X-Message-Number: 10857
Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 06:51:55 -0500
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: CryoNet #10854 - #10856

More on trusts:
There continues to be some misapprehensions about the value of trusts
for cryonics. No cryonics society asks that its patients set up separate
financial arrangements to pay for their ongoing suspension. That's simply
not how it's done. You arrange that the cryonics society receive enough
money that the INCOME from investing that money pays for your suspension,
generally with a liberal excess to deal with unexpected and bad cases.

There is no guarantee (and if you think a bit about the situation, a
guarantee is quite impossible) that you will receive any of this money
back upon your revival. If you CAN set up a Trust or a Stiftung or
whatever, its value comes from the possibility that you will end up
with the money in it after your revival. Of course, uncertainty is to
be expected when we consider the time spans involved: no matter where you
set up your trust, it might all be confiscated when the government of 
the country holding it decides that it wants the money. Since you are
in suspension, you cannot even guide its investment --- and clearly if
the money is simply buried it's unlikely to retain its value.

Many of us would wish for something better. The only way I can see for
that to happen would be for cryonics to be not only much bigger than 
it is now, but also for the governments of at least some countries to
be dominated by cryonicists. I believe that will even happen ---
someday. But not soon enough to be relevant to anyone who reads this.

			Best and long long life to all,

				Thomas Donaldson

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