X-Message-Number: 5944
From: John de Rivaz <>
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics
Subject: Re: Funding and probability
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 09:55:34 +0100
Message-ID: <>
References: <>

In article: <>  
<> (Jeffrey Soreff) writes:

[debate on whether costs of cryonics are merited on grounds of probability 
of success]

> A neurosuspension costs roughly a year's income for me.  Even though it is
> funded by term life insurance now, I'm eventually going to effectively pay
> for the whole cost, either by switching to whole life and taking the premiums
> out of the income that I could otherwise put into savings or in setting aside
> the funds directly out of other savings.

Have you considered the argument that for cryonics to succeed we need 
enormous advances in technology, advances which are not accepted as 
possible by the mainstream establishment. The mainstream view is reflected 
by stock market quotations for stocks.

Therefore if cryonics succeed, we will be revived into a world where stock 
prices are substantially different to anything present professional 
projections could produce. We can make projections using data they do not 
have. As we get nearer that future (even in this side of suspension) 
technology stocks on average will rise faster than professionals would 
be able predict using their present mind-sets.

Therefore I recommend anyone considering cryonics to start building a 
portfolio of technology stocks, possibly using the advice of an expert 
technology stock picking newsletter such as California Technology Stock 
Letter, or if in the UK, Techinvest. With hindsight it is easy to construct 
a portfolio that will grow 10:1 in 8 years or so, without picking wildly 
speculative successes. With the help of these newsletters and the help of 
the assumption that cryonics will work, it should be possible to so almost 
as well by foresight, and this is how you make money. 

Admittedly with Alcor you are aiming at a moving target further away, 
(higher prices subject to increases) but it is still achievable over say 
the period of 20 years term insurance. With CI's fixed and nearer 28k, it 
should be easy enough starting with a couple of thousand dollars to reach 
the target in less than the required time and then stop the insurance 
policy.


Without even a couple of thousand dollars to start, you could always have a 
monthly saving plan with a mutual fund (in UK unit trust) specialising in 
technology stocks.

If I am wrong and technology stocks do not substantially outperform the 
markets in the long term, then it could be due to the failure of technology 
to deliver or the failure of society to allow it to deliver (eg by stifling 
progress by regulation and preventing the scientific method of "standing on 
the shoulders of giants" with intellectual property laws). In this instance 
it is also likely that cryonics revivals will not happen, so little has 
been lost.

-- 
Sincerely,     ****************************************       
               * Publisher of        Longevity Report *
John de Rivaz  *                     Fractal Report   *
               *          details on request          *
               ****************************************
In the information age, sharing can increase world wealth enormously,
because giving information does not decrease your information.
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