Welcome to 2024, where estate planning isn’t just about wills and trusts, it’s about planning for a future where you—yes, you!—might be cryogenically frozen, waiting for science to do its thing. You’ve been bitten by the “defy death” bug, and you’re thinking: why settle for eternal rest when you can be a future science experiment? But let’s get one thing straight—cryonics isn’t just the cold shoulder from your ex; it’s about hoping that someday, someone figures out how to thaw you back into existence, good as new. And if you’re serious about this, better start writing it all into your will and making arrangements via Wills.com!
Cryonics vs. Cryogenics: The Cold, Hard Truth
Cryogenics sounds all fancy, but it’s just science working with super-cold stuff—like keeping your ice cream from melting in the freezer. Cryonics, on the other hand, is an attempt to say “not today, Death!” by freezing people right after they’re legally declared dead. The idea? Get preserved until the glorious day in the future when technology can cure what ails you and bring you back. Imagine Sleeping Beauty with a “Do Not Defrost Until” label.
Step One: Put Your Freezing Wishes in Writing..
First off, if you’re planning to go this route, make sure it’s clearly written in your will. Get the Wills app, set up your arrangements, and, oh yeah, drop a hefty deposit somewhere—because cryonics isn’t your average savings plan. This is elite, primo stuff. It’s like the luxury suite of afterlife options, starting at a cool $200,000 for full-body freeze (think “luxury deep freeze”) or a head-only preservation for $80,000 (the “budget popsicle” option). Trust us, the Wills.com vault is there to keep track of all your last wishes, financial arrangements, and send a loving reminder to your family: “Hey, remember, Aunt Martha wanted to be thawed out for a second life.”
So, What Really Happens? A Quick Walkthrough
- Declare Dead, Prep for the Ice Bath: You’ll need a legal declaration of death (no, near-death experiences don’t count). Once that’s done, they get your body ready by swapping your blood with a special cryoprotectant to avoid turning you into a human ice cube.
- Freeze and Forget? Not quite. Your body is placed in liquid nitrogen and stored at freakishly low temperatures. The goal is to prevent cell damage, but hey, it’s a work in progress.
- Cross Your Fingers for Future Tech: Right now, no one can unfreeze you without things going south fast. The hope is that one day, science will catch up and be like, “Oh look, we can revive Ted from 2024!”
The “What Ifs” of Cryonics: Technology, Ethics, and a Serious Case of FOMO
Sure, cryonics sounds like a futuristic win, but let’s be real: it’s a shot in the dark. Here’s why:
- Tech Hurdles: We don’t yet have the technology to revive people without some serious damage, like popping a frozen burrito in the microwave—results may vary.
- Ethical Headaches: What if your great-grandkids don’t want you popping up in the year 3000, asking for a slice of the inheritance pie?
- Revival Uncertainty: Who knows if future people will even care to revive us? We might wake up to a world where “bringing back the past” isn’t exactly a hot trend.
Planning for the Future (a.k.a. Banking on Sci-Fi Science)
Look, even if you’re hoping to come back someday, it’s best to handle the now details on Wills.com. In your will, make it clear you want a cryonics plan in place, and set aside funds (big ones!) so future doctors and scientists have something to work with. You don’t want your revival in 2200 to hinge on whether there’s loose change left in your bank account, right?
Should You Do It?
Cryonics is like that wild stock you bought on a whim—high-risk, high-reward, but the payoff is completely unknown. It’s not about getting there; it’s about saying you tried. So if you’re ready to bet on a future where you’ll be thawed out and raring to go, put it in writing, make arrangements through Wills.com, and don’t look back (because, you know, cryonics doesn’t have a money-back guarantee).
Wills.com—Your Cryonics Co-Pilot (No, Really)
With the Wills app, you can do more than just pick out who gets your vinyl collection; you can set it up so loved ones know to cryo-freeze you on the double. Add this directive to your estate plan, set the funds aside in the vault, and ensure future generations remember you not just as a legend, but as an adventurer who literally put life on ice.
Download the Wills App For Android and IOS today and start uploading and scheduling your interactive estate plan.
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