With the current Powerball jackpot at $430 million, and the Mega Millions at $970 million, it is far too tempting to daydream about winning.
What would you do if you hit the jackpot?
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Honestly, given the current state of the world?
I’d probably buy some key politicians and contract some covert but very effective hit men.
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I know I’ll never be lucky enough to win, but it’s fun to think about…
Yeah yeah, there are the usual pay-off-the-bills and fixer-upper-around-the-house stuff. Which is boring to talk about. 
One thing I know I’d want to do is give away a huge chunk to charities. As Riker said during the Star Trek episode Casino Royale, “When the train comes in, everybody rides.” I’d want to do a mix of local charities (like the Detroit Rescue Mission) and national/international (March of Dimes was my mother’s favorite, so I’d give to them in her name.) It would be sooo good to pay my good fortune forward.
For fun? A spiffy new tablet would be wonderful. And I’m sure I’d binge on books, music and DVDs, which are weaknesses of mine.
But one thing I’d dearly love to do is to throw a huge BBS party in RL, where as many of us as possible could finally meet. 
I don’t know exactly where, or how. But I’d enjoy putting faces to names and delivering my Internet hugs in person.
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First, I’d probably split it three ways, and give a third each to my mother and sister to do with as they chose, no questions asked.
Second, pay off all my debts, which is only a couple hundred thou for my mortgage.
Third, I’d quit my job and take up writing. I’d probably stick around until May-ish, so that I’m not abandoning them at the busy time of year, but after that, I’m outie. I’d probably keep ~$1MM in the bank to cover my expenses for the next fifty years.
Fourth, I’d set up a trust to fund the groups that I participate in regularly - Scouts, Ski Patrol, etc.
Whatever was left, I’d give charitably. Maybe buy up a few housing complexes or apartment buildings, fix them up, and then give them to Housing First initiatives. Or do the same thing, but use the apartments to sponsor refugees.
No matter how much I win, I can’t see keeping more than ~$1MM of it, after my mortgage is paid off. That should keep me alive for the rest of my life, as well as paying for the few luxuries I need.
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First off, pay off what debt I have. Give a $10k to each of my nieces and nephews. Except H. H gets $1 … Possibly in pennies.
Next, buy citizenship in a couple of nicer countries. Canada and New Zealand sound good.
Diversify the portfolio, liquidate everything else and travel a bit until I find a nice place to settle down.
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Charity, of course. Step Up, Girls who code, etc.
Pay off all my debt.
Invest in lifelong care for my aging parents so they can continue living at home, separate homes.
Travel the world, hiking the slow road, quite possibly the rest of my life, visiting every country I can, recognized and unrecognized, being that stranger who mysteriously leaves cash behind to help the most in need of immediate help.
I like @Melizmatic 's idea, too.
If it was a heckuva lot of money, maybe buy some land, build a community for the homeless with healthcare and drug treatment programs that work better than religion-based ones?
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A) debt free immediately
b) have the architect already - build house of my dreams
C) make sure my daughter is set for all her schooling, as are nieces, nephews, and step grand kids
D) big party for all my friends where they share their dreams and I write checks to find them all and work as a business incubator to help them get their businesses launched
Basically, exactly what I’m doing now with my business but faster
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Throw most of it at charity/activism, but save a bit for myself. Buy a house, then invest the rest with the aim of providing a moderate permanent income.
Then go back to university and do a second doctorate, this time in ethics.
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- buy a house
- quit drinking, smoking, and working
- spend a week at the Buddhist monastery
- re-evaluate my life and figure out what I would want to achieve if I wasn’t just paying bills and trying to save up for retirement (I really don’t know anymore)
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Find a place to hide out. Instant millionaire’s lives get screwed up at an alarming rate.
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I mean sure, the normal things - buy a house and nice cars and expensive cameras and then travel the world, do some targeted philanthropy in areas I care about. I’d self-fund the tech startup idea I have.
But in recent years what I’ve thought about with this question is what would I do about friends and family? What about people I was really close to at one time but drifted apart from? What about people I’ve wronged (unintentionally, to be clear)?
My urge is to give people who are or have been important to me some of the money, but thinking about how you would actually do that, who you would include and how much they would get, makes you realize how difficult it’d be, and fraught with potential conflict.
And then there is the fact that you’d want to hide that you’d won, so maybe instead you have to be more subtle with the gifts, but then you’re not really making a meaningful change to anybody else’s life.
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There was an article where a guy who hit a big Jackpot took about a month before he cashed in his ticket. He used that time to plan out how he’d spend the money and emotionally handle it.
It’s all fun and good to imagine all the obstacles in your path are gone. The reality is that if someone else removes them for you, you’ll lay some new ones down fast.
When I started my business I was sure I didn’t have enough money. But it turns out plenty of people have given me time for free and I’ve helped them back.
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No one has suggested making Elsewhere a real venture. What would we do if someone had the cash to make this a real on the map place?
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I don’t think money is anywhere in our top ten obstacles here.
We need content; we already have people here who could provide it. We need a website; we already have people here who could design it. We need organization; we have people who have volunteered to step up in a leadership role.
All we really need to make Elsewhere a reality is for people to start making it a reality. I don’t think money will help much with that.
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Develop a retirement home for science fiction fans.
Give to trap, neuter, release programs for cats, no-kill shelters, and foster homes.
Give to cancer, diabetes, and Crohn’s research.
Keep enough for medical bills, living expenses, and so on for advancing geezerhood.
We’re not into travel particularly, but we do like books and DVDs.
Fund subversive effort to wipe Faux News off the planet’s ass.
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