Congratulations, you have a billion dollars!! Now what?

Question

Here's what I would do.

Buy a bunch of c**p, just a bunch of worthless c**p I have always wanted. Though, I would like more to entertain altruistic pursuits. So I would consider investing in robotics, provided I could answer the political, economic, and ethical questions. Suppose robots were sophisticated enough to do menial tasks, or even work in industry. Imagine, regular citizens buy them and then hire them out to warehouses, factories and reap the benefits of their labor. This would give people time. Time to pursue all the things they ever wanted to do in their lives, but were to busy because of work. Perhaps we could collectively reach full, positive human potential. Solve problems that some never thought could be solved.

Everybody's got a robot, people get smarter, healthier, more compassionate, eventually we might even reach a point where laws, chains, even governments are exempt!!

And you? What would you do? There are some altruistic folks in GWS, so give some thoughts.

Answer 1

First I update my estate and my will.  My sibs and nieces will be very comfortable after I'm gone.  My husband's done well for himself, so he won't get that much.  I'll give his son a gift while I'm alive and a small inheritance later.

I don't like worthless c**p; it just drains energy.  I'd create a foundation to give a lot of it away to charities like the American Red Cross and Muscular Dystrophy Association, libraries, animal shelters, March of Dimes, charities that support the spouses and children of deceased police officers and firefighters.  Nothing to any churches.  Nothing to cancer research either, because that's a profitable business in itself.  And certainly not a dime to anyone in politics.

Answer 2

One Billion dollars...

One BILLION DOLLARS!

MUHAHAHAHA

HAHAHA

HAHAHA

Err...yeah.

Honestly I'd probably pay to have other people manage it and use a certain percentage of the profit to lobby congress for increased space development.  I'd also really like to create a sort of scholarship competition for teams of really smart kids from primary and secondary schools around the country (or even the world).  Something televised that promotes kids that are smart as a counter to those that promote sports stars.  I think we lose a lot of brainpower from our population because sports and appearance are held in a higher regard from day one.

Answer 3

Hahaha

I've seriously given this a lot of thought... first I'd buy my grandparents a new house, since they live in a shady area. Then I'd pay for the rest of my fiance's schooling, since he's constantly worrying over it. Then I'd pay off my mom's and dad's mortgage. I'd send my sister to Paris so she could have a similar experience I did. The rest of the money I'd put in a Roth-IRA and watch it grow and grow until I'm old.

For myself...I'd have to buy a '67 Camaro IROC-Z28 and restore it

*drools*

Answer 4

Honestly, I would use most of it to the benefit of my family and myself.

I'd finally complete the remodeling of my house that we have currently put on hold. I'd hire a professional decorator, tell them what styles my husband and I like and let them go to town. As artistic as I am, decorating was never my strongest suit. Some of it would go to the siblings of my husband and I. I'd give a lot of it to my Alma Mater for medical research(they're studying some amazing things) I'd donate some to the Peace Corp because that's where I'd be right now if I hadn't gotten married. The rest would go into a fund that was locked tightly, in preparation for my children's future needs and college education.

Answer 5

I'll remember never to lend you money.

1. Donate all but one million dollars of it to various charities, as well as the schools I'm attending and the one my brother will attend in a few years.

2. Save and/or invest another half-million.

3. Buy an apartment with another quarter-million.

4. Use the other quarter-million for spending money.

Answer 6

if i had a billion dollars:

1. i would donate millions to whatever charity caught my eye. i would most likely give the most charities that benefit children and animals.

2. my son would be set for life. best college fund ever put in place.

3. i'd buy a house and pay off my car, but i wouldn't go crazy.

4. i'd buy my mom and dad a nicer house and whatever car they wanted. i'd probably just give them at least a million dollars on top.

5. i'd set my little bro up for life.

6. i would go out and just buy random c**p. probably invest in a maid and a chef.

7. would finish my own schooling and would fund my dream: i would create a Feminist craft/music/political/fun zine.

8. i would buy Donald Trump a new hair piece.

there is so much! man, i really would love a billion dollars.

Answer 7

1) I would build a nice house (or buy a really nice old one), and get a fantsy back yard with a fish pond, waterfall, gazebo and stuff like that.

