Golden Charter Funeral Plans Reviewed 2019. Right for You?

Golden Charter Funeral Plans Reviewed 2019.

Funeral Plan Quotes

Golden Charter has a definite place in the funeral plan market and has the virtue that their mission is to support independent funeral directors who tend to offer better value for money. Like all providers, they have their good points and their not so good points. In terms of the financials, they have a specific website for their Trust Fund which looks very healthy. They have a very large network of members of SAIF who are independent funeral directors, so their coverage of the UK is good.

Summary

For some, they are a good option, but for others, they are not. So best contact us!
The plans were relatively expensive, and it remains to be seen if the current lower prices stay. They definitely have a place in the market on the current prices.

Golden Charter Prepaid Funeral Plan Prices (as at 1/19).

The Golden Charter Value Plan at £2,895 has certain restrictions and only £800 towards third party costs. Nothing against this plan, there are many “cut down” plans on the market, and they are much better than nothing.

The Golden Charter Standard Funeral Plan priced at £3,495 guarantees the funeral directors fees and adds £1,100 towards third-party costs such as interment or cremation.

Their Select Plan at £3,850 adds a limousine for the family and upgraded coffin and 24 hour collection.

The Premier Plan costs £4.099 and adds a second limousine and further upgraded coffin.

Golden Charter Funeral Plan Reviews.

After more than 20 years of operation, Golden Charter claim to be the leading provider of prepaid funeral plans to independent funeral directors in the UK. (Once again, they are fine, but they won’t be right for everyone. So why not contact us for Independent Advice? If Golden Charter Funeral Plans are right for you, we will confirm it. If not, we will recommend the most suitable plan for your needs and locality. There is a great deal more to choosing the right prepaid funeral plan than most people realise!)

Why risk thousands without advice? We don’t even charge you. But it is up to you whether you just accept any funeral plan providers carefully designed marketing at face value or just ask our expert for free advice!!

You can watch the Golden Charter video at the foot of this page. They sometimes offer a £100 discount for signing up online. Please be assured that you won’t lose that buying through us, should we recommend them in your case. Golden Charter may not actually be the best option for you, even with the discount. Our researcher says that varies with the time of year and how far through the annual increase cycle of all the providers we are! Keeping on top of all the changes is quite a job at this end!

Golden Charter Funeral Plan Reviews – Best Buy? This is what they say.

Golden Charter Funeral Plans best buy?

Golden Charter believe that you should have the freedom to choose what you want in your prepaid funeral plan. That includes what is perhaps the most important choice – which funeral director will look after you and make sure your wishes are carried out.

Golden Charter prepaid funeral plans are owned by an association of independent funeral directors. Being governed in this way means that all surpluses are used to support these independent funeral directors or paid to the Golden Charter Trust to the benefit of plan holders and the funeral directors. With over 2,100 funeral directors accepting Golden Charter plans we are able to offer our plan holders an unrivalled opportunity to choose which funeral director will attend to their wishes. Golden Charter also offer Direct Cremation plans.

Having seen plan sales grow by 30% in the last financial year and being over 15% up this year so far, Golden Charter is a success story.

Golden Charter Trust (all good companies have similar arrangements).

The trust into which payments are placed is a financially separate fund run by an independent board of Trustees. This makes sure that your money is going to be available when needed. Even if the parent company ceasing to exist, the trust would continue until all payments have been completed. But all reputable prepaid companies have similar arrangements.

In accordance with the rules of the Funeral Planning Authority, the majority of the trustees must have no connection with the “parent” company. Four of the five trustees are completely independent and the fifth is an executive member of the SAIF Charter Association (that holds a 100 per cent shareholding in Golden Charter) and a non-executive director of Golden Charter. He provides the vital link between the funeral directors, the company, and the Trust. The Trusts prime responsibility is to make sure that there are sufficient funds to pay the funeral directors, who are the beneficiaries of the trust, at the time of need. The board of their Trust has been appointed by virtue of their experience and integrity.

Currently, the Trustees employ Baillie Gifford, Legal & General Investment Management, LCF Edmond de Rothschild Asset Management (C.I.) Limited, Royal London Asset Management and Aviva Investors as their fund managers. So as well as a diverse asset allocation strategy, the Trustees also spread the investments among several fund managers.

The Prepaid Funeral Review says “If you would like independent advice on your choice of prepaid funeral plan, GO HERE and download our questionnaire. It will help you consider which benefits are most important to you – and all the plans on offer have their own unique set of features. When we receive it we will check it against our features and benefits database and recommend what we believe to be the most right plan for you. All we ask is that if you decide to accept our advice, you buy the plan through us. In the unlikely event that you find the recommended funeral plan cheaper elsewhere, let us know and we’ll try to renegotiate the price for you.