Half a BILLION dollar Mega Millions

[RachelsMommie]

Well, I'd do the following:

For each set of parents: $5 million each x 2 = $10 million
For each sibling: $2 million each x 4 = $8 million
For each niece/nephew: $1 million in a trust x 10 = $10 million
For our kids, $50 million each in a trust for college and whatever x 2 = $100 million
For our church, $5 million for the addition = $5 million
For us, a new house, new minivan, etc = $2 million

So the total is $135 million. You'd get about $300 million after taxes, so $165 million to invest and live on the ~$1.5 million a year in yields.

Yeah, I'd quit my job.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

There is no way you could live at your present home.

But, you still want to pay it off

 

[Colleen27]

There is no way you could live at your present home.

But, you still want to pay it off

Personally I'd do everything in my power to make staying put work. I love the community I live in and wouldn't want to leave, particularly with a teen and a tween who would really resent being uprooted.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

My Disney dream would be taking the board with me when I rent out bay lake tower! Well only the half of the rooms with a magic kingdom view.

Can we all vote for java to win?

 

[dgthree]

what, Disneywise, would you do if you won half a billion dollars?

A friend & I have already decided that we would take a trip around the world and visit every.single.Disney.park

Included in the above, the WDW component would include a concierge-level room at AKL so we could experience the Sunrise Safari.

And... I might consider buying into DVC.

Oh, and I'd probably try at least one Adventures by Disney expedition. =)

 

[alex9179]

Funny how so many people say they are going to build on their home or pay off your mortgage. There is no way you could live at your present home.

This jackpot winner's life will be forever changed. The first thing they should buy is a security team for their family.

This made me laugh! The improbability of winning trumps the dream of staying put in your neighborhood. It's about what you would like to happen, not what you think will happen

 

[bettymae1121]

I realize my odds of winning are just slightly better than the Cubs winning a World Series in my lifetime (ha ha...) but it's so much fun to dream of what I'd do with the money.

Take the whole extended family to WDW for a week (or two or three...). Deluxe all the way, no expense spared.

Buy a old historic mansion, my town has quite a few and many need fixing up.

Buy a vacation home "someplace warm".

Never fly coach again.

Set up a college fund for my daughter and nephews.

Make sure MIL is taken care of. Buy my dad any car he wants. Pay off the mortgages for each of my brother's.

Make a large donation to my employer (I work for a non-profit). Find other charities to donate to as well.

And since DH and I would both call into work dead, once we got done traveling for a year or two (I want to see Japan and DH wants to travel to Egypt, we both want to see Europe) we'll find ways to volunteer our time. DH has always said he'd love to help build homes for Habitat for Humanity.

Honestly, I don't think we could spend it all! Our wants, needs, and dreams are rather modest, really.

 

[diznee25]

If we won the lottery, we would do the evening wedding ceremony with fireworks over Cinderella Castle...not sure if they offer that anymore. But last I saw it was priced at $50,000. It would be more of a vow renewal for us though.

We would take many trips to WDW and stay in a CL room, especially at AKL.

For anyone saying they would keep living where they're at obviously hasn't watched that show on TLC about lottery winners. As sad as it sounds, many lottery winners move away from their current residence, (and quit their jobs), because friends, co-workers, and people in their communities treated them differently, and not in a good way. Not saying it happens to every lottery winner, but something to keep in mind....


diznee25

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Personally I'd do everything in my power to make staying put work. I love the community I live in and wouldn't want to leave, particularly with a teen and a tween who would really resent being uprooted.

Same here (younger kids though), *IF* I could somehow make it work

 

[monorailsilver]

I would:

Stay in my house but I'd change it (I think-I think stay in it that is). My kids are still fairly young & we live on a dead end street & 3 houses are beyond my driveway & there isn't alot of traffic flow. So I'd stay here so my kids can ride their bikes/scooters, draw roads on the road with chalk.

But I hate my house & we have enough land to add on with out being on top of our neighbors so I would do that but change the house completely, well almost completely. I add on a kitchen & make my current kitchen, dining room & living room my bedroom (well dhs too) with a bathroom, WIC & something else. Not sure. I don't want a sitting room in my bedroom since I'd never use it & I don't want a garden tub because that is a waste of money for me.

I'd pay off my car, heck I'd sell it & either get an acadia or a yukon denali. I'd let dh get a new car but not a corvette since that would be a waste of money!!! He wants the above cars too plus he has a little sports car that he doesn't drive so I'd give him money to buy that.

The rest I'd save. I am not a spend-o-holic so I am not about to go out & buy new clothes, dishes, curtains, huge tv's, etc... But I do need a new couch. Oh & windows, we need windows & siding.

I still would not stay at the conceirge level at the Poly but I may upgrade to lagoon view...maybe!!

I'd make sure we took a vacation every year, maybe two.

DH would still work. I only work one day a week but maybe I'd change the schedule & work 2 days a month because I work on Sunday & the w/e goes by so quick because of that.

We buy a tractor so dh can finish the back yard. He borrows my neighbors to move rocks & he would love his own. Oh & a pool.

My kids would be set up for college & money put away for a house/land for them to buy.

That isn't too much???? I would love a beach house but I live 5 miles from LI sound that I really don't need a house 10 min from home. If my mom wanted one, I'd buy it for her. And if my sisters needed money (they don't) I'd give some to them too. My BIL's, not so sure about. They are not exactly frugal with their money now so why would I give them more money to waste now. I think my dh would pay off his mothers loans on the houses.

AHHH....To dream...

