Winning the Lottery!

[Jaxspra]

Pay off every debt that my family, myself and close friends currently have. Invest the majority of what is left. Buy a little bling (c'mon, you guys, you all knew that was comin....) for myself , travel and chill.....
oh, the boys, yea, buy them whatever they want and finally have the time to play with them, with the new toys

[michaelskis]

That reflects poorly on their moral character.

Would it reflect well on their moral character if they “Bought” a city and privatized it making it car free?

[noottamevas]

I would do what I always wanted. Buy a solid gold house and a solid gold car.

I'd buy a virtual sword so I can kick a$$ in Warcraft

[Maister]

If I won the lottery I would have a hard time deciding what to do with all that money.
I would probably buy whatever would say to the world in the most in your face manner "Look at me! I've got money". I think people might look up to me if I did that and that would feel good and feeling good, as you know, is one of our main pursuits in life, right? I mean that is, after all, why we would give alot of money to our children - so we can feel good about how we've provided for them.

[jaws]

Would it reflect well on their moral character if they “Bought” a city and privatized it making it car free?

As long as they're making something of themselves.

[otterpop]

]

Oh, man. I knew there was something I forgot when I posted my response. I definitely need to customize my grill.

[Michele Zone]

Oh, man. I knew there was something I forgot when I posted my response. I definitely need to customize my grill.

Friendly suggestion: first ask the wife if she would EVER again lock lips with you before you run out and get that done.


I would continue doing many of the things I am doing now, such as my websites and other not-for-profit endeavors and also trying to launch a career for myself (if you have ever read the play "The Importance of being Earnest" you should know that everyone needs a vocation to pass the time ). I would help out family, especially my sister who has enormous medical bills at present. And then I would talk to a lawyer about how to act like a charity without the hassle of setting up a charity so that I can invest money in grassroots things and in individuals. I know of a LOT of Good Works being done -- like Cyburbia -- essentially "out of the goodness of their hearts". It galls me to think of all the bureaucratic crapola required to accomplish something as a 503c and it galls me the amount of hoop-jumping that has to occur for people with real need to get any kind of help. For example, I know a woman whose life, health and finances were ruined by cancer. She did not accept financial help of some type from some cancer society WHEN she was being treated for cancer because she really didn't appreciate how financially and personally devastating this disease would be. Now that her life is in shambles, she no longer qualifies for financial aid because she is not a cancer patient but is, instead, a cancer survivor. Stuff like that just really burns me. If I was disgustingly wealthy, I would give money to people like her if I had reason to believe their tales of woe were true, without asking them to fill out a gazillion forms and "prove" need or be held "accountable" for what they choose to do with it.

I would also write to some people I kind of know and ask if they would accept a few thousand dollars as an expression of my appreciation for all they have done via online support groups (etc) -- people who have never gotten a dime nor expected to but worked their butt off for the greater good. And then I would discretely announce on some forums I belong to that if anyone wants to try certain health supplements but money is an issue, just give me a holler and I will send a "sample" for free so they can see if it would be beneficial.

I would also buy stock in companies like Chipotle and Stoneyfield Farms who are selling organic food because I think creating a commercial market for wholesome, organic stuff is a way to start to fix some of our environmental problems, unlike a lot of the bleeding heart crapola I hear.

Now I am scared to post this because the above ideas ONLY work if no one knows I am some fool giving my money away. If I post it and THEN win millions, every cyburbian and tons of strangers will hound me for money with their tale of woe and I will have to become all cynical about life and become a hermit and so forth. (Being superstititous, I have the feeling that posting it at all increases the odds I will win big money and be subjected to this horrible fate. )

[cololi]

Not a hard one. I would buy a modest, 2500 square foot home, pay off my moms house so she wouldn't have to work, give 100,000 to each of my siblings and my wife's siblings, put 500,000 into an education fund for my kids, invest 10 million into an account where I can live off of 50% of the interest and reinvest the other 50% so I wouldn't have to work. I would also put it into a trust so that I don't get sued for frivolous things that I may say or do. I would give away the rest, probably to the University of Utah, various departments to fund scholarships.

[Michele Zone]

Not a hard one. I would buy a modest, 2500 square foot home, pay off my moms house so she wouldn't have to work, give 100,000 to each of my siblings and my wife's siblings, put 500,000 into an education fund for my kids, invest 10 million into an account where I can live off of 50% of the interest and reinvest the other 50% so I wouldn't have to work. I would also put it into a trust so that I don't get sued for frivolous things that I may say or do. I would give away the rest, probably to the University of Utah, various departments to fund scholarships.

Ooh, I like that plan better. Can I steal it? (Or at least parts of it?)

