When someone passes away, surviving family members are thrust into making dozens of expensive decisions within 24 to 48 hours, right in the thick of grief. Most people have never planned a funeral and have no idea what caskets, vaults, or services should cost. That is why every Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage policy includes a complimentary membership to the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society (FCGS), an independent consumer advocate dedicated to protecting families from overpaying. Here is how FCGS works and why it changes everything for grieving families.
How the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society Began
The FCGS was founded in 2000 by Joe Kraft, a former funeral director whose family had served communities in the funeral industry dating back to 1856. Having spent years inside the business, Kraft saw firsthand a massive shift: independent, family-owned mom-and-pop funeral homes were rapidly being acquired by huge, publicly traded corporate conglomerates like Service Corporation International.
While the corporate chains often kept the original family name on the sign outside, their focus shifted to quarterly profits and shareholder returns. Prices climbed, and sales pressure intensified. On the hardest day of a family's life, when people are too heartbroken to price-shop, corporations knew they could charge premium prices for everyday items.
Joe Kraft realized grieving families desperately needed an advocate in their corner, someone who understood the funeral business from the inside, knew real wholesale pricing, and could negotiate on the family's behalf so they never got taken advantage of. That mission became the Funeral Consumer Guardian Society.
What Does a Personal Funeral Advisor Actually Do?
When an FCGS member passes away, their family only has to make one single phone call. The family is immediately assigned a dedicated Personal Funeral Advisor who steps in as their professional advocate.
Price-shopping local funeral homes: The FCGS advisor contacts multiple funeral homes in the local area to price-shop the exact services and merchandise the family wants. Two funeral homes three miles apart often charge thousands of dollars differently for the exact same casket, service, or cremation. FCGS compares these options so the family gets the best fair price.
Reviewing the funeral contract line by line: Before the family signs or pays anything, FCGS reviews the funeral home's itemized bill to ensure accuracy and eliminate questionable charges. In one documented case, a funeral home billed a grieving Nevada family $1,500 for a 'casket key' (which is simply an everyday hex wrench). FCGS called the funeral director, questioned the fee, and had the $1,500 removed on the spot.
According to FCGS records, their intervention saves policyholder families an average of $1,850 on traditional funeral arrangements and up to $1,100 on cremation services.
Documenting Your Final Wishes Ahead of Time
The best time to plan a funeral is before the emergency happens. FCGS gives every member access to a secure digital planning system where they can record their exact wishes in detail.
Members can specify whether they prefer traditional burial or cremation, their choice of casket or urn, preferred clothing, favorite songs, scripture or readings, flower choices, pallbearers, and cemetery preferences. You can even store vital family documents and assign trusted contacts who can access your records when the time comes.
Having your final wishes clearly documented eliminates the guesswork, stress, and family arguments that so often happen when loved ones disagree about what mom or dad would have wanted. One call gives the family the complete plan.
The Power of FCGS Paired With Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance
Advice alone cannot pay a funeral home bill. And money alone cannot stop a grieving family from overpaying. That is why the partnership between Lincoln Heritage Life Insurance Company and FCGS is so powerful.
Lincoln Heritage pays cash claims within 24 to 48 hours of claim approval, putting actual funds into the beneficiary's hands immediately. At the exact same time, FCGS steps in to price-shop the funeral home, review the contract, and ensure that cash benefit goes as far as humanly possible.
Surviving loved ones are not left alone with a check and a stack of bills. They have both the financial protection of Lincoln Heritage and the expert advocacy of FCGS standing beside them every step of the way.
Want the peace of mind of Lincoln Heritage coverage and free FCGS family protection? Get your free quote in under two minutes.