If you had a million dollars... (1 Viewer)

[MarkHastings]

The problem isn't that it's not a lot of money, it's the fact that it's SO much more than we're used to (at once) that we'd tend to forget that it will run out QUICKLY if we all of a sudden quit our jobs and did whatever we wanted to.

 

[ChrisHeflen]

Let's say it's a million AFTER taxes. (if I may)

I would buy a little nicer house then get a house on the coast.
Buy two nicer cars.
Maybe go to school so I can quit my loathesome job.

A million dollars is hardly anything. It would probably get me into more debt than I already am.

What pisses me off is the "jack" who won the big powerball in my state. He is quoted as saying "I wish I would have never played". He says he can't handle the press. He was deciding on buying a car and house, but thinks he'll just buy a new car instead.
I'm like give it to someone who wants the money, will enjoy the money, and splurge like you can. Such a shame!
It's the same 'ol "I'm gonna still work and put it away for my grandkids to go to college", CRAP!
If you win that amount of money, your grandkids should NEVER have to work. And you should never work cause your bored. UGH! it makes me so mad!

 

[Evan M.]

I think a long time ago I would have said "yeah, I would still work because I like contributing to society...." Now I am like, "Screw society!! It will survive without me!!" I would buy a place on the coast up here in Maine and play golf as often as possible. I would also pay my parents and in-laws back for the money they spent for our education and make sure they can live the rest of their lives comfortably. I wouldn't go too gang busters with a million because it doesn't go as far these days. I certainly would not buy anything that depreciates a lot like cars.........If I had 10 million......different story. 1 million I would make sure me and my immediate family was taken care of for life and my kids futures would be comfortable. 10 million.........That would basicaly change the way my family and a couple of generations from now would live. I'm not big on expensive materialistic things.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

I forgot to add golf, poker and fishing.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Think big people. One million (after taxes) would not even buy a decent house around me, never mind my dream house (I'm serious, average homes in my area are 450,000+). The Powerball jackpot was 360 million (about half that in cash). Now that's life changing money. 1 million? Hell, that's just enough to get me deeper in debt.

 

[MarkHastings]

I would still work at my job (I do like my job), but I would probably make life easier for myself. I'd move closer to work and work less hours. Basically I'd see the Million Dollars as "disposable income" rather than "live off of" money.

That way, if I accidentally spent it all, I'm not royally screwed! Yeah, that's what I was saying before...You'd probably spend all the $$ on the house, but if you quit your job, how would you be able to afford to maintain it?

 

[Chris Stainton]

A million bucks might not even cover buying a new house (damn bay area). But I would put down a huge amount and use the rest to buy new furniture.

 

[RobertR]

I agree with all the “a million is too small” posts. Really, you could buy a few things, but there’s practically nothing left over if you bought a house in many areas (and the house would be nothing special). It wouldn’t be enough to enable you to quit your job and live anything approaching a lavish lifestyle. Boost it to $100 million.

With the million, I'd pay off my house, get the furniture we want, and finish the home theater.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

There was a TV show in the 50's (The Millionaire) that did just that. And it always ended badly. The whole "point" was that hand-outs are a bad idea and it would always be better in the long run to make people help themselves. Of course that may just be anti-commie 50's propaganda talking.

 

[DaveF]

With others, this doesn't hold for me. A million for me is big money, life-changing, but not do-any-damn-thing I want money.

So, $10M is life-changing for me. I'll assume $10M after taxes. (Coincidentally, I knew a guy in college who won a $14M state lottery. He finished his M.S. then became a venture capitalist.)

First, to others, goes $5M:
$3M to my family.
$1M dispersed to friends.
$1M to charity in some fashion.

Then to me:
$1M in conservative, diverse savings.
$1M in aggressive investments
(Going for 10% annuity, to live on $200k / yr).
$2M to build the dream house and set aside funds for future maintenance.
$500k for toys over the next couple years.
$500k to burn pursuing a new career in professional speaking. Take new classes. Travel.

What's most interesting, is that I'm not very interesting. At the core, I'm a conservative guy, and think conservatively even about big things. I'm not going to take $10M and start a new life as a professional bungie jumper in Kalamazoo.

 

[Lynda-Marie]

I'm with you, Chris!

I am SO sick of hearing about these guys/gals who hit it big, then whine about how it has ruined their lives. It's as bad as the 'Poor little rich boy/girl' thing.

"Oh, poor me, I was born rich; I have never had to worry about a roof over my head, food on the table, and having my utilities cut off for non payment, boohoo!"

Can't handle the press and the publicity? Have you given any thought to getting an unlisted phone number? Since moving to a nicer place isn't an issue anymore, and hell, you can even afford to have someone pack it and move it for you, do it and qwitchabitchin!

I keep wanting to go up to these people, just OOZING compassion and say, "I know you are suffering terribly from having SO MUCH money, and all the pressure. Why don't you give it to me, and you can take over the juggling act I go through every month with rent/groceries/utilities/etc. I just know you'll LOVE it! I'll take over your horrendous burden of being filthy rich."

Bitter? Who, me?

 

[Lynda-Marie]

Sorry double post

 

[Scott L]

I guess the intended point of the thread was 'What would you do if money wasn't an issue in your life anymore?' Not would would you actually do with a million bucks. oh well

 

[Holadem]

Ideas like these make me wonder if their originators aren't more interested in playing god than driven by a genuine desire to help people .

Probably a bit of both.

--
H

 

[mattCR]

Let's say I won the $360M. First thing, I'd call a lawyer the next day. I would have him claim the winnings for me, and dissappear into a foreign country. I would then have a majority of the funds invested; but I would take about $40M and invest in real estate, with very little of it being US real estate but most of it being real estate in countries were my tax load would be low.

I would then take a couple tens of millions, hire mercenaries, and attempt to take over the world.. *laugh* From a Volcano fortress, of course. Maybe I would try somewhere like toppling a government like.. Belize. Or Uganda. I bet you could topple that kind of government with some well placed money here and there. Yes, that is my evil plan.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Interestingly, there was a report in the UK media about a week ago (sorry, couldn't find a link to it) that pointed out that if you wanted a 'millionaire lifestyle' in the UK these days, you'd need the equivalent of about 4 million pounds sterling to do it. For that you could have a nice house in a fashionable area, a reasonably expensive car and hired help. Horses for courses, I guess, but in the UK 'fashionable area' normally means neighbours who are either snob or nouveau riche, expensive car = gas guzzler (and that's just so responsible these days), hired help = admission that you're too lazy to do basic things for yourself.

 

[MarcoBiscotti]

I'd spend every penny of it on records and music.


I'm dead serious.


Well, I'd probably put a couple hundred thousand in the bank, and spend around ten thousand on clothes.


So I'd say:


$600,000 = Music.

$15,000 = Clothes.

$10,000 = Books.

$10,000 = DVD's.

$30,000 = Home-related (art, accessories, etc).



And the leftover ~ $340,000 would get deposited in the bank.


*sigh*

 

[Anthony Moore]

Id buy a house or two abroad so that I would have a place to stay when I traveled. One in Europe for sure.

And/Or maybe an island in the caribbean somewhere.

 

[Steve Schaffer]

The only way money would no longer be an issue for me would be if I were no longer in need of any--i.e. dead.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

For some weird reason I always wanted to buy one of those abandoned military missle silos and would buy one for a retirement home. A missle silo should be built to pretty much survive anything so all I would have to do is live long enough to spend the rest of the money or die trying.