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Washington Report
February 2008
AARP Magazine attacks prepaid funerals
by ICCFA General Counsel Robert M. Fells, Esq.
The current issue (Jan-Feb 2008) of AARP's magazine contains a lengthy article criticizing prepaid funeral contracts and contains cartoonish photographs with actors posing as greedy preneed salespersons stealing money. The article, ""R.I.P. Off," initially focuses on the Clayton Smart investigations in Tennessee and Michigan, but ultimately urges readers not to prepay any funeral arrangements: "Both AARP and the Funeral Consumer Alliance advise against pre-need contracts in most cases."
This article is similar to a story published in AARP's magazine about eight years ago, and even reuses the same title. AARP also invites readers to share their preneed funeral experiences, good or bad, on its message board. AARP states that it has over 39 million members age 50 and older. To date, a review of its message board indicates relatively few complaints from AARP members while offering a number of positive experiences with prepaid funeral arrangements.
The article can be viewed on the AARP Web site at www.aarpmagazine.org/money/funeral_rip_off.html.
Copyright ICCFA 2008
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