What would you do with half a billion dollars?

[True Dough]

In approximately one hour, someone (or multiple people) may win $540 million or a share of that through a Powerball draw:

https://www.powerball.com/games/home


What would you do with the money if you won? Do you even bother buying tickets when chances of winning a jackpot are so insanely remote?

Wouldn't it be better if lotteries split prizes into more reasonable amounts benefitting a greater number of people? Say 540 individuals/families could each claim $1 million (or a portion of a smaller jackpot because, let's face it, the hype over an insanely high grand prize fuels even more ticket sales).

[2naSalit]

1. I have some ideas...

I wouldn't end up with much but I can think of a lot of good things to do with that much money.

[sakabatou]

2. Buy a house, finally get with my long time-girlfriend

[Mr.Bill]

3. I guess the first thing

would be to give a lot of it to the IRS.

[TreasonousBastard]

7. And you don't get the half billion unless you take the long...

payout, and pay more in taxes.

[Bev54]

17. That is another difference in Canada, you do not pay tax on lottery winnings

[Mr.Bill]

20. California does waive state taxes on the California lottery

but the federal government does not.

[Polybius]

4. Mansion, exotic car, and beautiful girlfriend

In that order.

[Effete Snob]

5. Find the other half

[happybird]

6. The only answer:

Legend.

[Progressive Jones]

14. LMAO !!! Ya beat me to it! nt

[Bristlecone]

24. Indeed

[Scrivener7]

8. Give most away, get a house on the ocean.

[ailsagirl]

12. Sounds perfect!!

👍

[Scrivener7]

15. I'll invite you to visit if I win, and I'll be expecting an invitation if you do!

[ailsagirl]

16. You got it!!

[Qutzupalotl]

9. Start a fair news reporting agency.

There aren't enough.

[LakeArenal]

10. Take everyone I know and love (and some I don't) on the ride with me.

College for anyone who wants it.
Bequests to everyone until I had about 3 million left. Dentistry for everyone. Debt paid off for most.

With that I’d find the best property and build a small but totally lux house.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

11. I'd be good with 10%...

...and have a great time giving the rest away.

[Dial H For Hero]

13. I'd spend half of it on gambling, booze, and women.

The other half I'd waste.

[Takket]

19. thread winner LOL

[Takket]

18. get a house, nice car, make sure friends and family have mortgages paid off and college

for their kids.

Grant a whole lot of wishes for Make A Wish kids

Help the humane society, mental health charities, the medical system that has done such great things for my family

Get a kick ass telescope so I can look at space

[IzzaNuDay]

21. Hide and hire a lawyer

I am not flashy with money so having that much would make me uncomfortable. Would want legal help to manage the projects I could do with some of that money.

[Hortensis]

52. Boring, but here too. I wouldn't want attention, and my thoughts

too quickly turn from good stuff to how does one share with family without risking harm? Our kids and their kids are doing fine now.

So first serious thing on a to-do list would be shopping for advisors to head off potential problems? Makes me think I should first take a pied a terre in Paris, or perhaps Rome since it's winter, and think about it from there.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

22. I would..

Give to a lot of people and organizations. DU would get a chunk for sure. So would my sisters and my nieces and nephew. To my aunt who helped my mom as she declined.


Than I would get a house and I would get some land and build that self sufficient zero or tiny footprint asshole free zone/ community and cat sanctuary I have mentioned here before.

I have some good freinds in dire straights they could live with me..if they want to. And they'd get a chunk too.

I'd get some surgeries done like remove a hematoma on my thigh that looks exactly like a golf ball under the skin.
Get new glasses and see if I need a hearing aid.
I would have the kind of insurance that would cover it.

I would donate to my day program to the local animal shelters.
To a gblt support group that is dear to me, hearts and ears.

I'd finally get to go to Egypt to see the sights.
I would get my body mods and tattoos finished.

I would create an electric light rail train in my town that goes to downtown Baltimore and back 24 hours a day.. For people who are poor and trapped here because of the shitty public transit and for commuters. It would make a little dent in emissions.

I'd give a nice sized chunk to the Democratic Party.
And help the progressives get ahead and elected.

I would try some foods that I could never afford to try.

I would have an asskicking art/ craft room and forge and all my friends would be welcome to create there.

