$900,000,000.00 - What would you do if you won?

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Fritz

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2015
3,372
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Other than try to say one step ahead of all the scammers, thieves, ex wives and GF's, etc.
 

Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
12,511
5,792
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If I win... on one of my 5 chances here is my likely scenario:
  • Immediately take half for lump sum payment -$450m
  • Give half away to charity (CA and Federal tax) - $225m
  • With the remaining $225m:
  1. Save $5m to invest and live off of
  2. Put $5m into STH for fun. Bigger lab that everyone can use here with a dedicated lab manager. Hire more writers. Have stuff coded I want.
  3. Make $215 benevolent fund for charity and such.
 
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Gary Gapinski

New Member
Oct 24, 2015
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I would also take a lump-sum payment and endure the tax hit in the first year. Unlike Patrick, however, I'd retain the remainder and pay someone to structure and manage it for me.

I don't expect I'd change my lifestyle much. I would continue working as I am now. Would do some extra things such as replace 12 year old vehicle, have house renovated a bit, have some landscaping done, take some extra, more expensive vacations, and buy a few toys such as a SDR and other radio gear. The wife would undoubtedly have some ideas. She would likely employ someone to convince me to retire.
 

T_Minus

Build. Break. Fix. Repeat
Feb 15, 2015
7,625
2,043
113
Guess I'd have to buy tickets to win... but if I did... lump sump, and keep doing what I'm doing but with more employees, more travel, and more houses to stay at around the world :)
 

Diavuno

Active Member
If I win... on one of my 5 chances here is my likely scenario:
  • Immediately take half for lump sum payment -$450m
  • Give half away to charity (CA and Federal tax) - $225m
  • With the remaining $225m:
  1. Save $5m to invest and live off of
  2. Put $5m into STH for fun. Bigger lab that everyone can use here with a dedicated lab manager. Hire more writers. Have stuff coded I want.
  3. Make $215 benevolent fund for charity and such.
Sounds about right.

I may keep a little more for my more pricey hobbies.... I like to pretend I'm a motorcycle racer, and track time is buck$
 

Fritz

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2015
3,372
1,375
113
69
Jackpot up to 1.3 billion.

I'd buy a mansion in the mountains and fill it with toys.

I'd make my kids happy.

I'd probably do a lot of other stuff I haven't thought of yet.

Then I'd die happy. :)
 

Patriot

Moderator
Apr 18, 2011
1,450
789
113
Lump sum, someone to manage it, Keep working, use the 10% profits for whatever I wanted extra.
Buy what you want for the year, give the rest away, no way I could possibly ever spend all of it and increase my happiness.

There would probably be a Koenigsegg Regera in my garage.
Have to annoy the neighbors somehow.
 

TangoWhiskey9

Active Member
Jun 28, 2013
402
59
28
There would probably be a Koenigsegg Regera in my garage.
Have to annoy the neighbors somehow.
What would really annoy them is if you showed up every day in freebie technology company T-shirts and got a brand new Mazda2 or Nissan Versa. That way you'd know at every neighborhood gathering half the time would be spent on trying to figure out what you could possibly be doing with all your money.
 

Marsh

Moderator
May 12, 2013
2,644
1,496
113
Take the after tax lump sum , put it all in US government bond.
Since we are dreaming, here is a example: $400 M @ 2.5% interest = $10 Million a year.

Live on $1 Million a year.
give away the other $9 Million.
I could do this each year until US government no longer able to pay interest on their debt.

Spent 500K to update STH hosting infrastructure, then give away $1000 to each existing user with 1000 likes,
$100 for each new user.
Sit back and watch the great melt-down of STH hosting.
 
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mackle

Active Member
Nov 13, 2013
221
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I'd tell no one, spending some money and the time not working to create an elaborate back story indicating why I could plausibly have a generously but not extravagantly comfortable lifestyle.
 
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Patrick

Administrator
Staff member
Dec 21, 2010
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I'd tell no one, spending some money and the time not working to create an elaborate back story indicating why I could plausibly have a generously but not extravagantly comfortable lifestyle.
Sadly it is public record (although for very good reasons). So people will know if you win what will be the >$1B prize.
 
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bds1904

Active Member
Aug 30, 2013
271
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1. Build a new 4 story house with 2 of them being underground, on my existing property. Tear my current house down.
2. Buy my 4 neighbors houses, tear them down and build 4 moderate sized houses for my kids with secure tunnels between them all, shared utilities of course.
3. Build a large 3 story garage/workshop with underground parking.
4. Build a bunker/datacenter just for fun.
5. Have the 3 telco's with independent fiber networks run 10gb fiber to the premises for 3-way redundant BGP 10gb internet access.
6. Install redundant power feeds from the 2 electric companies I am very close to.
7. Install 2 large natural gas generators to power everything, as well as a diesel backup & 2000 gallon diesel tank.
8. Guns & ammo
9. Federal Firearms License
10. Buy the 20 acres behind me that is currently empty and keep 8 cows, 6 pigs and 24 chickens that are rotated as they are "used".
11. Spend $2,400,000 on cars for fun
12. 2 armored vehicles that seat 12 each.

Take 20% of what's left and donate it to several charities.

Take 20% of what's left after all that and keep it in a few "physical currency", save 30% and invest the other 50%.
 
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capn_pineapple

Active Member
Aug 28, 2013
356
80
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Lets be honest here... if anybody on here won that we'd have no idea what to do. That kinda dosh lies outside normal thinking capability once you have it, all "plans" go out the window.
 

RTM

Well-Known Member
Jan 26, 2014
956
359
63
I would probably invest a large portion of the money on funding some of my favourite open source projects that seem to be under funded: OpenWRT, openbsd, grsecurity to name a few.

Then for shits and giggles i'd buy all the pizzerias in and around my university, just to watch the ensuing chaos.
 

Aluminum

Active Member
Sep 7, 2012
431
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Sadly it is public record (although for very good reasons). So people will know if you win what will be the >$1B prize.
Depends on state, some let you claim "anonymous" aka via a lawyer, others have a mandatory PR photo op thing so get your trenchcoat and hat.

Moot now since nobody won, so the next question is what would you all do with 1.3 Billion / 800 lump pre tax? :)
 

CreoleLakerFan

Active Member
Oct 29, 2013
485
180
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Sadly it is public record (although for very good reasons). So people will know if you win what will be the >$1B prize.
Pay taxes and then move to somewhere nobody knew who I was and could find me.
For the reasons Patrick listed, this is the option I would take, except I would go on vacation for 6 months before deciding where to move. I would offer to take my immediate family (parents, sisters * families) and my wife's family in fear they would be targets for ransom attempts.

Hire someone to manage it all. Pay off my wife's medical school loans, the house, and the cars. Put $50k in 529 accounts for each of my children, nieces, nephews, and first cousins once removed who have not started college. Try for a third child, and have lots of fun doing it. Figure out where to live and what to do with myself.

Of course all of this would require that I actually play the lottery, which I have never done.