SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

The Power Ball Lotto is up to some unGodly number, like $425 million...

What would you do with your share if you won?

The first thing I'd do is donate money to MD Anderson Cancer Research hospital and St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital. Then, I'd make a few more donations to various groups.

After that, I'd set up a few trusts for my son and a few friends. My family gets nothing.

After that, I'd upgrade my house. Nothing too fancy, but something with a nice kitchen. Travel, definitely travel

Umm well first I'm gonna play.

Then I would buy a house...nothing ostentatious. Then I would buy my brother and SIL a house they could afford the taxes on. Then I would look for how to invest the majority of it to live a good life off the interest. Then I would travel. After that who knows...what do you do when you go from student loan debt, hospital and credit card bills to never having to worry about money again?

ETA: I would make sure my mom and dad never had to worry about money again.

[This message edited by Unagie at 1:37 PM, August 7th (Wednesday)]

I would probably walk out the door and buy the most ungodly expensive car ev.ah. That would be my pissing it away money.

Then I would have to make real plans. But those would include doing something for my kids and my parents. I would pay off the mortgage on the office my work has, and then quit. And then I would find my charities of choice and donate to those. And then I would set up a foundation to support assorted causes I believe in, and know exactly who I would hire to run it.

And then I would hire a personal trainer and go live on the beach somewhere.

..

..what??? who, ME..???? win the lottery..???????

..i could afford to hire a......

..OH! i nearly forgot F&G forum rules

..frankly, it's just too, too much money to contemplate.

..who wouldn't be happy with a simple million or two??

..sending good luck lottery mojo to all who play the numbers..

smy

I'd pay off all of our debt as well as my mom's and in laws. I'd set up a trust for my boys. I'd do the same for my nieces and make it so my sister cannot touch their trust. I'd give my mom as much as she needs either in a lump sum or in a stipend depending on what she wants. I'd do the same for my MIL & FIL. I'd buy my sister a house and give her a small lump sum - and hopefully she doesn't fuck up. I'd have my entire house gutted and remodeled completely.

Then, I'd look to invest it wisely so that my money could work for me and we wouldn't have to work ever again.

Take care of the extended family bills, set up trusts for DD, Nephew, and little cousins. Get my sister and BIL set up with a restaurant of their own, and a nice house wherever they want to live.

Buy a house in SF's Sea Cliff district, build vacation homes in Hawaii and Lake Tahoe.

Fund SI permanently, and build a year-round retreat with "camperships" for members who need financial assistance to come out.

Fund as many legitimate animal rights advocacy groups as I can find.

Travel, travel, travel.

Hmm, I know there's more but those are the biggies.

Put money away to pay for my kids' college. Have a house built to my specifications. Travel to Germany with the specific purpose of picking out a Puchner bassoon (and then buy said bassoon). Get my Masters degree (and possibly a doctorate). Put away money for my sister's kid to go to college. Pay off my sister's house and buy her and her husband the farm equipment they need. Pay for my daughter's school to build an actual building (it's a charter in portables right now. My sons will go there when they are old enough). I'm sure I'd do tons of other stuff - donations, investments, travel.

Fund SI permanently, and build a year-round retreat with "camperships" for members who need financial assistance to come out.

Well get out there and buy a fucking ticket!!

If I won...

I would fund our county's low cost spay and neuter program every year.

I would fund the local no kill shelters with everything they need every year.

I would buy a totally tricked out and customized motor home (bus) so we could just drive around the country whenever we wanted to.

Of course our family would be set up with retirement accounts and college funds.

ANd I would buy Teddy a brand new floatie for the pool

1. Pay off all of our remaining debt.

2. Fund my kids' college educations through graduate level.

From the remaining balance (after doing above):

Invest 2/3 for future use/retirement

With the remaining 1/3:

Pay off select debt of select siblings (not all of 'em are doing what they should as adults and therefore would not get any help from me to continue being lazy arses).

Donate to legit children's charities

Travel, travel, and more travel

(Not that I've thought about this at all....)

[This message edited by GabyBaby at 2:53 PM, August 7th (Wednesday)]

Well get out there and buy a fucking ticket!!

DS has a way with words!