2) I'd help my family pay off all their bills and help my brother, his girlfriend, and my girlfriend through university/college.

3)I'd put maybe 250 million in the bank

4)I'd buy myself a Lotus Exige, a Ducati 1098S, a KTM 450XC atv , a KTM 250SX dirtbike, some sort of seadoo, a yacht,  and a truck for moving it all around.

5) Any money left over could be added to the 250 million already in the bank or invested. And possibly donated to people who need it in the community.

Answer 8

buy a big house, have a nice wedding, relieve all of my family's debt, and use the other $990 million (i'm assuming this is post-tax, otherwise it's really only about $600 million) to do good.  it would take about $300 million to build infrastructure for clean water in sub saharan africa, and the rest could go for vaccines/protections of easily preventable disease worldwide (like malaria or TB).

Answer 9

The amount of work people do these days is absolutely stupid.  I do not, however, believe that having no work to do would better humanity.  I believe that the tasks that humans engage in in absolute free time is rarely constructive.

I think robots doing work would be great.  But I still believe that everyone should have a purpose.  I think society needs to redefine success.  

If I had a billion dollars I would invest in mom and pop stores and restaurants, in family farms and public parks and institutions.  Conglomeration, industrialization, privatization are marginalizing people and making them into spreadsheet numbers.

I believe in localising and empowering the little people.

I'd still buy myself a nice present too.  lol

Answer 10

1) I would donate $400 million to a variety of charities.

2) I would break up $200 million to give to family members and friends.

3) $400 mil for myself.

1) $30 mil to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, $30 mil to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, $30 mil to Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation, $50 mil to the American Red Cross, $50 mil to Action Against Hunger, $30 mil to CubsCare, $30 mil to Chicago Coaliton for the Homeless, $30 mil to the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum, $30 mil to The Chicago Public Education Fund, $30 mil to the Field Museum, $30 mil to Bridge Communities, and $30 mil to The McCormick Foundation.

2) I would give my parents & grandparents each $20 mil, my two siblings $30 mil each, my cousins $10 mil each, my aunts and uncles $10 mil each (they would get it jointly, not individually), and then my five closests friends $8 mil.

3) I would build a house outside of Chicago near the Illinois-Wisconsin border. My house outside Chicago would have an ice rink (I love hockey), a swimming pool and hot tub, a fitness center, a movie theater where I could also watch tv, a bar, which would be filled with German lager, British ale, and the finest whiskey, and a heated driveway. The house would have 5 bedrooms, four bathrooms (master, upstairs, downstairs, and one in the ice rink), and a gourmet kitchen. I'd also get a condo outside in Las Vegas.

The best part is coming now, the cars. I would get:

a 2006 Noble M15 (http://www.supercars.net/cars/3464.html)...  a 2009 Cadillac CTS-V (http://www.supercars.net/cars/4010.html)... 2008 Bugatti Veyron Sang Noir (http://www.supercars.net/cars/4137.html)... 2006 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (http://kenrockwell.com/porsche/cayenne-t... and I'd keep my 2001 Impala and mod it. I'm not going to get into details, but I would get it up to 450-500 hp. The Bugatti and Caddy would be in Vegas. The rest of the cars would be in Chicago.

The remaining money (~$370 mil) would be divided up so $4 mil for first year spending, $46 mil in stocks, $160 mil in savings (3,200 $50,000 accounts), and $160 mil in cds (3200 $50,000 accounts. Each would be a year in length. At the end of the first year, I'd put the interest in 12 accounts, an account for each month. At 2.47%, I'd make $3,952,000 a year in interest. I'd have $329,333.33 a month.)

Answer 11

i'll buy Y/A and act as God.

Answer 12

1. I would buy a tropical island in the South Pacific.

2. I would buy Taylor Swift and bring her there with me.

Answer 13

I would set up a micro-loan bank for people in poverty in developing countries to set up their own businesses - these are increasingly proving very successful in allowing people to become independent when they cannot gain credit the usual way, and the interest rates are much, much lower as it is more of a co-operative than a money making proposition :-)