A billion reasons to be happy — or “happy”
If I had a billion dollars, I’d be… miserable. I don’t think I’d ever want to have that much money. (I know, who says that, right?)
Our American friends are salivating at the prospect of winning a b-b-b-billion dollars in their Power Ball lottery. Naturally people are sweeping up tickets by the dozen.
Realistically, does anybody need that much money? Even the most successful businessperson doesn’t need a few extra million lying around.
Over Christmas when our lotto jackpots crept to the $50-million mark I made a comment to my brother that even if we won as a family that would still be too much for us. He, a married father of two, disagreed.
So, what can you do with a billion dollars? Well, almost anything you want. What should you do with it, is the better question.
Everyone will tell you to invest. I’ve heard, “You can live off the interest.” When it comes to a billion, are you that greedy that you’d need the interest to make more money? For a lot of people, I guess so. Would most people give $998 million of it to charity and only keep a sliver for themselves? I don’t think so.
Perhaps one of the good things about a billion-dollar jackpot in the U.S. is that the winner will be taxed up the wazoo meaning a lot of the money will go to the government. Why is that a good thing? When you are horribly in debt like the country is, any extra millions helps. Then again that brings us to the question if the government would spend it wisely.
At the end of the day, would I buy a ticket in the hopes of winning that jackpot? Probably. But not for the idea of living on easy street. It would more be for the excitement of saying I won.
Even if I won six figures I would still write and do radio because I love it. Hell, I’m even happy to win $10 on a lottery ticket I get for my birthday.
