The Affordable Funeral
copyright 1997 by F. Hooker Productions
Protected by Softlock (TM) technology


README.TXT
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SUMMARY:

The Affordable Funeral is a comprehensive tutorial, consumer guide, and 
interactive planning program for funeral arrangements.  It contains:

*** The complete text of the book, The Affordable Funeral: Going in Style, 
Not in Debt (F. Hooker Press, $24.95 in bookstores), as seen in MONEY
Magazine, Kiplinger's Magazine, Reader's Digest, and elsewhere

*** Dozens of Grand-Saver Tips (each of which can save a family $1,000 or more)

*** Topic search capability

*** A detailed Source Index for locating funeral-related goods, services, and
survivor benefits [one phone call, for instance, can save 50% - 85% on a casket]

*** Take-Along Checklists

*** Fill-in and Print-out forms which will plan any funeral in detail, from who
should collect the body (could mean a savings of $2,000 or more!), to how to 
shop for a funeral home, casket, funeral plot, and monument, right down to
the disposition of house plants and pets.

This work is the result of a 3-year study of the funeral industry which included
interviews/surveys of over 3,000 funeral homes, casket manufactureres, cemetery
associations, and memorial societies, plus over 1,000 ex-members of the funeral
industry who shared their secrets.  It has been the subject of interviews by 
The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Leeza Show, and numerous other national media.  It 
will educate the user in all the sales ploys, tricks, and outright scams which 
have made a funeral the third-largest expenditure most families will ever face.  

NOTE: As of October, 1997, user feedback indicates the average user saves over 
$3,700 on funeral expenses just by using the information and resources in this 
program.  The current highest reported savings was $8,142 saved with two phone 
calls, by a user in Los Angeles County, CA in June of 1997.

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REQUREMENTS:

The Affordable Funeral runs on the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for 
FREE DOWNLOAD at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html and many
other sites on the internet.

It will run on any PC capable of running the Acrobat Reader, in the Windows 3.X 
or Windows95 environment.

The MAC version will be available shortly.  Please check our web page at 
http://www.dragonet.com/funeral/dload.htm for up to the minute availability. 

If MAC users need this information immediately, they can order the hardcopy book 
($19.95 + $2.00 shipping) from: 
F.H.P., P.O. Box 9106, Virginia Beach, VA 23450  
Phone/Credit Card orders at 1-757-427-0220
Internet at: http://dragonet.com/funeral/taf.htm
Or from your nearest Bookstore

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INSTALLATION:

Program is self-installing.  For Win 3.X users, select RUN and enter the drive where 
the program is stored and the file name funeral.exe (Example: a:/funeral.exe) double
click, then follow directions.

For Windows 95 users, just click on the icon and follow directions.

Installed File is approximately 800K.

NOTE: Once installed, user will have access to the directory and first two chapters 
which will provide over a dozen tips that can save your family serious money.  If 
you wish to use the planning features and resources, and view the rest of the tutorial, 
you must purchase a password.  Passwords are $19.95 from Softlock, Inc. and 
instructions are provided within the program for ordering on-line, e-mail, phone, fax, 
or postal mail. The program, once unlocked, can be downloaded to disk and copied freely 
for use on your system.

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STATUS:

The Affordable Funeral is SHAREWARE, albeit "crippled" inasmuch as a password is 
required to unlock all its features.  It may be freely copied and distributed in any 
form desired, placed for download purposes on BBS's, archives, web sites, or intranets, 
with our blessing. The SOFTLOCK feature protects our copyright.

Information about SoftLock technology and services can be found at
http://www.softlock.com
SoftLock Services, Inc.
399 Alexander St.
Rochester, NY 14607
716-546-1970

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QUESTIONS/PROBLEMS:

Any questions or problems should be referred to the author, Dr. R. E. Markin at the 
following addresses:

    E-Mail:  fhp@livenet.net
    Phone/Fax: 1-757-427-0220
    Internet: http://dragonet.com/funeral/
    Postal Mail: 1236 Ginger Crescent, Virginia Beach, VA, 23456

copyright 1997, by F. Hooker Press