And I would make a community art center for adults in my county. I say adult because there are shitloads of crafty things for kids but adults? There is nothing like that here.

I would donate to mental health provider groups in Maryland.And to peer run groups and gblt groups.

Thats off the top of my head.

[Lefta Dissenter]

32. DU Valentines!

Imagine how many DU valentine hearts you could give! ❤️

[CentralMass]

23. I'd retire and take care of my family for starters. I'd probably buy a modest house

on the Oregon coast and maybe one on the other coast.Then I'd buy a motorhome and explore as much of the country as possible.. Maybe but a gew more toys like good touring motorcycle and a ckassic car. I would also try to find a worthy organization that helps the homeless to donate to.

[ecstatic]

25. I'd quit my job and start working on developing my 99,000 ideas,

inventions and creative projects. Unfortunately I don't keep track of the big drawings. It looks like I have 22 minutes to try to buy a ticket online!!!

[thinkingagain]

26. Well I have always said I hate to drive so

I would have to get a driver.
And that he’d be really cute!

Other than that I used to think I would continue to work but not any more not so happy at work. So I would retire early. I would Get a financial advisor
Buy my dream home.
I’m from a very large family so somebody could usually need money for something for sure plus there are some really good charities out there that I would not mind
Helping out a little more than I do now.

[VarryOn]

27. I'd buy a house in the Abacos (Bahamas)...

Tithe to my church, take care of my direct family's debts, find a handful of people needing help, take trips to a few places around I want to visit, then invest the rest.

With half a billion, a private jet would be possible. I'm easy to please, but having taken a private jet many times for work, I'm addicted. Having one would be quite nice. But, it would be low on the totem pole.

The biggest thing would be never having to worry about money again.

[pnwest]

28. The very, very first thing I would buy - is my entire Amazon wish list.

All those little luxuries that you really want / could use - but are always at the far end of the budget list.

I'd buy a certain hotel property in my area that I've had lottery fantasies about for years, bulldoze it, and build a fantastic posh new one in it's place, with a really great restaurant and a blues bar.

Houses and cars for my dad, stepmom, sister, and two nieces.

Summer home and winter home for myself and Mr West, and cars.

Donate to Alzheimer's research.

Donate to some local art non-profits.

Travel for a few years, see the world.

Not that I've thought about any of this, ever.

[samplegirl]

29. Get the hell

Out of the U.S.

[True Dough]

30. And go where?

I ask because if you have $540 million, I want to follow!

[ForgedCrank]

31. I'd start off with a De Tomaso Pantera,

Then I'd drive to the implement dealer and get everything my dad has always needed but couldn't afford. Then probably dump a bunch on the rest of the family as needed.
Then, I'd hunt for at least 5K acres on a single slot and plant my house right smack in the middle of it as far away from any city as I could possibly get. My life would be dirt bikes and mud forever. I'd be a 2-stroke mad man when I wasn't in off somewhere exotic, fishing. And I'd damn sure never login to the internet again as long as I lived.

[FSogol]

33. Build a dick-shaped rocket and join the billionaire space race!

[Emile]

61. Bwhaha

[mercuryblues]

34. Buy up trumps debt

And call it in.

[Silent3]

35. Half as much as I'd do with a billion dollars n/t

[Jacson6]

36. We all have a better chance of being hit by lightning three times before winning the lottery.

I play the $1 lottery once a week, but I know people that spend $100's on lottery and lottery scratch offs monthly.

[Talitha]

38. I never had 'money' in my life, so would definitely seek expert advice.

In a bit of selfishness though, I'd do a tour of European castles and museums - but not until Covid is on the back burner.
Oh, and I'd get a flat overlooking Trafalgar Square.

[Hortensis]

53. Never been there but sounds real good. Could I have a flat overlooking

Trafalgar AND a beautiful "English" garden? I'm not taking my husband along on this fantasy since he'd require hot weather and terrific fishing.

[Talitha]

55. Brilliant... with that kind of money, a country cottage could easily be had!

And DH would definitely not be in the picture.

Dear Husband OR Dick Head - it depends.

[Hortensis]

56. So a pied a terre in London, fine little OLD cottage with old garden

and gardener, half the year. Lol, I'm sure there's fishing in UK and with that kind of money we could make both of us happy, but my garden would have to be, finally, in a climate that gardens love.

