Before I Go, You Should Know
The planning booklet “Before I Go, You Should Know” was created by the Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA) as a handy fill-in-the-blank workbook that prompts you to record your decisions and the locations of your important documents.
We provide one FCA planning booklet FREE to each new member of FCAWM. If you’d like more copies, let us know. We have a supply of the spiral-bound print versions (English or Spanish); we ask for a donation of $15 per copy. Or you may purchase a digital version from the FCA store. FCA now offers a Combo version that provides the digital file with one print booklet ($25).
The current edition of the planner, published in 2025, has expanded slightly, to 38 pages and has blue on the cover. The previous edition, with a green band on the cover, is still viable and useful. Even the original Before I Go planner, published from 2000 to 2012 in smaller format, could still serve the purpose of conveying YOUR wishes to your next of kin.
Please REVIEW your instructions occasionally, and UPDATE your planner to reflect any changes. That’s important!
The original “Gorey Book”
FCA’s original “Before I Go, You Should Know” booklet, first published in 2000, was smaller and simpler, but decorated with even more illustrations by Edward Gorey.
The Funeral Consumers Alliance is deeply appreciative of Mr. Gorey’s consent to use his work for these publications. All illustrations by Edward Gorey are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without permission.
See example below of inner pages (page 8-9) of the 2012 booklet.
