What would you do if you won the lottery

[Xavier Synik]

Okay so it's one of those age old questions that I'd bet a lot of us have thought about. Well it's come to mind again as the current lottery jackpot here for one of the national lotteries in Canada is $50 Million with an additional 55 $1 Million dollar draws.

I have tickets, but I know the odds, but it's one of those things that's fun to think about...

So the question is what would you do if you won the lottery... And so that people don't say something like "buy an island" or in Em's case "buy the Anaheim Ducks". Let's say that after taxes etc (to take that out of the equation) you end up with $5 Million, which should be more than enough. And since most of us somewhat sane people will eventually say "invest the rest" let's talk about the first year...

Here's what I'd do...

1) Buy a new car. And not something like a Lambo or a Ferrari. Something fun, but not something I'm going to get pulled over by the cops in every time I go for a drive. Might buy one of those later :p

2) Pay off my student loans, establish retirement funds for my parents and step-parents and a trust fund for my sister after paying off her student loans.

3) Throw an epic party for my friends and family.

4) Buy a house. And I don't even want something huge. Right now it's just me, so why would I need something huge? Something in the $500,000 range is just fine (and that's a decent but not huge house in most of the area I live in)

5) but a more sensible car or SUV or truck... In Canada we have these things called winters and well a fun car is typically not the best thing to be driving in the winter so need a second car.

6) Travel. Europe, Australia, Asia, and even some parts of the US.

7) Last but certainly not least... Throw another epic party at Burning Nerd ;)


Sp how about you? What would you do in the first year if you had $5 Million to play with?

[Byl Laprovik]

1. All debt gone immediately (student loans for both me and Christin, mortgage, credit card, lines of credit, and vehicle) That would be to the tune of about $175,000.

2. Buy out the meth heads next door from their property, then raze the trees between and fence it up. (I have no idea how much this would be, probably a good $150,000 maybe?)

3. Buy livestock. Mainly horses, but possibly including cattle, goats, sheep, etc. (another $150,000?)

4. Get crackin' on every major house project I can think of, like wood-burning stove, serious fuck-off six burner viking range with a better smoke hood and possibly a salamander, a nice front porch, asphalting the driveway and horseshoe, getting electric garage door openers, cordoning off the garden, building chicken coops, rabbit hutches, and other things. (Guessing an easy half million bucks here)

5. Set aside an interest-bearing fund for vacations and frivolities. Not gonna take some year-long sabbatical to Europe, but I think every year it's entirely possible that we'd have a two or three week globe-trotting vacation and eat at nice restaurants like El Bulli, the Fat Duck, etc. (easily a million dollars)

6. Another interest-bearing fund for play money like: Christin needs the most cutting-edge graphics software; I need automatic weapons. Another half million.

7. The remaining 2.5 million and change is Roth IRA. We both continue to work and contribute to our nest egg.

[Mandy with an I]

But, you don't pay taxes on winnings here in Canada :p As someone who has to sell these stupid tickets, I can say that if I won the big big jackpot, I would blow every single cent of it.

Of course, I would pay off all of my loved ones debts and all of that normal stuff, but I would spend money on whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted XD

[Lilaena De'Ville]

1. Pay off my student loan. There's not much left, but it will be great to have our last debt gone.

2. College funds established for the kids.

3. Buy dream house (probably land and then build it) preferably somewhere tropical and lush and not too developed (but not toooooo rural, either)

4. Get nice family car and a Mini Cooper because I've always wanted one shuttup!

5. Give money to siblings. Or something. There is a lot of family on both sides.

6. Give 10% to the church and charities.

7. Invest the rest wisely for savings and to live off of.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Buy my mum a house somewhere warm in Europe. Also get a place for my grandparents in Spain, so they can finally move over there (they have been talking about it for years.)

Other than this, and visiting friends around the world, I don't know. I would probably have to sit down with my mum and think out some kind of long term financial plan that didn't involve me having to take awful, soul-destroying jobs.

[Captain Untouchable]

I would buy my dad the house that he's renting at the moment, so he doesn't have to deal with his fucktard landlord. My mum'd get the sort of cottage and garden they were hoping to buy for their retirement. Then I'd either get myself a house or a flat or something... and save the rest. Probably one of those investment thingies that Charley mentioned - that sounded like a clever idea.

There's probably not much that I "want", to be honest. I'd be happy with your cliché bachelor pad - with a full assortment of games equipment, TV, etc - and the knowledge that if I did ever want anything else, I'd have the savings to buy it more or less on a whim.

[Crusader]

1. Get another diploma in business studies (Before you spend money learning something about spending money can't be bad)

2. Buy or build my parents a beach house at the mediteranian sea

3. Do all the internships paid and unpaid that I ever wanted.

4. Once I got enough insights and a kick ass CV use the remaining money to buy yourself in for a partnership in a company.

