I'd wait a month before I do anything. I would delete my Facebook account...and perhaps change my cell number.
I would just kind of sit with this and either hire a lawyer or a financial planner.
I would not take the annuity. I'll take the financial hit and not trust that the lottery will still be in business for 20 years.
Then a lot of debts that others owe will be paid off - parents will not work another day in their life with all their expenses paid off.
Then from there we'll see.
I think if I kept $20 - $30 million for just me, I wouldn't want for anything again.
I can't see myself going extravagant. Growing up in Granite City I didn't want for much. I am not enamored with more 'stuff'.
I would structure it so that I wouldn't have to work and that I don't have so much that I spend my life paranoid as to how to protect it.
To that end..a great deal will be invested to insure that I never worry about paying for anything again and that my not working won't cost the world a dime. That's probably 10 to 20 million to live comfortably forever.
Then the family gets some debts paid off, parents are provided for. Cousins, siblings and etc can still earn their daily bread, and there will be a bonus for them, but they provide their daily bread.
Then a lot of it is going to be taken off my hands. I simply don't need $300 million. I don't need mansions, yachts, or anything extravagant. I never lived that way before and would look funny trying to fit in with those snobby orifice holes anyway.
Maybe the interest on one of the investments will buy myself some Cardinal season tickets.
I will go to some games, and then donate some of the games to silent auctions and the such.
With my charity money, I would continue the good work in Granite City. I am most impressed with those houses at Lincoln and 23rd street. I would create fund that would build more of those houses. For every 5 that I sell at some variable rate, I will give one away free to the neediest cases. I would try to invest some of it in Granite City and to more disadvantaged communities. But I would fund a foundation so it wouldn't run out in one fell swoop.
I would use as much Granite City-based contractors and suppliers as possible.
I will not give anything beyond the taxes to government entities, because I will never see a dime of it again -- even if I loaned or sold bonds.
NOT A DIME OF IT WILL BE SPENT IN EDWARDSVILLE (if I can help it) - -How 'bout that?! They have enough Granite money already. And I wouldn't move there either. I have no idea where I'd live. Maybe I'll live in many places. Who knows.
But I don't care about it because - well - my $5 in tickets probably won't do anything for me.
I wish more good people like me could win. Since I don't know how to be rich -- I'll take what I need and then put the rest to the good of my family and community.
on January 4, 2011, 7:46 pm, in reply to "