I must ask...

[reprobayt]

On what would you use 88 million lottery dollars (after lump-sum and taxes)?

Comments

[adrian76.livejournal.com]

Pay off debt, buy a house, set my Mom up for the rest of her life, donate to the non-profit I work for, take a year off work, invest wisely.

[hotcoffeems.livejournal.com]

I'd pretty quickly run out of ideas (I've thought about this), after buying a house and a car and stuff for my friends and family, because there's really not that much I want or need that much. I might could maybe get through a couple mil, if i did some investing, savings for my daughter...

I think it would be cool to start a charitable foundation for the people who fall through the cracks -- the people who don't qualify for any real aid, but are struggling month to month, something that would really help 'em, or maybe help small rural towns that are struggling to survive, like Stillmore. There are a lot of said towns...I wouldn't know the best way to do it, so I'd probably ask the people I was trying to help what THEY needed, look into what would actually really help in the long run and how to do it, and proceed from there.

Just thoughts.

[a-groovy-gypsy.livejournal.com]

Heh...totally get out of debt, get a house - paid in full - furnished. New vehicles. Get my children into a safe, stable home (i.e. MINE), instead of with their lunatic father. Ummm....yeah, how's that for a start?

[shes-precious.livejournal.com]

I would pay off all of our debts including both homes.

I would give each of our two existing homes to my two brothers (they don't own homes), and I would build a home for my other sister and her four kids who don't have a home.

I would put aside money for my children's college tuitions.

I would put $100,000 in trust for each of my nieces and nephews for their college funds.

I would pay off all of my parents' bills and build them a new home big enough for the family to visit without stepping on each other.

I would buy each of them a new car because neither has ever had one.

I would give Swan the money so she could build her own home.

I would finish Tim's parent's basement and pay off their cars and bills.

I would buy Tim the mustang he wants.

I would build us a nice large home in the mountains, with a full-sized stable, and fenced ranch so we could open a home for rescue animals.

I would buy a wheelchair accessible van.

No, I haven't thought about it much. hehe

[reprobayt.livejournal.com]

I'd get One of these for me.... (http://www.automobilesreview.com/gallery/ford-mustang-shelby-gt500kr/ford-mustang-shelby-gt500-kr-01.jpg) and one of these.... (http://www.remarkablecars.com/main/ford/1966-mustang.jpg)to start. :)

[shes-precious.livejournal.com]

Not bad starts - we have a '70 Mach I and a '64. One day we'll own a slew of them. ;-)

When pigs fly, right?

[mobobocita.livejournal.com]

I'd set up all the trust funds I'd need to take care of myself and those I love then I'd open my dream business.

I'd buy abandoned hotels, convert them into housing for homeless people and set up an education center where they can learn skills, build a free health network (mental and physical, dental and vision), and eventually grow to the point they can "graduate" out of my system into a home that we help finance.

And that's way more simplified than what I actually have plans for. I hate that if you are homeless you have to stay in a religious facility and that families are almost ALWAYS split up. Nothing like kicking the dog when it's down as far as it can go.

[a-groovy-gypsy.livejournal.com]

This sounds like a great idea. And it would work for the people who actually want OUT of being homeless. But it's not going to work for those who make being homeless a "career" or those who don't have the mental capacity to hold down skills to get a job/sustain themselves.

You also have to be wary of the alcoholics/drug addicts in the system. They won't take you up on any offers of education/job skill training/what-have-you if you are requiring them to get off the drugs/alcohol.

As for the splitting up of families/couples...heh...you get used to it. I'm not saying you get to LIKE it, but I think of it this way....hey, at least we're in the same building and get to have dinner and breakfast together.

And yes, I am, unfortunately, very homeless right now.

[mobobocita.livejournal.com]

As I said, that's a very high level version of the plan, there are about 6 tiers of housing inside it that allot for each of those. I am willing to offer a warm bed/shower to those who only want a night in from the cold and I'm willing to get those who aren't mentally able to take care of themselves help for free, just because they can't take care of themselves doesn't mean we abandon them to the street.

As for addicts...there will be options built in for them. And for those who want to stay "off grid". Part of the point of this isn't just to give them a place to sleep but to give them the tools they don't have to have a life, what ever kind of life that is they choose. There will be secure sections of the facility that protects the families and long term residents from the more dangerous and agressive.

I've been fortunate enough to not end up on the street yet, but I've lived in a trailer with no heat in the dead of winter and holes in the floor. I want to give people a better choice than that.

[a-groovy-gypsy.livejournal.com]

Well, best wishes to you!

