Beech Tree News Network

Recently I’ve watched a few episodes of the HGTV show My Lottery Dream Home. In each episode, David Bromstad takes the lottery winners on a house hunt for their new dream home. These winners are usually average Americans who set out to find a home with certain dream features, spending a portion of their new wealth. Each episode is a little different because each winner has a different wish list.

Along that line, I wondered what other people might choose to do with a windfall of money. So, I asked friends and family (ages 9 to 70 something), “If you were to win the lottery big time or somehow be given millions of dollars, how would you use the money?” Their responses were:
•    Retire early.
•    Pay off all my bills, many of my family’s bills, some of my friends’ bills, and give a huge chunk to charity. Set up some trusts for my children and travel the world.
•    Ten percent to be set up for church and charitable contributions. The rest would be set up for equal distribution between us and our children – however would be best for tax liability and asset growth.
•    Investments, land, and things I want in moderation.
•    Pay off all bills, do some work on our house, and quit work!
•    Pay off our bills, pay off my daughter’s bills, and according to how much I won, pay off a few more family’s bills. Then I would buy some land, build a new home, build my daughter a new home, and help whoever I thought needed it. I’d give a lot to people in need.
•    I would have the highway rerouted away from us. I would buy an island and have lots of lake houses built on it for any family who wanted to enjoy it. I would make sure everyone kin to me lived comfortably. I would buy the biggest pontoon made for my family to enjoy. Then children’s homes and hospitals would receive a lot of money. Alzheimer’s research would receive a sizable donation, too. I don’t want for myself; there are so many others in need: veterans; homeless; people in nursing homes who don’t belong there, but have no one. I feel for people in need.
•    I would pay for our church building, pay my family’s debts, and then travel!
•    Church, family, and permanent vacation!
•    Pay off everyone’s debts and build my dream house!
•    I would put 50% in savings, invest 25%, and blow 25%.
•    I would pay off all my debts, my children’s debts, and go on a once-in-a-life-time vacation. Then I would save the rest, investing a part in something that would help the unfortunate.
•    I would give it to people who can’t keep a roof over their heads because personally I think I have a great life.
•    I would pay off all of my family’s and close friends’ payments and bills, and use some to just save.
•    I would build a church building for our community, pay my family out of debt, set up college funds for my grandchildren and the next generations, quit work and enjoy life, helping as many people as I could along the way.
•    Pay off all my debts! I would also put money aside for each of my children then quit work!
•    I’d pay off the whole compound (family farm) and put anything that might be left into college fund for our daughter.
•    I would gift my children, grandchildren and my church. Anything left might buy a winter place where it’s warm.
•    Charity, buy a lake house, pay off student loans, and invest it!
•    If I won the lottery, I would help those I love and who have been kind to me throughout my life. Those who aren’t on that list – well, they just ain’t on that list. I would definitely give my tithe to the Lord.
•    I would buy all the toys I wanted, a house on the lake, go to Canada to follow the geese down to Louisiana in September, fish in Mexico, and spend a lot of time in Alaska.
•    I would pay off the whole family’s debts and set aside money for their houses and education; give my church and my dad’s benevolence fund quite a bit; donate to St. Jude; travel with family and friends to all the places I want to go; have a full-time house keeper, part-time chef and personal trainer; and take my daughter on mission work trips.
•    First, I would buy Disneyland, Sky Zone and Holiday World. I would buy four more dogs, tickets to every NBA game for the next 20 years, travel wherever I wanted, and send some money to the kids in India.
•    I would get all of my family and close friends out of debt, splurge on lots of fun things, and pay for our new church.

Naturally, I’ve thought about what I might do with a windfall of money. So far though, my list doesn’t include a dream home. As Maya Angelou said, “We need much less than we think we need” (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/contentment).