[Raine]

39. Buy a big nice house to live in with lots of land so that I could take in every animal 🐈🐢

🐮🐷🐺🐻🐸🐇🐕🐏🐔🐒 all kinds that have been abused and abandoned also hire lots of people that would help me take care of them. ♥️

I would some of the money for a good time for myself like traveling but the animals would have to come first.

[DFW]

40. No idea. Maybe do what Republicans do?

Buy myself a couple of Senators from the opposing party so that they get their will a little less often, and we gets ours a little more often.

[Ka-Dinh Oy]

41. Pay off all of my debt and pay it off for for friends and family.

Then I would have a house built for my friend so he can get away from his vile family. Not sure what I would do for myself except get a German Shepherd and train it to be my new service dog. I want to help people more than anything.

[if..fish..had..wings]

42. I would while away the hours

Conferrin' with the flowers



Consulting with the rain

[True Dough]

43. So it's Tuesday morning

Any DUer going to confess to winning that Powerball jackpot last night???

[LuckyCharms]

44. I would order a tractor trailer full of cigarettes and whiskey.

Then I would start smoking and drinking again, thereby drastically shortening my life. I would chain smoke, and make sure that I stayed shit-faced drunk 24/7. I would do this because it would only be a matter of time before some money hungry psychopath would find out where I lived because my name would be public. He would come and make me give him access to the money before he murdered me. The authorities would find me maybe 6 weeks later, buried under my porch in my purple underwear, clutching an unlit cigarette.

Even though this would inevitably happen no matter what I did with the money, the robber/murderer would soon be very disappointed, because before I go on my drinking and smoking spree, I would anonymously transfer all of the money to you in a way in which no one would find out your name.

I would do this because I know you would do the right thing with the money.

[Amishman]

45. $400 million to cancer research, the rest invested for my family

$400 million to fund cancer treatment research is pretty self explanatory.

$100 million held in trust and cautiously invested. The trust is to provide a basic income for my immediate family and all future descendents, equal to the median individual income in the US.

[machoneman]

46. Send Trump and his spawn into deep outer space! It would be worth it............

[JHB]

47. Support genuinely liberal media

Including support and promotional services to people who are already out there, but have to have a day job to keep a roof over their heads and aren't more visible because they aren't on the coasts and/or don't have old chums who invite them on cable shows.

[brooklynite]

48. There are smaller prize lotteries...and you won't get half a billion dollars

The single payout will probably be about 300 million, of which 120 million will be withheld for federal taxes.

[SKKY]

49. Buy a house in Spain, help some family members with college tuition...

...donate a good chunk to our church, and then change my phone number.

[GaYellowDawg]

50. Hm.

Quit social media, help some friends and family, and ask my girlfriend to marry me. Then take her by private jet to an all-inclusive overwater bungalow resort in the Maldives and spend about a month there. I'd figure out the rest after that.

[robbob]

51. Big screen tv.

[csziggy]

54. First off, talk to my investment guy and accountant

In fact, having just gotten my parents' estates settled, that was what I did. the investment guy talked about how to keep the money working. The accountant talked to me about how much I could give away at a time. I also contacted the Trust for Public Lands about how to protect my farm from development when I am dead.

Next step is to talk to my attorney about setting up my trust, who to leave it to, including bequests to various organizations. While I plan to donate money while I am alive, I didn't inherit half a billion dollars so need to have enough to live on as long as I live. I'll leave some to relatives but a third of my estate will go to educational organizations as endowments.

[Midnight Writer]

57. I'd offer every Republican serving in Congress 1 million dollars to resign and never run again.

Wonder how many takers I'd get?

[Emile]

58. Run away to the South Pacific and get my bare butt swatted with palm leaves by half naked hula girls

Seriously I would make sure everyone in the family never had to worry about needs!

[Poiuyt]

59. I'd become a Republican and kick poor people aside while I'm lighting cigars with $100 bills

But then I'd feel insignificant when I realized I only have less than 1% what Elon Musk has.

[Emile]

62. 2 winners - 1 in California and 1 in Wisconsin

[True Dough]

63. Hope they were both Dems!

[Earth-shine]

64. I'd pay a lot in taxes. nt

[bluedigger]

65. I'd buy every DUer a star membership.