[Richmond Jake]

Pay off my mortgage
Finance my sons’ educations
Buy a bunch of margarita ingredients
Schedule that procedure to erase the wrinkles on my face
Expand my wine collection
Have a pool installed at Rumpy’s so he quits bugging me
Buy a golf course and close it to the public
Hire maid, pool, and yard care services
Hire a painter to repaint the computer room
Travel

[kjel]

Pay off mortgage.
Pay off student loan debt which is rapidly accumulating.
Set aside enough for daughter's college education.
Pay off best friend's student loans because he's struggling hard.
Fund a full scholarship at my undergraduate university.
Invest half of the remaining amount into funds, etc.
Give the rest away.

[bluehour]

my husband's family won the lottery in the 80s. So the chances of us winning again are nil.

So i don't play this game.

(PS: they bough a nice house, mom stayed home to take care of the kids, invested in a good amount of microsoft stock, sent two kids to private universities, and they drive a lexus. no gold faucets or nothing. what a let down).

[RandomPlanner]

[url]...I imagine alot of folks would want to give family members huge chunks of change.....I wonder if doing so is really doing them a favor? ...

My uncle, who is AWFUL with his money, won two insurance lawsuits fairly close together worth about a quarter mill -- a large sum to someone who has lived paycheck to paycheck for 50 some-odd years.

My dad, knowing his brother wasn't the most responsible with his money, asked to borrow 10 or 20K for a legitimate reason, knowing his brother wouldn't refuse him. Then, less than a year later, when my uncle was down to nothing again and struggling to make his car payment, my dad started making payments to repay his 'loan'. It didn't actually help my parents out as they didn't need (nor actually get to spend) the money, but my dad in essense kept his brother current on his bills for a year or so longer with his payment schedule that of course, my dad planned all along! (plus my dad made some interest, which isn't bad on someone else's money, I suppose).
Smart guy, but I'm sure pretty unusual when family comes into sums of money.

[dandy_warhol]

i'd do the typical buy a house, pay off family loans, invest, live off interest etc.

'd like to buy up a bunch of land and donate it to various environmental groups for conservation and preservation.

i'd also like to set up an animal sanctuary like Best Friends.

but i suppose i'd have to win the lottery a couple of times to do all that. i guess i'd better start scratching!

[jfc921]

Wouldn't matter, I'd die of shock.

That way, my spouse and kid could figure it out. They'd have a blast. Whoo-hoo!

[Zoning Goddess]

I think a much better thought exercise is to ask what you would do if someone gave you 15 million dollars. Then you have the moral obligation to do something constructive.

I give where I want to give. I feel no moral obligation whatsoever to give anything of mine away.

[Trail Nazi]

I would pay off all of our debt, including our new mortgage. I would also pay off my mother's and brother's debt. Next, I would set up a couple of trust funds for my kids, then buy a house somewhere warm, and travel. Lastly, I would invest and save the rest.

[jaws]

I give where I want to give. I feel no moral obligation whatsoever to give anything of mine away.

That's not what I asked.

[DetroitPlanner]

I would do what I always wanted. Buy a solid gold house and a solid gold car.

Jim Baker??

[Rumpy Tunanator]

That's not what I asked.

I would pay someone to kill jaws.....................with kindness and puppies from puppy mills built as a result of the free market principal.

[otterpop]

I would pay someone to kill jaws.....................with kindness and puppies from puppy mills built as a result of the free market principal.

hehehehehehehe. Thanks

[SW MI Planner]

So I was going to attempt to start my first poll, but a dutiful searched revealed that Maister already broached this subject.

I was talking to my bf last night about what we would do with money if we won the lottery. (Side note, neither of us play the lottery so it was probably a moot conversation). BF said quit his job, pay bills, donate money, invest in some family members start-up business, and give some to each member of his family (not just immediate, but aunts/uncles and some cousins (numbering over 30 people).

My answer is that I would continue to work (because I am too ADD to not work and because I really enjoy what I do), pay off house/car, travel, and invest most of it. While I would give some to my immediate family (mom/dad and sister/bil) and donate some to specific projects, giving anything away to anyone else wasn't even on my radar. I don't think I would just freely give non-immediate family money, which actually makes me feel like a huge selfish asshole.

[stroskey]

If I won 14 million I would pay off my house and get two new Lexus's. I would put most of into tax-free bonds so if we ever did retire we could live off the dividends - my wife would quit her job immediately but I would not quit my job because that much money isn't really enough to be set free but it is enough to never have to worry about money. Perhaps I would buy about 5 million in real estate and hire someone to manage it.

My sister's and parent's houses are paid off and they don't need anything, so I am not sure how much they would get - probably put half million in their children's college fund.

The fun part would be to buy about 50 wooded acres in the country so I can 4-wheel and do all sorts of fun stuff that you can not do in town.

[Maister]

(Side note, neither of us play the lottery so it was probably a moot conversation).

I think questions about what one would do if they got rich instantly are not so much inquiries about allocating personal resources as they are questions about one's character.

[DetroitPlanner]

I would donate the entire lot to end cat juggling.