Here’s info for anyone who’s in phase 2 and trying to get the trust info/requirements set up so they can move forward with the trust process. This only applies if you don’t already own land.

There’s a requirement that you need to own land in order to file for your trust. I’m not sure of the right wording, but basically if you don’t own your home or any land – you need to acquire land or ownership in land so you can fill out your trust docs.

The way it was described to me by my TFP “fulfillment” person/manager is that you can do that by:

1. Getting a friend or family member to give you a share of ownership in their home / land. Unfortunately, for me this is not an option. I don’t know how to do this, though I have asked and I would definitely be interested in learning more. If you know any details, please feel free to share in the comments.

2. Buying a cemetary plot. The plot needs to be a transfer of land ownership that is recorded at the county level, according to what Brandan told me. I was told that TFP has done this in the past with a specific cemetery in FL, which they can give you the contact info for. I contacted that cemetery in Florida and asked them specifically if I would be purchasing land and the deed would be filed with the county. They let me know that now the purchase is for “burial rights” and there is no transfer of land ownership. The cemetery retains ownership of the plot and sells you the rights to use it for burial. This might have changed from how they did it in the past and the price also changed from what I was told.

3. Buy a share in land that The Freedom People own. I don’t have any details on this because I’m still waiting on a reply for how to move forward with this. But if I find out how to do it or learn more, I’ll update this with anything general that might help other people in the same situation.

FYI – I spent about a day researching #2 and found a number of inexpensive plots in different states. Every cemetery I contacted said the same thing about selling burial rights vs land ownership, and that I would not get a deed that would be registered if I bought a plot from them. I tried multiple cemeteries in Alaska, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont. Some said that it was a state law and others said that it has been standard practice for a long time to sell burial rights, with the cemetery retaining land ownership. ALSO, I saw the FL cemetery suggested by TFP had really bad reviews online. i couldn’t find a website for them and when I called, the person who answered the phone yelled, “Hello” and sounded very unprofessional (and kind nof senile). I’m not sure I would feel confident enough, personally, to give them $800 and trust they would complete the step of registering the deed with the county. BUT since they also told me they are selling burial rights and not ownership of the burial plot, I wouldn’t move forward with them anyway without something more substantial/reliable to go by.

I hope this helps! If anyone was in the same situation and has any info, I’d love to hear what you did and how it worked out for you. Thanks!