Billions and Billions

I usually don’t comment on the lottery, but will make exception as the Mega Millions has become Mega Billions. Makes for a good daydream. If there’s such a thing, $1.6 billion is just too much money.

 

1,600,000,000 jackpot

 

905,000,000 present value

495,000,000 after tax

091,000,000 tithe

404,000,000 net

300,000,000 save in trusts

104,000,000 spend

 

15,000,000 annual allowance (half of interest income)

09,000,000 after tax

01,500,000 tithe

07,500,000 to spend annually

 

Plenty of money for houses, cars, travel, and anything else imaginable. A big house in the suburbs near friends and family, with perhaps a townhouse downtown. If we were able to build a big house I’d want a separate gymnasium with a basketball court.  

 

I’d buy cars for the six of us, and be tempted to buy two or three for myself. A small Lexus, Mercedes, or Telsa plus perhaps a pickup. An older vehicle to drive into town, perhaps that CRZ that I always wanted.  

 

Even after giving ten percent there would be plenty of money left over to give more. So much that it would be possible to “only” save 200 million and buy a share of a sports franchise with the other 200 million. Could be fun. Could buy a share of the Braves.

 

Wise advisers would argue against it, but there would be enough to give to family members and close friends. My problem would be all the people coming out of the woodwork asking for money. Where were those “friends” before? And people who would come back asking for more after they were already given some to start with.

 

I’d have to shut down my social media and change phone numbers to make it harder to track me down. Make this blog private, and probably shut it down. Some say owning vacation homes that friends and family can use could become a way someone could sue should an accident occur. Better to rent.

 

Giving away so much money to worthy causes would be fun but not that easy. We have churches and missionaries and organizations we like, and $81 million will go a long way.

 

We’d eat out more for sure. Though the temptation to pig out would be great, I’d need to eat right and lose weight. Golf more so I wouldn’t be so bad, though I doubt we’d join a country club. The only one I’d be interested in would be Augusta National.

 

I’d hike the Appalachian Trail but not Mount Everest. Perhaps the Pacific Crest Trail. Road trips. A train across Canada. Alaska. Hawaii. Japan. China. Australia. Italy. Paris. The Holy Land. Machu Piccu. New York City. Key West. I would not learn to fly or buy a plane. No skydiving or bungee jumping or motorcycles. I would bike more.

 

We’d drag friends and family along on vacations. Take the grandkids on excursions. We’d continue the annual Myrtle Beach trip.  We’re not the best hosts, but hopefully we’d get better at it. I really don’t want to join Atlanta’s high society fundraising circuit, but every now and then might be ok. If I get good at gold some of the gold fundraisers would be fun. Better to go on mission trips.    

 

Another “job” I could create for myself: advocate for Herschel Walker’s induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Several years ago a Denver Broncos fan successfully lobbied to have Floyd Little voted into the Hall, creating a blueprint for how it’s done, traveling around to various meetings and venues to lobby the committee. Herschel gained more than twice as many NFL yards than Little.

 

Thinking about the jackpot makes me realize how so many things I’d do if I won are things I can do anyway. I need to lose weight and get in shape. I really don’t need so many clothes and shoes. Cut down on all the stuff.