A billion dollars? Not sure about the *very first thing*, but *eventually*, I'd commission some movies and TV/streaming shows that would be *exactly* the way I'd want them to be.
clear my debt. set up a trust fund for my kids. gift my ex with as much as she needs to never work again. gifts to my family (regardless of how they've behaved over the years) because hey, family. same for close friends.
*THEN* I would make sure I have enough to cover my needs for the rest of my life and I would devote my time to fighting back against right wing populism and extremism in this country.
I'm calling the Connecticut state community college system to figure out how much it would cost to provide free tuition to every student, but while we work out the details, I'm also buying myself a nice house and turning the basement into a full-on arcade. Big Buck Hunter, Skee-ball, racing sim rig.
A washing machine 'cuz ours just busted and they don't make parts for it anymore. Maybe I'd splurge on a new dryer as well since the paint is peeling off the interior of ours.
I'd buy the downstairs flat and the god awful house that was built on a part of the original garden to demolish it.
Then I'd order miso lobster from Dean Banks but in a Rough & Fraser hard fired roll.
I have a friend who got his employer to pay all his expenses to get him to a game in every MLB ballpark, and the Field of Dreams, in 30 days for him to write a series of articles about it. It was amazing following his trip on social media.
First and foremost, even before claiming the winnings, a lawyer and an accountant to determine how to claim and how to best protect my privacy.
Then I'd fund a couple trusts, replace my car, and buy a modest house.
I’ve always thought it’d be nice to just get on a busy bus at one end of the line and just hand a $100 bill to every man, woman and child that got on that bus.
No. The lump sum is about $380 million after taxes. And the annual payment would be an increasing payment each year adding up to $1 billion. And it’s a life annuity so you can’t leave unpaid balance to anyone. I’m going lump sum.
What some people do when they find out is very quietly get a lawyer and an accountant and set up an anonymous LLC then cash the ticket in through them, because you have a year to do it.
My longer term answer is that if I had Scrooge McDuck level wealth, I would found and endow a natural history museum at which I would have after hours access, so I could host board game nights in the hall of dinos or the hall of minerals for my friends.
A new mayor for Philly because the clown we just elected has dreams of a fiefdom. I don’t think she’d have been the Dem nominee if that had been clear.
A lawyer and an accountant. Then I'd pave the dirt road that runs from my house to the county road, except not for the very end of it. I'd want people to think it's still a dirt road, the better to keep them from sight seeing up here.
Not having to work ever again, for starters? Because I'd keep doing many other things that fulfill me, but I would definitely not call it "work". Yeah, that and give a generous portion to every family member.
Donate to animal welfare and environmental organizations what is left after keeping enough to house and care for my family in (why not) upgraded conditions.
I’d buy a new camera for our film shoot in May, but a way nicer one than the one I’m hoping to be able to afford by then.
Actually, no, if I won *right now* I’d buy a Diet Coke first because I can’t bring myself to pay $2.29 at Walgreens on my current budget, and my free option is office coffee
Low-key I would start a giant PAC that would spend like 30 million a cycle trying to rope vulnerable senators into an anti-fossil fuel caucus, and focus very narrowly on a specific foe, typically fuel subsidies.
Slightly further down the line, a case of '02 Krug and an appointment for a fitting session at Ralph Lauren and perhaps something a bit more invigorating for the commute:
Buy a car, pay my niece to house- and cat-sit (or a couple of her friends) and take a trip. Leave Illinois for a couple-few weeks, go see friends, then come back and buy another house so I can fix this one.
The last time I played a government lottery, I not only didn't win the green suit, the rifle, or the grand prize vacation in exciting tropical Vietnam, I didn't even win the 4th-prize Army Physical Exam.
I did once give the Rainforest people $5 and won a signed Rauschenberg Grateful Dead print.
I'ma be real and say once I saw the numbers but didn't have the money? A fancy-ass cut and color and then like, a fancy-ass steak dinner, then a call to a lawyer and wealth management professional.
(Of course, "for my money", I couldn't *afford* anyplace with a better skyline view of Manhattan. But even so, the view of it from here is conveniently the one I prefer.)
There are more entertaining answers but my serious reply is a lawyer to help me not only put the money in the best places possible but, more importantly, shield me from people who might wish to take advantage of situation.
I’d make sure my kids & grands are set. Probably buy a house in the woods but close to town. Fenced yard. And just live peacefully with the wildlife. 😊
Oh I have this all planned out. I'm going to visit my mom and dad for the weekend and get up early to have coffee with my mom. She'll look briefly at the listings for lake houses in the area as she does weekly before reading the paper. Then I'll ask which one is her favorite and then buy it for them
A ticket to the Queen Mary II around-the-world cruise so I can step out of society for a few months while my lawyer tells all the long-lost cousins with a sob story and a foolproof investment idea to get lost
After that an airplane hangar for the biggest model railroad you’ve ever seen
And medical problems also impact teeth. My autoimmune conditions didn’t get the memo that they were not supposed to cause dental problems. Thankfully I have decent insurance.
i would get my family and friends the helllllllll out of debt lol. The more fun answer would be the silliest little tech (big dumb tvs with big dumb sound) gadgets ever. Making sure my parents never had to worry about money ever again though is what would actually make me happiest
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Probably look to remodel parts of the house/add on maybe
Lots of them, all over the place.
probably stay up all night plotting how best to use the money.
because it's a lot but not nearly enough to accomplish *everything* I want to do, so I would need to prioritize.
(I would also be at work the next day because until I have cash in hand, I cannot count on anything.)
clear my debt. set up a trust fund for my kids. gift my ex with as much as she needs to never work again. gifts to my family (regardless of how they've behaved over the years) because hey, family. same for close friends.
First thing I would get after I actually had winnings in hand: Probably an electric car
Then I'd order miso lobster from Dean Banks but in a Rough & Fraser hard fired roll.
Then just pay off my house and get an EV VW Bus X3
Then I'd fund a couple trusts, replace my car, and buy a modest house.
Probably give $400 million away to charitable causes and use the rest to build up generational wealth
Poorly fitting Austin Powers mask, 100%
You said first thing, and I could do that even before talking with a financial planner.
Then maybe a Newspaper, that I will just handoff to some reporters to run properly.
Then a politician or two.
EVERYONE OF THESE THINGS, ALL AT ONCE.
And then on to helping family and friends with their debts...but steak dinner first.
Oh and do something to end world hunger or something Miss America says of whatever...
Actually, no, if I won *right now* I’d buy a Diet Coke first because I can’t bring myself to pay $2.29 at Walgreens on my current budget, and my free option is office coffee
* Delete all my social media.
* Vanish.
Second: An accountant who doesn't know the lawyer.
I did once give the Rainforest people $5 and won a signed Rauschenberg Grateful Dead print.
(Given the price of real estate in in the area, it may be the only thing I get!)
https://cinematreasures.org/theaters/484
Western Massachusetts.
There are more entertaining answers but my serious reply is a lawyer to help me not only put the money in the best places possible but, more importantly, shield me from people who might wish to take advantage of situation.
Invest 1st payment & let it grow (after settling some debt).
Keep current job till at least 2nd annual payment comes in. Meanwhile would have loads of Office-Space-like fun
After that an airplane hangar for the biggest model railroad you’ve ever seen
"Sorry, your kidneys aren't covered under your health insurance plan. You should've gotten kidney insurance."
Such an effed up system.