 

[melancholywings]

I want to add to my list that I'd become self employed and start a charity for type 1 diabetic families who were struggling. No parent should live in fear of not being able to get the medicine they need for their child, but with today's jobless rate it's a very sad reality for many families.

 

[pixiewings71]

Pay off all our bills, give a set amount to my parents, siblings and oldest DD, set up trust funds for my 2 younger girls. do the same for DBF's family. I'd buy myself a new car and we'd buy some land, build a house on it, buy a vacation home or two, travel insanely, donate to charities and make sure the school district we live in has enough money to fund art and music for around 10 years. We would do our best to stay where we are now but if we had to we would move. It would not be fun to uproot the kids tho.....

ETA, we would also have the Premier AP so we could take trips to WDW & DL whenever we wanted to. lol Oh and instead of planning a trip to DLR for DD's 16th bday, I'd be planning a trip to DLRP.

 

[mrodgers]

I love the "buy him a car, pay their house off...." etc. It's $540 million! (whoa, just looked it up, is it $640 million?)

I have a list of the 13 close family members (well, including my mother who isn't close, just a major PITA and hopefully it would get her out of my hair.) $540mil, say half for taxes is $270mil. Split evenly, there's $20+ million for each. Do whatever you want with it.

Pay the house off and sell it, pay the car and sell it, blah blah.... I wouldn't do any of it. Here's what I would do.

The first decent looking young couple starting out to look at our house for sale, hand them the keys. I'll line up roofers, painters, contractor to add on to it (very small house), paver for the driveway, landscaper, redo the kitchen, add a bathroom (only have 1), etc and have it all redone for them. I have to do all that afterwards because I need a young couple starting out as that is the type of house I own. No "rich" city people moving out my way from Pittsburgh are going to be looking at my house. If it looks like a nice little starter house, that will draw the younger ones just starting out. Plus, the contractors and landscapers, and roofers, ect will all be informed to take the young couple's opinions and go with it.

First younger decent person that showed up to look at either of the 2 vehicles I own, hand them the keys. I just had the cars completely checked over and anything and everything they would need has been done. Enjoy.

 

[Piglet4Ever]

This is fun. Very first day, we'd change our phone number!!

1. We would talk to financial planner.

2. Set up college funds for our nieces and nephews (8 in all)

3. Buy a vacation home close to WDW and we'd spend our winters there.

4. Pay off parents debts and set them up for a nice retirement.

5. Give some help to our brothers and their families.

6. Buy our dream house with lots of land attached to it.

7. Give to our favorite charities!!

8. Relax

 

[Allison]

Buy into DVC and contribute generously to Give Kids the World.

 

[Leshaface]

Embarrassed to ask this...


but i've never played the lotto before. Someone said you can buy quick picks? Is that the way to go? Also, where do you buy these at?

Yes, I want to drink the kool-aid lol

 

[dhuba]

I would definitely have several charities. One for each of my grown kids to get involved with. One would be an animal clinic since my daughter is a vet tech, and one would be food pantry and kitchen, since my son works at a restaurant. Others that are dear to my heart are Type 1 diabetes, and MADD. My daughter has had type 1 for 16 years and my best friend's young niece was killed by a drunk driver right near my house.
I would be leery about giving some of our family members too much money. I can see some bad things happening but I would probably pay off their houses. I would definitely pay for all my nieces and nephews college costs.
I want my new house to have an indoor pool up north, and I would have a house in Siesta Key Fl, since I love that beach.

 

[2Monkeys]

The first decent looking young couple starting out to look at our house for sale, hand them the keys. I'll line up roofers, painters, contractor to add on to it (very small house), paver for the driveway, landscaper, redo the kitchen, add a bathroom (only have 1), etc and have it all redone for them. I have to do all that afterwards because I need a young couple starting out as that is the type of house I own. No "rich" city people moving out my way from Pittsburgh are going to be looking at my house. If it looks like a nice little starter house, that will draw the younger ones just starting out. Plus, the contractors and landscapers, and roofers, ect will all be informed to take the young couple's opinions and go with it.

I love this and would do it too. I would love to help someone get a house and not have to worry about fixing it up.

But the first thing I would do is sing -

Take this job and shove it! I ain't workin' here no more...

After those 2 things, we would turn our often discussed dreams into reality:

1 - give $1M to each set of parents & siblings (x5)
2 - give $5M to the kids' private school for a new building with a gym & football field
3 - Pay everyone's part of our Big Fat Family Vacation (13 people) this June
4 - buy new house, buy new cars
5 - set up our kids & nieces & nephews for college
6 - give a bunch to MDA in honor of our good friends' boys who have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
7 - give a bunch to organizations that feed the hungry
8 - invest and live off the interest - vacations, alot of sitting on the beach, buying clothes without looking at the price tag, etc, etc

Aaaaahhhhh, I love dreaming...

 

[erin1715]

Embarrassed to ask this...


but i've never played the lotto before. Someone said you can buy quick picks? Is that the way to go? Also, where do you buy these at?

Yes, I want to drink the kool-aid lol

I am with you! I've never played before and asked a similar question on another thread. You can buy them from almost any convenience store, gas station, grocery store.

As for quick pick being the best option or not, I have no idea!

 

[eliza61]

Let see. I think the first thing I would do is actually "nothing". I think I would just chill for a few months and gather my head.

Disney wise, I would love to have a family reunion at the world. Many of my "aunts, uncles' etc are getting old and passing away.

I don't think I would buy any new houses for a while. Dh and I are close to retiring and we're not sure where we want to end up at.

I would definitely travel though. spend a month in Paris and then another month in Tuscany.