Powerball Fever

While it’s always nice to dream about winning the lottery, actually writing about it is pretty ridiculous. But this huge Powerball jackpot has numbers so large they’re hard to comprehend (1.3 billion when I wrote this). I estimate there would be $50 million to spend immediately, plus an annual after-tax income of another eight million.  

1,300,000,000 Powerball amount

800,000,000 present value

480,000,000 after tax

080,000,000 give

400,000,000 net

050,000,000 spend

350,000,000 save

17,500,000 live off 5% of the earnings of savings

10,500,000 after tax

01,750,000 give

08,750,000 net annual income

The more houses and properties I own would expose myself to potential lawsuits, but it would be nice to have houses at the beach (Seaside) and mountains (Lake Burton?). A loft in downtown Atlanta (or on the Westside). Maybe a place in New York City. A big beach house in North Myrtle or Holden Beach for large family gatherings. And maybe some sort of secret, defensible hideaway for when the government is overthrown.

There would be plenty of places to travel, and the rest of my life to check them off the list. Hike the Appalachian Trail. Drive cross country. See baseball games in all the ballparks. Paris. London. Bermuda. Japan. Australia. Africa. Germany. The Alps. Alaska. Hawaii. NYC. San Francisco. Seattle.

Get in shape. Improve at golf. Cycle. My daily outfit would be black warm-up or golf pants, sneakers, and a shirt to fit the occasion. I have the simple dream of owning a vintage Shoeless Joe baseball glove – certainly a want and not need. It’s doubtful I could ever qualify for Pebble Beach, but maybe the Boston and NYC Marathons.

Before collecting the money I would take as many measures as possible to remain anonymous, and set up the needed financial safeguards. If the money is already allocated it would be easier to deflect the inevitable money grabs from friends, family, and strangers. They would be money for friends and family and I’d be as generous as possible, though it would be tough not to be taken advantage of. I’d invest several million in gold and other precious metals. That wouldn’t be lost in a stock market crash. In twenty years I’ll be able to give over $100 million to ministry.

At home I’d have an office. My mancave would have one or two big screens, a display of bobbleheads, and a jersey closet. I’d build a small gymnasium with a basketball court. High girded ceiling with windows to let in light and ceiling fans to keep the air moving. Perhaps garage doors on the ends to open when the weather is nice. The court could be used for other functions like big parties, so a kitchen would be needed. On rainy days I could run laps or suicides. A few workout machines could be in the gym or in the basement of the main house. A lap pool would be nice.

Cars: all the same color? White? A super expensive car like the Mercedes I recently posted, or keep it more low key? A sporty Honda CRZ for sure, and a Honda Ridgeline pickup for hauling. C, W, MC, A, and M could have whatever they want, within reason. No need for Lamborghinis.

What would I do for the rest of my life? Write? Any on line presence might best be done under a fake name. While I hate meetings, working in some sort of ministry would be a top option, especially if alongside Ceil or one of the kids. Same with business. I would only fund a business for one of my closest friends or immediate family, in something they love and believe in. I could help with that. Owning a baseball team sounds like fun, though I’m not sure it would be worth the time and money, unless a friend wanted to run it. I could help plan the promotions and uniforms.

There are tales of bankruptcies and ruined lives, but as many say: I’d like to take my chances.