Q I plan to be cryonically suspended when I die because, with all the medical developments, I am certain that at some point we will be able to live forever. If we are “not there” by the time I die, I am making arrangements to be suspended until we get to the point of living forever. My one concern is that who will pay for the ongoing storage of “me” and make sure that when the time comes I am brought back to life?

A Wow! What a great question and bravo for thinking along these lines. Cryopreservation is getting more popular but, overall, it hasn’t gained the popularity that one would expect. According to Smithsonian magazine, as of 2022, only 199 people have had their heads or bodies cryopreserved at Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Arizona. The Cryonics Institute in Michigan reports that in the U.S., 1,334 residents have signed up for eventual “suspension” and in Canada, 111 residents are registered for the service.

The costs for cryonic suspension seem fairly reasonable. One cryonic firm offers the service for a one-time fee of $28,000, due at the time of death. Various fee schedules are available which include smaller annual, quarterly, or monthly payments. We can also make arrangements to have our pets suspended, as well.

Oversight and the enforcement of your “rebirth” is another question, however. Perhaps the best way to have oversight of your suspension and eventual awakening would be to use a special purpose trust.

Special purpose trusts (SPT) initially evolved from the pet trust arena. Because pets are considered property, California (and other states) recognized pet trust authority and now many of us create a special trust so that Fluffy or Rover can be assured of good care should we predecease them.

We have seen the development of a myriad of SPTs to address everything from the maintenance of grave sites, commonly known as honorary trusts, maintenance of family property such as art or jewelry, the care and maintenance of family vacation homes, the ongoing collection of book or music royalties and, more recently, digital asset protection.

In 2022, Yvon Chouinard, the founder of the Patagonia company, transferred the company’s voting stock to a special purpose trust so that his values and commitment to environmental causes would continue in perpetuity.

An SPT can be established for most anything as long as it is not against public policy and the purpose must be legal, reasonable and attainable.

So, with cryonic suspension, you could set up an SPT and place funds in the trust now or provide it be funded at our death.

You would appoint a trust protector and provide instructions to your protector to make sure your wishes of suspension and reawakening are enforced.

The funds in your SPT would pay the protector for their services and can also provide you with funds once you return.

As the trust protector, they can seek court intervention if the terms of your trust are not being carried out.

Because an SPT may need to be in place for a very long time, you may want to establish the SPT in a state that allows for “dynasty” trusts. South Dakota, Wyoming, and Delaware, among others, allow for preputial trusts, whereas California does not.

With all the advances in science, a SPT for cryonics may become commonplace in the next few decades.

Being an early adopter of this kind of planning can be challenging, but making the effort now should benefit our future generations.

Liza Horvath has over 30 years of experience in the estate planning and trust fields and is the president of Monterey Trust Management, a financial and trust Management Company. This is not intended to be legal or tax advice. If you have a question call (831) 646-5262 or email liza@montereytrust.com