[a-groovy-gypsy.livejournal.com]

Meh, I meant best of luck.

[mobobocita.livejournal.com]

You too! I hope you land on your feet soon.

[reannon.livejournal.com]

Pay off debts. Buy a house. Quit my job and write full-time. Set up Kiddo's college fund, plus my niece. Hire tsita full-time with benefits and buy her a house to raise her boy and be my assistant. Open a bookstore/coffeehouse, maybe relaunch Aardvark Productions. Randomly wander LJ looking for people in financial trouble and anonymously paypal them money. Invest a little so I don't run out. Take my boy to Disney World.

You know, the usual.

[sir-alf.livejournal.com]

My usual formula includes:

1/4 into long term investment (CDs)
1/4 into short term investment (Stocks)
1/4 to clear debt and use as operating capital
1/8 for me to spend as I wish
1/8 for faekitty to spend as she wishes.

I'd want to take care of some friends too. The trick would do that without spending everything. If nothing else, a bunch of my friend's kids would have trust funds set up for them.

[reprobayt.livejournal.com]

Mine is a similar formula:

10% off the top to be given away to friends and "wasted".
30% in 30 day CDs
30% in 60 day CDs
30% in 90 day CDs

Then I can take the time and invest accordingly once I get my financial team together...

[niobecyane.livejournal.com]

Pay off debt, buy a home, set up annual college scholarship award for the non-profit I volunteer with, travel.

[trillian42.livejournal.com]

Pay off all my credit cards, pay off my house, save a bunch for retirement given my living situation, help any friends who need it at the time, give a bunch to public radio and tv and animal charities and women's shelters ... lord, so many possibilities.

[dreaminkitten.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely pay off debt, then pay off some of my parent's and in-laws debt. Send some money to deserving friends and last buy a better car and look for a house.

[earthgoddess.livejournal.com]

Pay off debt, buy my mom a house, build a house for Rick & I....go back to college, invest in several plane tickets to see people that I want to meet or haven't seen in forever...and hire Jilian Michael's as my personal trainer til the weight is off.

[strega42.livejournal.com]

Pay off debt. All of it. Immediately. I'm pretty sure it's under $50K total.
Pay a one year lease on a house up front. Figure 24K
Actually go to drivers school, and get my license. I'd have to check.
Put Jess & Justin through college. Figure 500K.
Get a lawyer. 30K min. up front.
Buy land & have a house built to suit. Plus guest houses. Wouldn't want to spend more than 20M on that - but I am talking a substantial chunk of land, and building significantly off the grid living & power sources, etc.
Build Scott a complete computer suite to spec, plus photo studio. Figure 2M if we include all the peripheral equipment.
Lots of therapy. Seriously. For Scott, Jess & I at minimum. Figure 150Kish
Teeth & other medical catch up work. Figure around 10K if I'm paying cash for teeth & checkups.
Spend a year visiting various family members. Figure... $350K travel, lodging, various expenses, little gifts.
Glass studio - 5K
Sewing equipment/supplies, leatheworking stuff, etc - 25K would be easy.
Art supplies for Jess guest house studio - 15K to outfit her completely.
Helping out various friends - 5M total.
Woodshop & supplies same - 150K.
5-10% of total for charity - I'd need to pick out several and apportion it. Or possibly set up scholarship/grant program, but it would need to be invested & self-sustaining.
Bank the rest for old age & invest carefully. Very, very carefully. Or possibly stuff it in a mattress, the way things have been going.

[batchfile.livejournal.com]

first i would buy a house for each of my kids.

i would set up a commune for my pagan homies. then i'd fill a backpack, buy an enfield bullet, and see the world.

[ladysilverlark.livejournal.com]

Pay off debt. Get a bigger house. We are all ready out growing this one. But not one of those huge house. Helps out some family and friends. And then invest wisely for retirement and Mattias education.

[dorei.livejournal.com]

I would pay off my mortgage and my other debts, then probably take advantage of the crappy real estate market and buy some properties.

[shes-not-there.livejournal.com]

*wry look*

It's a secret.

[msanborn.livejournal.com]

a new life for me and the kids; and helping some family and friends

[dustyskinandall.livejournal.com]

Pay off G.'s debts,

Pay off my house, my parents' house, my brother's house...

buy some land, build a house I like better than the one I have, build an in-home studio,

buy more land and don't build a thing on it,

eat at every famous restaurant I can find,

throw a fancy schmancy wedding and get the stupidly expensive dress I want,

invest invest invest,

so that I can work on music full time.