Let's have some fun -- What would you do?

[Sakka]

I'd be boring; pay off debt, my own place, either buy or build my own low energy/high efficiency home. Have a tech room for playing with electronics, making circuit boards, 3-D printing, etc. Maybe have a small apartment in part for a friend who needs a place.
Help a couple friends who have fallen on really hard times lately.
Help brother and his wife, and parents. Maybe setup post secondary education funds for the next generation. (Would need to get a headcount first, a couple cousins put rabbits to shame. ... Not with each other, gutter minds )

Would love to tell off former coworker who screwed me over in such a way that it appears the likelihood of me working in my chosen field again is slim and nil, 'just because he could'. In retrospect, karma is already screwing him hard, and will continue to do so well into his sixties.


If money truly was no object, I'd probably look at 'buying' a country.
(Not really buying, more I'll pay off the national debt and cover shortfalls within reason, in exchange there are certain policies I want enacted. The politicians keep running the day to day stuff. Meetings for this would be with Reps for each group in government so that there can't be any yelling later about how Group X wasn't consulted/involved.)

[El Pollo Guerrera]

Filthy friggin' rich?

First, quit.

Second, set up family so that they wouldn't have to worry about money. At least for a while.

Third, charities.

Start my own business.

Other ideas: buy a building like a strip mall, and use it to help small businesses start. Be generous with the rent, help people with accounting, get them on their feet and in a good position to expand and move out... allowing other businesses to start up.

Take some time and fund a movie or two. I have ideas about what I would want to see on-screen, and maybe I could get an "executive producer" credit... or even a "based on a story by" credit...

Always been a wrestling fan, so I like the idea of a nation-wide Canadian company, but no matter the money even that's a pipe dream.

[mjr]

Well, since I started this thread, I guess I should probably say what I would do...

First, I'd make sure my wife and I had enough to retire on. Since I'm filthy stinkin' rich, I don't think that's an issue.

But I'd want to make sure I put some back for my son's college, and start a nice savings/investment strategy for him.

I'd probably have a different house built, more customized to what I want. I'd want it to at least have room for a pool table and a music studio. I'd buy a few more guitars. I'd want a "man cave" and I'd make sure my wife had her room. She wants beer on tap, so we'd have to do that...

I'd probably partake in my hobbies a lot more, since I wouldn't have to work. I'd buy myself a car and a truck, and buy my wife a new car.

Of course, charitable giving. I'd probably give to the American Heart Association I may invest a little into local businesses.

I'd donate some money to the local HS, both the school and the athletic program.

I'd participate in a lot more "leisure" activities than I do now.

I'm not sure how much traveling I'd do. I'm pretty much a home body.

I would start a program to teach STEM skills to underprivileged kids, and provide them with a laptop to continue their learning. Maybe build a "learning center" where the kids could go. It would have free Wi-Fi so they could use the laptops there.

I might consider getting season tickets to my favorite teams, but that might make me busier than I'd like, and most of those games I could watch on TV, so I'd probably just buy really expensive tickets a couple of times a year.

I could even go back to school full-time if I wanted to...though I don't know how far I'd want to go. I'd be able to afford any level I wanted.

[Nunavut Pants]

How rich? Ya see, I have an inheritance coming from my last remaining biological grandparent who died last month.

But the thing is, someone in the family will still have to work, even if we get a "piss-pot" of money. For health insurance, if no other reason. Both Da Boss and I have chronic health issues, so getting insurance outside of work (or Medicare, when we finally qualify) would be outrageously expensive. Especially given my family history of getting Parkinson's, and the dementia that sometimes goes with it.

So what we'll probably do is pick up a couple of condos to rent out which will ensure a monthly income for us. We might move somewhere more tropical where my wife can listen to the ocean without freezing ten months out of the year. We might induce our automotive hobby more.

But it's really depressing how little "a whole bunch of money" gets you any more.

We will be giving more to the local animal shelters, especially the one where I volunteer and the one we adopted three of our kitties from. Of course, that's partly because I like most animals better than most people...

[Pixelated]

Filthy friggin' rich?

Other ideas: buy a building like a strip mall, and use it to help small businesses start. Be generous with the rent, help people with accounting, get them on their feet and in a good position to expand and move out... allowing other businesses to start up.

That's a great idea! For small businesses, getting started is the hardest part. I see a lot of little indie businesses here that are making it ... but I'm also seeing a lot that fail.

[protege]

Oh the things I'd do

But seriously, I'd pay off the house and car, get the MG restored properly, and then take care of my mom's debts. She had to work her ass off with multiple jobs...as well as raising 3 kids--while my bastard father was out of work. It's only fair that I set her up so she doesn't have to worry about money any more. Then I'd buy my grandmother's farm (sold in 2007 ) and set up a winery. Plenty of land, most of which is unsuitable for much else. While I'm at it, I'd get that vacation home in Cape May...and never work again. At least not for someone else Throw in some traveling, a few more sports cars, and I'm good

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Wait until that money hits the bank and then leave the Litter Box so fast they wouldn't know what hit 'em.

First thing would be after paying off some bills and also paying up our rent for a year in advance, call the local Chrysler dealership that specializes in handicapped accessible vans and have 'em bring one here to Greensboro for Mom (preferably in red.)

