If I Won The Lottery...

The current MegaMillions jackpot (the multistate lottery of which New York is a member) is currently $181 Million.

If half is subtracted for taxes, that leaves $90.5 M. Paid out over twenty years (only fools take the lesser lump sum payout) that equals $4,525,000 a year, or about $12,000 a day.

So, what would I do with all that money? I think I would become a nomad. No, not a vagrant backacker, trying to find America... I'd buy an Entertainer coach, the kind used for rock tours. An RV on steroids. Convert it so it can store a motorcycle with sidecar (nothing fancy) for local trips to grocery stores or whatnot.

Then I'd buy a warehouse somewhere and convert it into a home base. A place to display and store my property, and possibly retreat to when I tire of driving across the country. Maybe I'd buy a mountain or an old missile silo in Montana... and a small office somewhere to handle the legal affairs, junk mail, and anything else requiring a permanent address.

Maybe I'd monetize my travels, film some travelblogs. Search out the unusual and interesting.

So, what would you do with if you won? What if someone gave you a $12,000 gift card, and told you you only had tomorrow to spend it? That you could only pay for services used that day? (No buying airplane tickets for next week, for example.) I think I'd ask to reschedule the day, and plan for a big homeless dinner somewhere... try to get donations in kind... Or something similar to help a group of people.

Or spend it all on slot machines, $20 at a time, cashing out whenever my winnings exceeded $20. Even if my percentage win is only 0.1% ($0.02), that's $12K + $12. I fulfill the requirements, and take the money and invest it wisely. Or if a casino is not nearby, I buy scratch-off lottery tickets and play a few each day.

Or I find a random attractive woman (preferably a tourist), explain my dilemma, and spend the day enjoying the city with her.

Hmm... reminds me of the old TV show "The Millionaire".