I would send everybody a postcard from where I was: "Dear (insert name here), I was in Tahiti yesterday but I am not there now. Sincerely, Jp."

I think I would look for one of those old fashioned gas station / convenience store / garages they used to build in the 50's with the house for the mechanic attached, preferably one that had a diner as well. That would make a great home with shelter for the exotic cars and a workshop (who wouldn't like to have a hoist in their garage?). I would go pick up said exotic cars straight from the factory, one Italian, one German, and one English, in that order, driving each car to the next factory before shipping it. That would also let me visit the places my dad talked about being in Europe, and I would stop off to visit some of the battlefields that my grandfather was at during WWI. I would also learn to fly so I could make the trip myself, something fast, but not so large or ostentatious that I could not use it on weekends to go for the "hundred dollar hamburger" at the airport in the next town, but large enough that I could take someone special on the trip with me in relative comfort. Of course this means some stops for fuel along the way, so while in Iceland it would make sense to go hang out at the hot springs spa to relax for a few days, and maybe take a look at whatever is in Greenland worth seeing.

Once that was taken care of, I think I would buy and equip an industrial building so I could pursue some of the other projects that have been kicking around in my head over the years.

I might also host a g2g with an obscene amount of boxed wine.

Oh...DH and I have a plan...

First thing's first, we are calling a laywer and a finachial advisor.

They need to know about his XW and that she will try to get tons of money from us now.

Then DH will get a new truck and trailer - i am not sure what I will get, i will have to test drive a bunch of things i think. DH wants a boat too.

We will then start hunting for the perfect ranch/land to build a ranch so that we can have our horses ect. The house would be nice, but nothing huge - since we would retire in it and lord knows i dont want to clean a 5000 square foot house.

4 or 5 bedrooms a few bathrooms, wrap around porch is a must. Log cabin on like 300 or 400 acres of land.

After that, we are going to help out with the family dairy (if its still there).

After that, its trusts and stuff....college funds you know.

If we can swing it there are certain people we want to gift money to to help out. DH's best friend was electrocuted very badly while at work and is healing but will never work with his left hand well again. We would pay off their 2 cars and mortgage, and then probably put a fund together for their son to go to whatever school he could get into - ivy league or ivy tech - doesnt matter.

I am a huge saver and so chances are even if we had more money to spend then would could in our lifetime, i would be fruggle. There's no need to get all fancy clothes, thought I think a 2000 re-wardrobe trip would be a good start (since I am still wearing jeans i had in college)...

DH and I talk about it all the time, not like it would ever really happy....All i know is if it did, Lawyer first, FA second, that's always been that way.

Gosh DS... Nothing for your very, very closest, bestest friend over here on NY?

(who wouldn't like to have a hoist in their garage?)

This is exactly what I promised FWSO if we win...

I'd build a house to my specs and set up trusts for DS.

I would also fund SI and share with some of my closest SI friends who've helped me the most.

I would fund my school - so they never have to worry about whether they have to fire a teacher or assistant again and they can have all the technology and books they want/need.

I would support various causes...

I would send my son to a private school.

So many choices.

Pay off mortgage

Pay off SIL student loans

Get MIL a live in nurse/au pair girl/housekeeper/whatever

Repair MIL house

Put back far more for nieces and nephews college education

Buy my mother a much bigger house and get her a full time helper

Buy cabin in Colorado for the summer (my dream)

Start foundation for helping people afford their medications

Travel to exotic places

At $425M, it's still a sucker bet - the odds against winning the jackpot are 175M/1, and it's a $2 bet. Breaking even requires the jackpot to be $350M - but that's only if you forget about taxes.

With tax planning, maybe you'll take home $350M if the jackpot gets to $475M-$500M.

But they pay that over a bunch of years, so you have to consider the present value of the payoff.

You can poo-poo this post as details o something, but that doesn't change the fact that on average, you'll lose money if you buy a ticket.

Gosh DS... Nothing for your very, very closest, bestest friend over here on NY?

A case of my absolutely favorite (and very expensive) red wine...personally delivered to you every single year for the rest of your life

So... after I win I don't have to give any to Sisoon... Right? Right?!

That's ok Sisoon... I can spare a couple of bucks to dream the impossible dream.