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You’ve won the lottery


CatherineM

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dominicansoul

I wouldn't tell a soul if possible. 

I live out in a beautiful rural town, population less than 1,000.  Just a few miles down the road is another town, extremely poor.  Looks like a third world country.  People living in dumps.  Trash all over the place because they can't afford a trash service.  Outhouses abound.  

One Easter Sunday, I was driving by, and I noticed some little kids searching for eggs amongst the debris.  They live in squalor conditions, but the kids were smiling and having a good ol' time.  

I would definitely use that money to help them out.  I don't know how, but I would love to build them efficient houses, complete with in door plumbing.   But I wouldn't do it for everyone.  Honestly, I'm one of those people who are very weary of giving to people who may use money for bad things, or who will take advantage of my generosity.  I wouldn't build a house for someone I know would trash it.  (Does that make any sense?)  That's why I would personally get to know the persons I would want to build houses for.  I would have to make sure that they would be able to maintain it (property taxes rise when you beautify your property, such dumb laws.)  Knowing how poor these people are, I know I would have to help them out come property tax time.  Don't know if that would s.uck all my money out of my hand, but it would be worth it...

Edited by dominicansoul
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Hire a lawyer

Pay off any debts including debts of family members

Set aside enough to give myself an income from the interest

Buy a house with a lot of square footage out in the countryside for parents to retire in and siblings to stay in if they wanted, and set aside a fund for property taxes, supplies, and upkeep.

Aside from that, I'm guessing that the quicker I gave the rest of it away the more at peace I would be! As for where I gave the money it would probably tend towards religion, nutrition, and classical music...

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invest it all in safe but with a lot of upside investments. like index funds. all in a trust. then live off the dividends and set it up in perpetuity to give off dividends to a deserving cause. 

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I’ve learned of too many people that lives were ruined by Lottery winnings. Fifty million is way too much.  I like my life.    My wife and I have talked about this and I have a plan.

I’d take five million and put in a trust so I can live on it for the next forty years.  All family members would get $200,000, half cash, half in a trust to be paid opus in five years.    The rest would be in a charitable foundation with a five member volunteer board that would evaluate all requests and pay out monthly with the plan to have all money gone in fifty years.   

I would not be so rich that my life would have to change, and all requests for money would go to the volunteer board and be evaluated on need.  I can’t imagine anything more fulfilling than running a charitable foundation with the intent to run out of money in a set time.  

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dominicansoul

I wanted to add that I plan on never allowing anything to change who I am as a person.  $50 million dollars can change people drastically, but I would hope and pray to God He would keep me safe from the negative consequences of having tons of money.  I wouldn't change my lifestyle, I would keep my 2 x 4 I call a home, keep my honda fit, keep my wardrobe modest.  I mean, I want to HIDE the fact I have millions, so I wouldn't want to show off valuables and live high on the hog.  

I went on a lunch cruise yesterday.  I was invited.  I tend to have lots of wealthy friends, only because I belong to a group that does fundraising for some major church groups.  We meet lots of wealthy benefactors.  Most become good friends.  This cruise sailed down the river and took us past some crazy multi-million dollar mansions.  I'm sorry, but I was NOT impressed.  All I kept thinking was "what a waste of millions of dollars."   

Later, driving back home to my 2 x 4, I came to a stop where an elderly homeless man was begging for help.  I stopped traffic by getting his attention and talking to him and giving him what little cash I had on hand.  What a huge change from watching mansions to seeing this homeless, dirty, tired man standing alone by the curbside begging for money.   I saw in him more value than the gross amounts of wealth I had witnessed earlier that day...

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I'd buy up all the houses around my church and be the supreme Catholic landlord of Arlington, TX.

I'd also donate to my church to build the most beautiful perpetual adoration chapel we could afford.

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6 hours ago, dUSt said:

I'd buy up all the houses around my church and be the supreme Catholic landlord of Arlington, TX.

I'd also donate to my church to build the most beautiful perpetual adoration chapel we could afford.

You could compete with Irving for being the little Rome of DFW, lol

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SaintOfVirtue

Pump and dump penny stocks to double my winnings.  Then go to the nearest bank and ask them to cash it in $1's. Buy my own island. 

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I will give some to my parents (enough for my dad to retire on (my mom is a stay a home mom)), put some in the bank and (move out), some to charity, and the rest to my church.

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