X-Message-Number: 33062
Date: Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:50:44 -0800
Subject: Alcor funding minimums
From: Brian Wowk <>

        I thank Charles Platt for again bringing up the issue of
age-dependence of cryopreservation funding.  This issue has been
discussed as far back as 1991

http://www.alcor.org/cryonics/cryonics9110.txt

and never really addressed satisfactorily.  I believe that the blog
post Charles criticizes

http://www.alcor.org/blog/?p=1419#more-1419

is actually the strongest official statement that Alcor has made on
the subject to date.  Since as a board member I had the opportunity to
review the text before publication, I must take my share of blame for
any weakness of the statement.  The segment of text in question has
now been expanded to show historical rates of increase of
cryopreservation minimums.  Specifically, they have been

Neuropreservation Funding Minimums

1970s - $25,000
1982 - $35,000
1991 - $41,000
1994 - $50,000
2005 - $80,000

Whole Body Funding Minimums

1970s - $60,000
1982 - $100,000
1991 - $120,000
2005 - $150,000
2011 - $200,000

Unofficially, I think it is clear from this chart that members should
plan on at least doubling their cryopreservation funding for each two
decades of remaining life expectancy.  Officially, it impossible for
Alcor to predict future inflation or future technology costs.

        While some say that Alcor's response to the grandfathering
problem hasn't been strong enough, others have harshly criticized
Alcor's recent discussion of grandfathering for the opposite reason.
They've said that Alcor *should* guarantee the best possible
cryopreservation once a member signs up with minimum funding,
regardless of how far in the future it must be provided, or at what
cost.  So it seems impossible to craft announcements or policies in
cryonics these days without criticism from somewhere.  Anyone who
believes that Alcor should grandfather optimum cryopreservation
procedures at current minimums indefinitely into the future should
read Rob Freitas recent detailed analysis of the issue here

http://www.alcor.org/Library/pdfs/EconometricModelOfAlcorFinances.pdf

---Brian Wowk

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