Why I took out funeral insurance at 34

You don't expect it when you're in your early thirties. You're busy with your career, your social life, maybe a new hobby. The last thing on your mind is your own funeral. Yet there I was at 34, sitting behind my laptop taking out funeral insurance. No dramatic trigger, no wake-up call in the form of a diagnosis. Just a moment of awareness. And honestly? In hindsight, I should have done it much sooner.

In this article, I share my personal story. Why I, as a single thirty-something without children, still decided to arrange this, what it costs me and why I think taking out funeral insurance young is a smarter choice than you might think.

How it started: a domain name and a confrontation with myself

It all started with eindstation.nl. I was setting up this platform and the name alone laid bare the association with the end of life. While I immersed myself in everything surrounding funerals, estates and insurance, I started asking myself questions. Difficult questions. The kind of questions you normally put off.

One of those questions was simple: do I actually have funeral insurance myself? The answer was no. I had never thought about it. Not consciously, at least. My perception had always been: that's something for later. For when you have a family, a house, a life that feels "complete". But while I was writing articles about funeral costs and insurance for others, I realised that I myself was completely unprepared.

It wasn't fear. It wasn't panic. More of a rational realisation that blended with an emotional undertone. Because what if I get hit by a bus tomorrow, fly off the road while driving, or pass away from whatever cause. Who ends up footing the bill?

Tip: You don't need to wait for a life-changing event to think about your funeral. Sometimes a simple moment of self-reflection is enough to take action.

The cost of a funeral: more shocking than you think

Let's talk about the numbers, because they're sobering. An average funeral in 2026 easily costs between €8,500 and €10,000 or more (source: Consumentenbond, 2025). According to a publication by NOS, funeral costs have risen by about 50 percent in ten years, significantly more than regular inflation. In 2017, the average was still around €7,500 according to Nibud. That figure has since been well surpassed.

And here's where it gets painful: the same Nibud research showed that nearly half of all Dutch people don't have savings of more than €5,000. One in five indicated they wouldn't be able to pay for a €7,500 funeral themselves. With current price increases, that problem has only grown.

In my situation, that would mean my parents and my sister would have had to cover a bill of potentially more than €10,000. Out of their own pocket. At a moment when they're already grieving enough. That image was enough for me to take action.

Tip: Calculate for yourself what a funeral according to your wishes would cost, use for example the calculator on Eindstation. Insurers such as DELA and Monuta offer online calculation tools that give you a quick estimate.

Why young people put it off (and why that's a shame)

I get it. When you're twenty or thirty, funeral insurance feels like something that doesn't belong to your stage of life. Research by insurer a.s.r. (2025) among over 1,250 Dutch people shows that about half of young people (Generation Z) do consider funeral insurance important, but only a quarter actually see it as their own responsibility. Nearly half never even talk about it with friends or family.

I was a prime example of that myself. My thinking was simply: I have my whole life ahead of me, why would I be dealing with this now? But the reality is that life offers no guarantees. Not at 70, but not at 30 either.

What many people don't know is that the age at which you take out funeral insurance has an enormous impact on the premium. In my case, at 34, I pay about €200 per year. Someone ten years younger could pay around €120 per year or even less for the same coverage. That difference adds up significantly over a lifetime. The longer you wait, the heavier the monthly costs become.

Tip: Check with your parents whether you were co-insured on their policy until you turned 18 (or sometimes 21). Has that expired? Then now is the ideal time to arrange something yourself, precisely because the premium is lowest at a young age.

My choice: a services insurance policy with DELA

After my moment of awareness, I started researching which insurance would suit me best. I compared various providers on terms, coverage and costs. But I also looked at something else: what story does the insurer tell? Does their philosophy match my perspective?

Ultimately, I ended up with the services insurance from DELA. A few things tipped the scales for me.

First of all, DELA is a cooperative without a profit motive. This means premiums remain relatively low, because any profit flows back to members through a profit-sharing scheme. Secondly, I appreciated the transparency of the terms and conditions. You know exactly where you stand. And thirdly: the flexibility. You can simply adjust your insurance after taking it out if your wishes change. With over 3.5 million policyholders, DELA is also the largest funeral insurer in the Netherlands, which provides a certain sense of security (source: dela.nl).

Specifically, I chose a services insurance policy (in-kind) with an additional cash sum. The services insurance covers the basic services of a funeral, such as the funeral director, venues, laying out, the coffin and transportation. The additional capital component gives my next of kin the freedom to arrange extras, think of catering, flowers or a personal touch to the farewell.

Tip: Think carefully about whether you want an in-kind, capital or combination insurance. With in-kind insurance, your next of kin also receive guidance and support, which can be enormously valuable at such a time. With capital insurance, they only receive a sum of money and have to arrange everything themselves.

The feeling after taking it out: relief

You might expect it to feel strange. A thirty-something arranging his own funeral. But honestly, the opposite was the case. It felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Not because I walked around with a daily fear of death. But because I knew that if something were to happen, it's taken care of. My parents and my sister wouldn't be left with a bill of thousands of euros. They wouldn't experience financial stress on top of the most difficult moment of their lives. That realisation brings peace of mind.

It's a bit like taking out home contents insurance. You hope you'll never need it, but you're glad it's there when the time comes. Except the amounts involved in a funeral are many times higher than with a stolen bicycle or water damage. With average funeral costs above €8,500 (source: Consumentenbond), you're talking about a serious financial blow for your next of kin if you haven't arranged anything.

What also plays a role: I'm single, have no children and don't own a home. In the eyes of many people, that's precisely a reason not to do it. But I see it exactly the other way around. I don't have a partner who could potentially step in. No large shared assets to fall back on. That's exactly when it's important to arrange it yourself.

What I would say to those who are hesitating

If I've learned one thing from this whole process, it's this: you don't need a specific reason to take out funeral insurance. You don't need to be ill, don't need to have a family and don't need to be old. The only thing you need is the realisation that a funeral costs money and that someone has to pay that bill.

Look at the facts. About 70 percent of Dutch people have funeral insurance (source: Nibud). But research shows that nearly half of those insured are underinsured. And among young people, the percentage that has arranged anything at all is much lower. Crowdfunding campaigns for funerals of young people are becoming increasingly common, a signal that awareness is lagging behind (source: a.s.r., 2025).

My advice? Don't wait. Not out of fear, but out of common sense. The younger you are, the less you pay. In my case, it's less than €17 per month. That's one pizza a month. One fewer night out at the pub. But the difference for your next of kin is enormous.

Should I have done it sooner? Absolutely. Could I have arranged it at 24 for tens of euros less per year? Yes. But better late than never.

Conclusion: arranging is caring

Taking out funeral insurance in your thirties might feel like something that doesn't suit you. It feels far away, abstract, maybe even a bit morbid. But in reality, it's one of the most caring things you can do for your loved ones. You ensure that at the hardest moment, they don't also face a financial problem.

My story isn't spectacular. No drama, no illness, no loss that shook me awake. Just an awareness, a few evenings of research and a choice that brings peace of mind. And that peace of mind is worth more than those few euros a month.

Want to see for yourself what funeral insurance would cost you? Compare the options on eindstation.nl and discover which insurance suits your situation. Or check directly what DELA, ASR or Monuta have to offer.