The words funeral homes use, in plain English.

Cremation with no viewing, no embalming, and no formal service at the funeral home. The body goes from the place of death to the crematory. The family gets the ashes back later.

A short ceremony held at the cemetery plot, before or during burial. Often the only service when families want something simple but in-person.

A service to honor the person held without the body present — typically after cremation, direct burial, or body donation.

A funeral with embalming, viewing, a formal service at a funeral home or place of worship, and burial in a cemetery. The most expensive of the common options.

Time at the funeral home when family and friends gather around the body before the funeral. Can be open-casket (body visible) or closed-casket.

An alternative to flame cremation that uses heated water and lye to break the body down to bone fragments. Same result as cremation, less energy, no emissions.

A medical examination of the body, internal and external, to determine cause of death. Ordered by a medical examiner or requested by the family in some cases.

A structure with small niches for holding urns. Found in cemeteries and inside some places of worship. The cremation equivalent of a burial plot.

Reducing the body to bone fragments and ash using high heat (about 1,400–1,800 °F) over two to three hours. The resulting 'cremated remains' weigh 4–8 pounds for an adult.

A chemical process that temporarily preserves the body, used mainly to allow a viewing several days after death. Not required by law in most situations.

Burial without embalming, without a metal or hardwood casket, and without a concrete vault — designed to let the body decompose into the soil naturally.

Storing the body in a cooled facility (typically 36–40 °F) to slow decomposition. The legal alternative to embalming in every US state.

Releasing cremated remains in a chosen location — sea, mountain, forest, garden, sports field. Legal in most situations with a few specific rules.

The container the body is placed in for viewing and burial. Required for traditional funerals; optional for direct cremation (a cardboard 'alternative container' suffices).

The container that holds cremated remains. Required only if the family wants something more permanent than the temporary plastic container the crematory provides.

A concrete or metal box placed in the grave around the casket. Required by most cemeteries (not by state law) to keep the ground from settling as the casket decomposes.

Charges the funeral home pays to a third party on the family's behalf and passes through — death certificates, clergy honoraria, obituary placement, flowers.

A fee some funeral homes try to charge when a family buys a casket from a third party (Costco, Amazon, an online supplier). Illegal under federal law.

The federal regulation governing what funeral homes can and cannot do. In effect since 1984. Enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.

A small whole-life insurance policy ($5,000–$25,000) marketed to cover funeral costs. Often expensive relative to the payout. A separate savings account usually outperforms it.

The itemized price list every funeral home in the US is legally required to give you on request — in person, by phone, or by email.

The one fee a funeral home is allowed to charge every family regardless of what services they pick. Covers overhead — facility, staff time, paperwork.

A casket bought from a source other than the funeral home — Costco, Walmart, online dealers, local casket stores. Federal law requires the funeral home to accept it without a handling fee.

The county-issued permit that authorizes moving the body and completing burial, cremation, or other disposition. Required in every US state.

The official government document recording the death. Required for almost everything that comes after — bank accounts, insurance, Social Security, probate, transferring property.

The person legally authorized to make decisions about the body, burial, and arrangements. Order is set by state law, not by who was emotionally closest.

The legal right to decide what happens to a body after death — cremation versus burial, where, and when. Follows the same hierarchy as next of kin.

A named recipient for a specific account — life insurance, 401(k), IRA, payable-on-death bank accounts. Overrides the will. Passes outside probate.

The person legally responsible for settling a deceased person's estate — paying debts, filing taxes, distributing assets per the will. Named in the will, or appointed by the court if there is none.

Dying without a valid will. State law (the 'intestate succession statute') determines who inherits what — usually spouse and children first, then parents, siblings, and outward.

The court document that proves the executor has legal authority to act on behalf of the estate. Required to access the deceased's bank accounts, sell property, and most other estate business.

A simple way to pass a bank account, brokerage account, or vehicle title to a named person at death without going through probate. Set with the institution on a form.

The court-supervised process of validating a will (if there is one), paying debts, and transferring the deceased's property to heirs. Required in most cases, though some assets bypass it.

Arrangements made after the death has occurred. The opposite of pre-need. The vast majority of funeral arrangements happen this way.

Arrangements made before death — picking services, choosing a casket or urn, sometimes paying in advance. Done by the person who will die or by family on their behalf.

The official who investigates deaths that did not happen under medical supervision — sudden deaths, accidents, suspicious deaths, deaths of unknown cause. The body stays in their custody until the investigation releases it.

A non-licensed support person who helps families through the end of life, the moment of death, and immediate aftercare — washing the body, holding a vigil, filing paperwork.