Stories where an unexpected windfall totally changed your life

[Anonymous]

I inherited about $160K in the early 90's from a grandmother. I put it all in a diversified portfolio of mutual funds, used about 20% a few years later for a house downpayment and later on used some for credit card debt, private pre-K, and other things that came up. While the remainder has grown about 6x over the years (slower than the market) and provided some peace of mind, I have serious regrets about not buying an investment property(ies) back then. I grew up not knowing anyone who did this so it just wasn't on my radar. I also regret not taking more chances on individual stocks after taking an uncomfortable hit on paper in 1999. If I could turn back the clock, besides buying APPL , I would buy an apartment or townhouse somewhere that was ripe to appreciate, like Columbia Heights or Rehoboth.