Avoid Awkward Money Conversations
During Your Surrogacy With
SEAM’s Escrow Account Management Services
Money conversations are rarely easy with people you know, let alone strangers. And although most surrogates and intended parents form deeply connected and loving relationships, they do start out as strangers, making necessary money conversations very awkward at the beginning — and even during — the process.
Keep reading to see how switching to SEAM helped Jessica, an experienced surrogate who has completed 5 surrogacy journeys (4 gestational and one traditional), avoid the uncomfortable money conversations she had to have when working with other escrow account management services.
About Jessica…
Jessica started her surrogate journey in 2011. She had watched a family member struggle with infertility and volunteered to carry for them.
“It just didn’t seem fair,” Jessica said. “My family was growing, yet my family member wasn’t able to get pregnant on her own. I wanted to do my part and help others have what I do as a mother.”
Ultimately, Jessica’s family member was able to conceive, but Jessica remained interested in surrogacy and started doing her own research.
About Jessica…
Jessica started her surrogate journey in 2011. She had watched a family member struggle with infertility and volunteered to carry for them.
“It just didn’t seem fair,” Jessica said. “My family was growing, yet my family member wasn’t able to get pregnant on her own. I wanted to do my part and help others have what I do as a mother.”
Ultimately, Jessica’s family member was able to conceive, but Jessica remained interested in surrogacy and started doing her own research.
Waiting On The Bills…
Initially, after doing her own research and speaking to a connection who had been a surrogate before, Jessica reached out to an agency based in California and signed up with them.
This agency came highly recommended by other surrogates, and Jessica’s overall experience with them was very positive.
However, this agency managed their own escrow accounts, which created some friction for Jessica during the journey.
“There were times where payments weren’t coming on time or bills weren’t paid. I struggled for months to get some bills paid. I was constantly emailing the agency staff, and my emails weren’t even being acknowledged.”
After being ignored, with bills related to the surrogacy piling up, Jessica made the difficult decision to take control of the situation. Which meant having a truly awkward conversation with the parents-to-be.
“At one point, I did have to discuss finances with them. It was like, ‘Hey, the agency hasn’t paid this bill yet. Maybe you can get them to handle it?’ It was very awkward. I wish I didn’t have to have that conversation.”
When it came right down to the management of the escrow account, Jessica was left feeling ignored, disrespected, and put in the onerous position of having to directly communicate the financial needs of the surrogacy with the intended parents. It became quickly apparent that the agency did not have Jessica’s best interests at heart. Their first duty was to the parents, not her.
“I Felt Like SEAM Had My Back”
After a few surrogacy journeys, Jessica thought she was done. And then she saw a couple post in a Texas-area surrogacy group on Facebook. Their story tugged on her heartstrings, reminding her of her family member’s struggle to have a family, and she decided to become a surrogate once again.
Going into this surrogacy agreement, Jessica knew that this time would be different. Jessica and the parents-to-be agreed that having a neutral third party manage their surrogacy escrow account was a must and dedicated their collective time and energy into researching a surrogacy escrow account management service that would meet each of their needs. SEAM came highly recommended by other surrogates and agencies without in-house escrow account management.
At the time, SEAM was the only escrow company that let both surrogates and intended parents view account balances online 24/7. Being able to see the money flow — both what was coming in and what was going out — was very reassuring for Jessica and the intended parents.
“They’re very good at keeping everybody in the loop on what is going on. So, you know, if your contract says the account is supposed to be at about $15,000 at all times, and the balance dips below that, I’d be included on the email that said, ‘Hey, you need to put more funds into your account.’
“Knowing that there’s a cushion there if a big bill comes up is very reassuring. I didn’t have to worry, ‘Is there truly money there to pay for my medical expenses?’ I felt like SEAM had my back.”
But even more than that, if Jessica had a concern, a question, or an expense that needed to be approved, SEAM handled it for her.
“If I put in a request for reimbursement for whatever, SEAM was able to reach out to my intended parents and say, “Hey, Is this okay?” And it could be approved that way. It definitely took the pressure off of worrying about that financial conversation.”
“SEAM Is The Way To Go”
By removing the pressure to have any uncomfortable money conversations, SEAM was able to help Jessica foster a very positive relationship with her intended parents. So positive, they actually asked Jessica to serve as their surrogate for a second pregnancy!
(They chose SEAM for that surrogacy journey, as well.)
To this day, Jessica recommends SEAM to other surrogates who are looking for advice on which escrow account management service to use.
“If I see a comment in a Facebook group asking about suggestions, I will say SEAM is the way to go. I can’t speak to other agencies that I haven’t used, but I’ve used SEAM twice, and I know they’re amazing.”
About SEAM
SEAM is an escrow account management company for third-party reproduction agreements run by former surrogates. Having been involved with third-party reproduction before, we know how challenging the process can be, and we built SEAM to deliver exactly what we needed on our surrogate journeys.
We provide 24/7 online account access, daily disbursals via direct deposit, and flat-fee services. As a neutral third party, we are here to balance the interests of both parties and ensure that any issues are dealt with smoothly and fairly, so you can get back to what matters: Bringing home a healthy baby.
Click here for more details on our services and open your account today.
