Friday, December 01, 2006

How I'll spend my millions

I just bought a "Mega Millions" lottery ticket. This means that in about an hour I will be $40 million richer (about $24 million after taxes). Here's a breakdown of what I'll do with the money:

$10 million to charity - I'll set up a charity that takes leftover food from restaurants and distributes it to the poor. It is illegal now because of liability issues but I will hire attorneys that will figure out a solution.

$6 million for living expenses - I will quit my job, start making art and buy a nice house for my fiancé and I. This house will be complete with a kick-ass game room stocked with ping-pong, pool, air hockey, foosball, shuffle board, a few choice arcade machines (including a Ms. Pacman coffee table, of course) and a vending machine filled with beer.

$4 million for investments - I will put this money into CDs and savings accounts for my kids, grand kids and great-grand kids. (The great-great grand kids can fend for themselves).

$3 million for gifts - I will use this money to hook up my friends and family.

$1 million for travel - I will travel the world with my fiancé.

$100,000 for Jacques - I promised Jacques (the parking lot security guard at my work) that I would hook him up when I win.

I would not buy a bunch of super expensive cars to show off in my driveway.

What would you do? Post a comment and let me know!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am pleased to see another person who actually sees charity a a viable option for lottery winnings. I would love to see statistics on how many people who win large sums actually do charitable things with the winnings.

If I won I would love to operate an educational foundation of some sort that funds intellectual endeavors. Scholarships, research, and what not.

I would also buy a beach house of some sort: modern, lots of glass, private beach, etc. Probably 3 bedrooms, nice study.

I would also open a comic shop that specializes in indie comics, some off-the-wall lit., DVDs, roleplaying games, and comic art. This shop must be in a downtown of sorts, with an area dedicated to throwing parties and gatherings. It needs to be clean but have a intellectual flavor to it with dark wood, leather chairs, etc. This store would be a front for my publishing empire.

On the side I would produce internet television with some friends and perhaps do a few short films.

Like you, I would also set aside a college fund/trust fund and such for kids.

However, for family I would probably give my mom and dad each a couple million. This is not only intended as a gift but also a clever way to make them the distribution points for money to the rest of my family. I definitely DO NOT want to be that person.

Oh I would also like a condo of sorts in San Francisco and a townhouse in London.

Anonymous said...

Nice! I would spend a lot of time in that comic shop.

Anonymous said...

Okay, here’s the plan: I buy myself (and Ryan, of course) a home on the beach in Southern California and another in a tropical location that would be fairly cheap (Nicaragua, Belize, etc.). Then I talk to my family and give each of my siblings the same amount and tell them “that’s it.” I give my Mom whatever she wants/needs. Also, Ryan and I need new cars…I’d probably get a hybrid of some sort.

Then I get a financial urban planning team to map out two main charity projects: access to water in third world countries and safe homes/rehabilitation centers for homeless families, mothers and children (there would be space for single men, too, but the emphasis would be on the prior listings). I make my friend Viv the president of the NPO that I form and she spearheads these projects. The water project would probably start in Kenya, which is where she already works (on similar projects) and the safe house projects would probably start in LA so that I could oversee things easily. Although I am involved in my NPO I set up a team that runs things independently and I visit on a weekly or bi-weekly basis for meetings regarding each project.

Over time I also intend to financially support the following: political candidates who share my ideological vision (perhaps Ralph Nader), fellowships for students doing research I find productive, and any legislature that defends women’s rights and repairs the extremely weak and overly complicated system of punishment for sex offenders.

In my free time I write. I spend a lot of time writing fiction but also remain committed to my scholarly endeavors. For this purpose I have a guest house/writing studio detached from my main home on the beach. I also use this space for other artistic pursuits and, as such, have a darkroom for developing photos and a sound room for creating music.

I also spend lots of time traveling, learning new things, and spoiling myself with activities I enjoy but (until I win this money) could not afford to do – such as ride jet skis, get massages, and go to Broadway musicals.

Of course I invest and save enough money to ensure the financial stability of my family and myself for future generations. I make it a priority to only support ethical business ventures that will have consistent returns.

So this is how I’ll spend my millions. Now, where do I pick up the check?

Anonymous said...

Thanks in advance for the house(s) babe!

Peter Sims said...

I'd give alot more than splitting 3 million with my family! I'd give each of my brothers at least 1 million a piece! Right? Keep gambling

Anonymous said...

You heard it here first, folks. If my brother wins the lottery I am getting a cool million...

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