X-Message-Number: 4856
Date: Thu, 07 Sep 95 14:16:49
From: John de Rivaz <>
Subject: Re: Stock Market

In article: <> 
 writes:
> (Mike Darwin)
> 
(del)
> I would also note two other areas where a certain class (mostly activist 
> cryonicists) routinely lose their shirts (in some cases having blown a 
> lifetime of savings and experienced complete or near complete financial 
> ruin).  Here they are:
> 
> 1) Commodities Market investing (usually highly leveraged): many victims 
> here.

Agreed, because the professional fees and market makers' spears are so 
high.

> 
> 2) Stock market investing (always heavily leveraged) plenty of victims 
hre 
> too,
> (rest del)

True for heavily leveraged, (borrowing money to buy stocks) but why do it 
this way? The stock market is the only game where the odds are in favour of 
the punters. 

If someone was to place a regular amount each month into savings, and when 
sufficient funds were available buy some conservative high technology 
stocks, or maybe a mutual fund specialising in technology, then if growth 
does not occur this is because technology has failed in some way, and this 
same failure will defeat cryonics as well. Therefore the system is 
self-fulfilling:

No technology growth   = no cryonics, and you have no funds.
High technology growth = rising funds and successful cryonics, which you 
can afford.

If you want cryonics, then take out term insurance and buy a mutual fund 
specialising in technology or some well chosen stocks. After ten to fifteen 
years, the insurance should become redundant. This will be much cheaper 
than whole life insurance. Or, you can run the risk of dying before you can 
build enough capital, and watch it grow a good deal faster. However for a 
young healthy person 10/20 years term insurance should be cheap, even for 
Alcor's minima.

Another advantage of mutual funds is that you can probably invest so much a 
month. I say probably, because I know you can in unit trusts, the UK's 
equivalent.

-- 
Sincerely,     ****************************************       
               * Publisher of        Longevity Report *
John de Rivaz  *                     Fractal Report   *
               *          details on request          *
               ****************************************
**** What is the point of life if it ends in death? ****


Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=4856