Powerball $290 Million ~ What would you SERIOUSLY do with it?

[battricia]

I'd split it w/ my parents, first off. Then I'd buy some property, possibly a farm? and build a house, a bed and breakfast, and start a business. Also I'd have a lot of pets like horses and maybe a cow and a chicken. And dogs! I love dogs. the house I live in is way too small for dogs.

tricia.

 

[mbw12]

If possible, I would want to accept the money anonymously (can you do that when you win the lottery?)
I would put away money for both of my children college fund, marriage fund, house fund, and startgin their own business fund!!! LOL!
I would give each sibling some money (not sure how much)

I would probably try to live somewhat frugal with it, thinking about all the stars and other lottery winners that wind up declaring bankruptcy.
I would defintiely buy a vacation home somewhere .

 

[CharityLynn]

Ok I guess the basic stuff..lawyers, quitting jobs, charity (MS/Diabetes?HUmane Society) and then I'd go with..

Buying my sister, sister-in -law and step-brother a house and furnishing them

Buying my Mom a house and furnishing it..pay off her debt too. Oh and I'd buy her Cutlas(I don't know why she wants one but she does)

For Dad, I'd pay off his house and give them some playing money ($25,00 at least)

For the In-laws..MIL- would get her house paid off and the same money as my Dad
FIL- not sure what to get him these guys are loaded. Maybe buy them a big expensive boat( they live on a lake and don't have one.)

Other family would get $1,000 each

Our kids, both college educations paid and trusts set-up for each of them.

Then we'd buy into DVC, get AP's and take family to Disney World.

I'd let Husband quit his job, then I would fork over some of it so he can live his dream and write and publish a comic book series (he is so talented) also help him get whatever it takes to write his novel (Sci-Fi it is all in his head but he doesn't have the time to write it)

Then we'd pay off our current house and buy a new one (nicer and bigger) we'd get a couple of dogs, (hubby wants a husky)

I am sure there is so many things I am forgetting..I'll be dreaming good tonight

 

[jrydberg]

Oh yeah forgot to add would rent a suite at the Daytona 500 and foot the bill for all my DIS NASCAR players to have a DIS MEET!

Hope you win

 

[TDC Nala]

Immediately quit the job and move. Probably give some of it away and squander and/or invest the rest.

 

[erinz]

I would give my family (Mom and sister)a couple of million. I'd create a trust fund for my nephews. Then we would buy a new house. Then I/we would travel, travel, travel.

Then I would decide who to donate money to. My fantasy is to be an anonymous donor to children's hospitals to help cover operations parents can't pay for.

I'd get a cook, house cleaner, and gardner, have massages every day, AND, finally, I'd give every stich of clothing I have away, and then camp out at Nordstrom until my wardrobe is full again!!!

 

[crz4mm2]

I'd love to live this dream
I'd pay off all my bills. THen quit my job. I love what I do, but I don't want to do it full time and I don't think they'd let me do it very very very part time! LOL.
I'd build a new house on the property we already own.
Give some to all family members.
Set up trust funds for the kids.
Take one heck of a vacation including all the family that wants to come with me.
Oh yeah, hire a housekeeper. I hate housekeeping!

Get my DH a new vette.
DD a new mustang.
DS whatever car he would want.
Invite the DIS to the night party at WDW

Have to have a winter home somewhere warm (probably new mexico).

 

[mom2boys]

I'd annomously (sp?) purchase the property my DH & his siblings inherited. Get toys and horses for the property. Build a nice new house on that property and buy several others. A ranch in MT or WY. A nice house on the beach = probably in FL. Tons of DVC points. Buy a small plane & get the entire family pilots licenses. Buy DH a pickup truck & myself a new van. Send DH grizzly hunting in Alaska. Travel, travel, travel.
Take the entire extended family to Ireland. Pay my little cousin's tuition.
Hire a maid & a cook. I'd still make the fun stuff but not 3 meals per day & the cook would definitely have to pack the lunches.

I also need to hire someone who can spell words like annonomous.

 

[rcyannacci]

Well, no offense to Texans, but the first thing I would do is get the heck out of Texas and back to the mountains where I belong!

I'd pack up my dogs and husband and move to Ashville, N.C., and buy a house in the mountains near my cousin. We'd built a wing of the house for my DH so he could start his own video editting business, and a wing for me with a library and huge writing desk. I'd finish my dissertation, because it's about pride at this point, but then I'd start on a novel...historical fiction...something about women, theatre, and piracy...I'd figure out the details later In my spare time, I'd travel as a storyteller and teach creative drama, two of my favorite things to do. We'd take vacations in interesting cities where I could do research for my next novel, starting in London, Prague, Krakow, and Dublin. Once we had kids, we'd go back to WDW and stay at the Beach Club in a room overlooking the water with a view of Illuminations.

I'd set my brother up with his own business...maybe a microbrewery, since he talked about that once.

I'd send my parents on a lavish European vacation, complete with cruises on the Mediterranean and Baltic.

I'd support local artists and arts organizations and establish a few scholarships for students studying the arts.

I'd hire my mom to be my accountant because she's smart and I trust her implicitly.

