These guides explain the basics in plain language. They are here to help you take one step at a time, whether you are making arrangements now or planning ahead. You will find information about costs, paperwork, memorial options, grief support, and your rights under the FTC Funeral Rule.
Stillpoint is a free matching service, not a funeral home or cremation provider. We do not arrange services or sell products. Our guides are general educational information, not legal, financial, tax, or insurance advice. If you need help finding licensed providers near you, you can learn more about how it works or get matched.
What to do in the first hours when someone dies
A calm, step-by-step list of the first calls and decisions when a loved one has just died — at home, in hospital, or in hospice.
Open →Burial vs cremation: how to decide
A gentle comparison of burial and cremation — cost, tradition, faith, the environment, and what feels right for your family.
Open →What is direct cremation?
Direct cremation explained in plain language — what it includes, what it doesn't, what it costs, and who it suits.
Open →How much does a funeral cost?
Typical US funeral and cremation cost ranges by type, what drives the price, and honest ways to keep it manageable.
Open →How to read a funeral home's price list
Every funeral home must give you an itemized General Price List. Here's how to read it, line by line, and what to ask.
Open →Questions to ask a funeral home
The honest, practical questions to ask any funeral home or cremation provider before you sign anything.
Open →Ways to pay for a funeral
Honest options for paying for a funeral or cremation — savings, insurance, help that may be available, and what to be careful of.
Open →Help when money is tight
Where families can look for help with funeral costs, and how to arrange a dignified, lower-cost service.
Open →How to plan a memorial service
A plain-language guide to planning a memorial or celebration of life — when, where, who leads it, and how to make it personal.
Open →How to write an obituary
A simple guide to writing an obituary or death notice, with a gentle structure and examples to adapt.
Open →Documents and paperwork after a death
The death certificate, who needs copies, and the paperwork families deal with after a loved one dies.
Open →Green and natural burial, explained
What green, natural, and conservation burial mean, what they cost, and how to find a provider who offers them.
Open →Scattering, keeping, or burying ashes
Your choices for a loved one's ashes — keeping them, scattering them, burying them, or memorial jewelry — and the rules to know.
Open →How to pre-plan a funeral, step by step
Recording your wishes, deciding what to pre-pay, and the questions to ask before signing any pre-need contract.
Open →Pre-need vs final-expense insurance
An honest, neutral look at pre-need funeral contracts and final-expense insurance — how each works and what to watch for.
Open →Supporting someone who is grieving
Gentle, practical ways to help a grieving friend or family member — what to say, what to do, and what to avoid.
Open →Religious and cultural funeral traditions
An respectful overview of how different faiths and cultures honor the dead, and how to find a provider who understands your traditions.
Open →Repatriation: sending a loved one home
How to send a loved one's body or ashes to another country, the paperwork involved, and how to find a provider who handles it.
Open →Funeral help for immigrant families
Plain-language help for new arrivals and non-native-English speakers arranging a funeral or cremation in the US — your rights, costs, and providers who can help.
Open →A funeral provider who speaks your language
How to find a licensed funeral home or cremation provider who speaks your language and understands your traditions.
Open →After a sudden loss: what to do
A gentle, practical guide for families facing a sudden or unexpected death — the first steps and where to get help.
Open →Planning ahead for yourself
How to plan your own funeral or cremation calmly — record your wishes, understand your options, and spare your family hard decisions.
Open →Burial vs cremation: cost comparison
A side-by-side, honest comparison of what burial and cremation typically cost, and what's included in each.
Open →Direct cremation vs full-service funeral
How direct cremation and a traditional full-service funeral differ in steps, cost, and what each family gets.
Open →Pre-paying vs recording your wishes
Should you pre-pay for a funeral, or just write down your wishes? An honest comparison of both, with the trade-offs.
Open →Would it help to find a provider near you?
Get matched, free, with licensed funeral homes or cremation providers near you. You compare itemized prices and choose who you trust — there is never any pressure.
Get matched with a provider — free