Trump offers golden graves for silver-spoon set

NEWARK, N.J. — They say you can't take it with you when you die, but that's not necessarily true for the wealthiest Americans — like Donald Trump.

He announced this week he is considering building a 1.5-acre cemetery next to his high-end golf course in Bedminster, where members pay a lifetime fee of as much as $300,000. If they want to stay beyond that, they most likely will pay a membership fee that includes burial.

It may be among the pricier final resting places, but if it gets state and local approval, it'd be a bargain compared with some of the country's other swank cemeteries.

Putting one's name on the most permanent of marquees can reach several million dollars at the most exclusive cemeteries — a far cry the the median $6,560 for a funeral in 2009, the most recent yearly figure from the National Funeral Directors Association.

At Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass., a National Historic Landmark renowned for its landscaping, the choicest piece of pond-front property costs upward of half a million dollars, said Sean O'Regan, vice president of cemetery services and operations.

"While you're not purchasing real estate — you're purchasing burial rights — it's definitely location, location, location," O'Regan said.

The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, which was designated last year as a National Historic Landmark, is popular among the wealthy and famous. Burial arrangements can range from $600 for cremated remains to $3.5 million for an historic private mausoleum more than 100 years old, Woodlawn President John Toale said.

The Frank E. Campbell funeral home in New York's Manhattan is the go-to place for celebrity funerals. In its 115 years of business, the home has arranged final rites for the titans of New York industry, famous sports figures, politicians and countless celebrities, Vice President Dominic Carella said.

"We fulfill any request, from private jets, to horse-drawn carriages," Carella said, adding that no request surprises him — from arranging Dixie Land bands to a funeral procession with the rarest of collectible Ferraris. "We've had funerals from $20,000 or $30,000, to a couple hundred thousand dollars."

Wealthy clients who wish to go quietly know the company's fee includes keeping personal details from the media and providing undercover security guards to keep the paparazzi at bay, Carella said.