 

[DisneyCP2002]

First I would faint...then I'd scream for like an hour.
Then I'd call my lawyer friend and find an accountant.
Next I would buy the dream house for one of my closest friends(also a DISer)
Would pay off all my debts as well as my parents
Adopt!!
Travel the world (esp. Tokyo, Japan)
DVC and AP for me and for my closest friend & her family(see above)
Charity and Tithing as well
Invest

I think that about covers it all

 

[palmtreegirl]

That much $$ would freak me out!

I'd buy a house not a mansion or anything huge though. Probably 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, game room, big great room and a nice kitchen with a cool couter you could eat at with a built in soda fountain. lol. I'd have a pool like DVC Jen & Ians in the backyard with a big swing set for the kids. Then I'd have a little guest house so out family can come and visit and stay with us when they do. Oh and a 3 car garage. Ok that's A LOT bigger then I said it would be.

Then I'd buy gifts for family and friends, send some money out to some internet friends anonymously, probably 9,999 so they wouldn't have to report it to the IRS.

I'd give a large amount to St. Jude's hospital in honor of my grandmother it was ger favorite charity. Enough to build a wing or something to be named after her.

I'd put some in the bank and set up trust funds for the kids and that's about it.

 

[Annam26]

All those of you who replied by saying that they'd hire a lawyer, would you do that before cashing the ticket?

Isn't that risky?

I don't know if I'd trust a lawyer (or anyone) with that information before I was proclaimed the official winner

 

[Tuffcookie]

After consulting a lawyer and getting a financial planner I would get a luxury RV and hit the road. Heck, I wouldn't even have to worry about the gas prices!!!

TC

 

[Shugardrawers]

Well of course the requiste dream WDW trip to the finest suie they had for 10 people for a couple of weeks

Hire an attorney and accountant

Pay off all the debt of our family and very close friends

Set up college funds for my DD and niece and nephew

Outright give a couple mil to my DSis and parents so they could live their lives as they've dreamed

Travel, see the world

Get that college education I've always wished I had, maybe become a vet

Buy an old victorian house and have it fixed up but decorate it myself with just a little help from a decorator

Get new cars but nothing particularly fancey

Donate as much as possible to animal shelters

Invest like crazy

Be a lazy bum and do whatever I wanted for the rest of my life

 

[poohandwendy]

OMG, I think the first thing I would do is call a doctor to get a prescription for something that would calm me down so I didn't have a heart attack!

The second thing I would do is cash in the ticket, hire an atty and financial planner and then go to a remote destination with my DH and kids to discuss ideas of how to spend the money.

The biggest issue I would be worried about is giving money to family members. Would I want to give them a lump sum or just pay off their debts?

The whole thing would be so complicated, I am not sure that it wouldn't be more a curse than a blessing.

I think I would prefer to win just a few hundred thousand to a million. No more. That way I would just pay off my debts and buy some stuff I want, squirrel away some money and be done with it. Then get back to my real life without all of the complications of being a gazillionaire over night.

 

[ToriLammy]

All those of you who replied by saying that they'd hire a lawyer, would you do that before cashing the ticket?

Isn't that risky?

I don't know if I'd trust a lawyer (or anyone) with that information before I was proclaimed the official winner

Why would it be riskY? You aren't going to hand him/her the ticket
Seriously I think a good tax lawyer would be able to help you. I've read of winners such as the Bow Trust, or WLT trust. It's a way for a family or group to accept the winnings and have the money divided equally and taxes paid fairly. A lot people have been saying they'd pay off their parents house or give them money etc. Under US tax laws you can only "gift" up to $11,000 a year without incurring taxes on the gift (yeah so you think well I'll just give them the money to pay the taxes right...well that becomes part of the gift and it's a big vicous circle) so some folks who have adult kids might want to set up trust thus sharing the money and paying taxes on it only once.

And to the person who asked if you can stay anonymous - yes, they don't really like it all that much but you can

 

[GillieRose]

I would but enough money in the bank to pay the house every month. I would pay off my trailblazer and donate my husbands car. Then I would buy him a new car. I would set up college funds for family and friends. I would set my parents up so my dad could retire and give money to my brothers and sister in law. I would pay off all my friends houses. I would go to Disneyland and Disney World every year and I like the idea of building a new school for our city. Alot would go to setting up a scholarship fund and to other charities. Heck I don't need 290 million. I would just like enough money to not have to worry about money.

 

[mickeyfan2]

Build the ultimate Disney lovers house. Buy enough DVC points to have a place the entire year. Come and go to is as I please. Take poor kids to WDW (DH says this IS my life long goal). Then see what is left to help out others.

 

[YetanotherMouseFan]

1st - Resign my job. By postcard. From Hawaii!

2nd - Split 50/50 with DH (2nd marriage). Split my half in 4: 1/4 for me, 2/4 for my kids, 1/4 for charity/sibs. (with $290 Mil, way more than even I could spend!)

3rd - Go to WDW - stay in the King Kamehameha (sp?) Suite at the Poly for a month.

4th - Completely gut and refurb my house.

5th - Spend rest of my life trying to do good works and find peace.