X-Message-Number: 20000 From: Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2002 11:06:25 EDT Subject: Re:Life insurance options...and shoes! --part1_ac.2ce37a2d.2aaa1e71_boundary Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit In a message dated 9/6/02 5:01:38 AM Eastern Daylight Time, writes: > > Message #19997 > Date: Thu, 05 Sep 2002 19:40:15 -0400 > From: Clay Young <> > Subject: Question about life insurance > > --------------070808010706060709010606 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-15; format=flowed > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > I've been thinking about signing up with Alcor after hesitating for > the last 15 or so years. One question has occurred to me that I don't > think has ever appeared in a Cryonet posting. > > I'm concerned that I may be boxing myself in by relying on life insurance, > at least term life insurance, to pay for cryostasis. What happens if, god > forbid, I should survive past the end of my term insurance period? I'm > currently 58 and am looking around for 20- or 30-year term insurance. > Should I go for the 20-year term, and pay about half the premium/year, or > go for the 30-year term? What would be my chances of picking up a 10-year > term policy 20 years from now? Or another 20-year term policy? My weight, > health, and exercise habits are excellent. My blood workups are dandy. My > mother is 92 and still going strong. Maybe I should just go for whole > life? > > (Could this be the start of another "probability" thread? If so, I > apologize in advance.) > > To Clay Young and others... The above questions are good ones. But, like a number of other "real world" situations, there is not a "one size fits all" answer. The good news is that it *IS possible to generate a fairly "optimal" solution that is comfortable and workable to fund, and that most importantly "GETS YOUR FUNDING IN PLACE." Cryonics organizations will not cryopreserve you based on your good intentions, your reading and interest level in cryonics, your remarkable intellect, stunning physique, and charming personality. They will not cryopreserve you on the 100 dollar per month mutual fund that will grow to the requisite amount in perhaps 15 or 25 years (despite demonstrably erroneous assurances from my friend John De Rivas that this is better for you...see my website rudihoffman.com for actual math calculations). Cryonics organizations WILL preserve you IF and ONLY IF your paperwork and funding are secure, complete, and legally "locked down." There is a reason why nearly everyone who is signed for cryonics, at least in the United States, funds their suspension with life insurance. Several reasons, actually, but the biggies are: 1. Life insurance is the most affordable and cost effective way to fund a suspension. It is the ONLY way to create an "instant estate" of 35,000 or 120,000 that is in place from the moment you qualify. And this estate is created by an affordable 50 or 70 or 90 bucks a month. Your mileage may vary due to circumstances and age. 2. Life insurance avoids probate, and goes DIRECTLY to the specified beneficiary. (US LAW). Again, this provides a safe and secure funding vehicle that means the cryonics orgs will get their requisite money. There is no wrangling among the heirs and potential beneficiaries. No legal delays of probate, which by law is open at least 6 months in most states. As to the questions above, whether 10,20, 30 year term, universal life, or whole life makes the most sense, these are individually customizable questions. I typically provide a "Spreadsheet" of all the above choices, and my client and I discuss the various issues and variables, cash flows and considerations. Most of us wear shoes, for instance, because they are a technology that protects our feet from damage, cold, heat, moisture, etc. These are a protective technology that is widely adopted and enjoys a high market penetration in developed parts of the world. If some loony said you should eschew the technology of shoes because they cost money and the shoe companies will just make money off you if you buy shoes, you would recognize this as ludicrous. But it would be equally ludicrous for you to simply buy shoes without trying to make a reasonable attempt to customize your size, fit, style, type, and gender. If a well meaning person asked a question on a bulletin board about "what is the best type of shoe?" any answer of integrity and intelligence would have to encourage the inquirer to provide some individualized details of his or her circumstances, what the shoes are for, what price range may be comfortable, and sizing issues. There is a pretty clear cut analogy here. I know it breaks down at some levels, but the concept is simply this: 1. Technological tools are here for smart folks like us to use and 2. The technology in general may be a good idea, but it works best when custom fit to your exact needs and situation. (Possible 3. Without proper customization, any technology can be absolutely terrible!) Friends, I am passionate and committed about explaining the financial leverage of life insurance... and how this technology makes cryonics affordable... and a reasonable choice. It is also helpful to do business with an individual who is an independent broker, and thereby represents YOUR interests, not the interests of a specific life insurance company. Many of you reading this are already clients (and friends). More of you will be over time. Thanks for your kind attention, and for the substantial intellectual capital each of you brings to the table to make our lives better and longer. Warm Regards to All, Rudi Hoffman CFP --part1_ac.2ce37a2d.2aaa1e71_boundary Content-Type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII" [ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20000