5. Use your new position to generate more money.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

But I wanna buy the hockey team, Xi. :( But fine...

Let's see with 5 mil just in the first year...

1 - Buy a house. A nice one, not a mansion or anything insane but nice. Probably somewhere near the beach or up in the mountains. That probably knocks out an easy million right there with housing around where I'd like to live, sadly. Something that needs some love/work would be fine with me too. I'm cool with tossing money into a home to make it "perfect" (as long as it isn't a constant trouble-maker)

2 - Get myself two cars. One would be the ever-day driver... and the other would be something to restore... I'm thinking like a 67 Chevelle or similar. Nothing perfect right off... I want something to work on.

3 - Travel *nod* All over the damn place, really.

4 - Yeah, I'd throw a party. Only I'd rent out one of the swanky bars/clubs around here so I didn't have to do the clean up. :lol

5 - Who am I kidding... if I won it tomorrow I'd probably blow a giant chunk of it on yarn and pretty knitting needles. :ohno

[Park Kraken]

1) Goodbye Debt.

2) Goodbye Debt for all friends and family members.

3) Pay for any priority up and coming items or issues.

4) Do any short term traveling that I want to do.

5) Use the rest to supplement my income for as long as possible.

[Tear]

1) Hookers

2) Blow

3) Repeat;)

[Wyl Staedtler]

^
:lol

I'd pay off the last of the family debt (personal and business) and set up funds for the kids, then retire to and expand the family land in Mhlambanyatsi. The rest would be distributed amongst the fam and invested wisely via an adviser. :)

[Crusader]

1) Hookers

2) Blow

3) Repeat;)

That sounds a lot better than my plan :D

[Miranda Tarkin]

In this order -

1) Pay off my meager credit cards. It isn't that bad but at least it would be less thing to worry about as well as the loan I have for the comic book.

2) Pay off my mothers debt - credit cards/car/etc.

3) Pay off the girlfriend's debt.

4) See what I can do for my Aunt who is more or less financially secure but has always seen to take care of me and mom :D

5) Pay off the condo and buy a new car.

6) then talk to my accountant on investments and setting up an account for the hope ickle one I may have in the future

[Blade Bacquin]

Depending on how much it was.

1/4 of it devide among my parents and sisters
1/4 of it devide among my good friends.
1/4 to various charities

The last 1/4 I would use to disapear, go away for good so those people whom I gave money don't think they owe me anything. So I can't use the but I gave you money excuse to get what I want out of them. So I no longer bug those people and they can be in piece with out me to annoy them. It's as simple as that my takwe will simple be use to run away and neve rbe heard from again probably go see the world since i have barely been out of this state.

[Lykaios]

*Bye bye debt
*Move my parents wherever they wanted, they own their home and have zero debt but I think they could be more comfortable elsewhere.
*Go back to school to get a Master's or something
*Buy a cabin in a lake and a boat so that I could go fishing more often
*Lots of travel
*Invest the rest so that I could live off interests, perhaps even open a restaurant or some sort of business.
*

[Figrin D'an]

Always a fun question, so I'll bite...

1. Pay off all remaining debt, which is essentially the mortgage and my student loans.

2. Take care of any remaining debt for parents (wife's and mine).

3. Multiple education funds. One for my brother (who is in school now), one for wife's brother (done with school, but may want to go back to improve job prospects), and one for future potential kids.

4. Augment retirement funds for parents to ensure they'll be comfortable.

5. Home renovations. We like our house, and really don't have any desire to move, but there's some things that we've been planning on doing in the future that could be done right away. (Remodel basement, redo backyard deck, addition with hot tub, some landscaping, etc).

6. New car for the wife. Mine is fairly nice, only 5 years old with low mileage. She still has the same car she had in med school. She needs something worthy of a doctor, like maybe a BMW 7 series.

7. Travel fund. Interest bearing, something that will afford us a few weeks a year of travel to wherever we wish and have nice amenities.

8. Put the rest into retirement fund. We're in good shape financially, but with the boost of a couple million dollars early on to the retirement fund, we'd be able to afford certain other niceties that may come along without having to worry that we're not saving enough.


We'd both continue working obviously. We make enough between the two of us that, with the above things taken care of, we'd be able to live comfortably, retire early if we wish to, and be indulge our favorite past times with little financial concern.


The one other, somewhat unique, thing I would do eventually (not the first year, maybe several years later), would be to take a sabbatical from work from say mid August through early January of a chosen year. I'd then travel around the US for those months going to college football games every chance I could get. I'd plan the route and schedule well in advance based upon what games and locations I would want to see the most. It would be like one giant road trip going from game to game, campus to campus. I'd blog about it, and maybe even see if ESPN would give me a deal in that regard.

[Lucy Gray]

I would go into Toche Station and pick up some power converters.