Then drive a short distance down the road to the Chevrolet dealership and pick out a pretty red Silverado truck for me. Might go back later and get a Camaro as well.

Take the Corolla down to Jeff in the boonies and let him completely redo the car (need to have the damage repaired from last fall's hit and run and a new paint job and new headliner inside, as well as a few odds and ends.) We'll keep it for a few more years as a backup in case one of the other vehicles needs to go into the shop for anything.

Start replacing stuff in the house . . . new living room furniture, repaint my brother's bedroom and new carpet.

Get my driver's license and take off to the beach for a visit. Might buy a condo there, might not. If nothing else, go rent a house for a couple of weeks a year or so.

Update the kitchen with new paint and update the bathroom as well (would like to change the color in the bathroom.)

Get a new wardrobe and maybe a few nice pieces of jewelry.

Replace bedroom furniture in my room (preferably white wicker pieces that will work with my vintage iron bed that I won't part with.)

Get Mom a new mattress set for her bed (she has a California King size in her room and she won't sleep on anything smaller.)

Take my brother to a few of the NASCAR races nearby

Spend more time on my computer and maybe finish up a few more fanfic stories I've been planning for some time

Donate to local animal groups that work to find home for strays

Maybe do some traveling. I'd like to visit Hollywood or New York City and go shopping on Fifth Avenue.

Hire help to look after Mom while I'm gone off on said travel adventures

Basically just kick back and relax and have a little fun and not worry about choosing between paying bills or buying groceries

Not sure we'd buy a house but if not at least we can stay here and as long as we pay our rent each month we don't have to worry about the upkeep. Something goes wrong, we pick up the phone and call and it's fixed. And I don't have to worry about paying the taxes.

[HotelMinion]

I'd pay off my debts, and go travel on a cruise round the world, trying all the tours with my family. I always get jealous when I here of someone traveling. When I got home, I'd re enroll in school and try to re grow my brain cells that the SCs have killed.

[Dreamstalker]

I'd also enroll in courses that I've always wanted to take but never could (lack of either money or a viable career path at the time). Stuff that I don't necessarily need to know, but want to because...well, because I can

[Pixelated]

I'd also enroll in courses that I've always wanted to take but never could (lack of either money or a viable career path at the time). Stuff that I don't necessarily need to know, but want to because...well, because I can

That's my aim for retirement: go back to school. Which is why I'm not throwing out ALL my binders (especially the Harry Potter ones ).

[Dreamstalker]

A manager recently said to me when I thought I was asking too many questions "You just want to learn all the things, don't you?"

...yes, yes I do. Since leaving the tenth circle of hell my brain's come out of hibernation.

[Victory Sabre]

Buy a modest house, with a very nice yard in the Florida Keys, and enjoy life. Garden. Bike. Read books more.

[dalesys]

Funny. A week before this thread started I was scripting a new Mental Reality Show for my Head_Hamster_Rats© on a parallel topic.

Head_Hamster_Rats©: They're my mental pets. And they're *very* mental. Like me. If I don't provide them with a new hamitrail every year or so they'll run on their old squeaky wheel all night and I won't get any sleep.

So I outline an adventure space they can happily explore for a few months or years and *I* get to sleep. It's time for a new one...
...
While solo camping I find a drug lord's crashed plane stuffed with M$ of Benjamins and Krugers. It's rammed into a rimrock recess, hidden from above by rocks, and below and across the wash by junipers and sage. The corpses are well chewed and it's been at least a few years...

If I don't report it, how do I launder the loot into apparently valid (and taxed) income? ... Heh heh heh...

What do I do with it?

<1> Subsidize my children as "employees" at minimum wage 40/week with medical/dental/optical insurance. Each dollar they earn is matched at up to 2x minimum wage. Increasing base for first 4 years + 2 years of master level courses. Prorated relative to full-time student class load. Decreasing for over long study (No perpetual students!). Bonus derived from GPA. Grandchildren will get a similar incentive starting at ~14 to full parity after HS graduation.

Similar credits for volunteer work. "Employee" matching can be transferred to a working spouse from a house parent.

Frequent reminders that this is not a permanent situation. The funds will run out or the alte kaker will get locked up.

<2> My great-great-grandfather bought a ranch with the old stage/Pony Express station in 1885. My cousin & her husband are running it but the son who wanted to continue drowned 4 years ago. One of the big difficulties in continuing this kind of family operation is the financial hit of a transfer.

I would like to provide loan guarantees & subsidies for any descendant of gggpa who is willing and qualified to take it over. Preference to closer descendants to the line that has run it for the last 132 year: Cousin BBA, uncle DCB, grandfather CNB, great-grandfather ECB & great-great-grandfather CSB.

<3> I have dear friends involved in wild bee research, algae aquaculture, and just keeping the old commune running...

<4> Make it so that my daughter-in-laws vocal group can tour the states... They're in Israel and ~45 of them, so...

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Make sure my family is taken care of, so my parents don't have to worry about finances now that they're retired. Pay off my sister and brother-in-law's mortgage and set up a college fund for their daughter.

For living arrangements, I'd have a place in a large city and someplace else in the woods or in the country. Neither would need to be too extravagant. Preferably in a warmer area but not the desert.

I'd travel a lot, to all kinds of places. Maybe do odd jobs here and there to keep myself occupied, write a book or get some nice photography equipment and take lots of pictures.