I hope i win im 48 living in an apartment ive never lived in a house 🏠 id really like a house.

I play only when the net prize exceeds the odds of winning. Which I think now it does.

I’d buy a beach house, if it gets washed away, I would just buy another one a couple blocks further inland.

When it was $2Bn the winner took home $638 million after taxes

There is nothing I really want, maybe a new home.
I actually play when its small. Figured that chances are the same, but less attention. Who need billions, but I would use the earning from it somewhere where money goes a little further and more people would benefit.
Not having to work was my number #1 goal long ago and I made it happen. Making to first million was #2.

Anonymous wrote:1-5 million: buy a nicer house with a shorter commute (go on my lottery dream home?). season tickets to the nats diamond club (some to use, some to donate to charity). Weekly cleaner and personal trainer, monthly massages. More travel. Earlier retirement. Help relatives and close friends with things like buying homes and college tuition.

$5-10 million: probably retire. unlikely to move closer to work, though I do like the neighborhood so maybe? More likely, buy a condo in our current neighborhood and fix it up because it would be easier to travel if we lived in a building with maintenance and front desk staff. Consider investing in real estate or businesses. Other stuff as above.

$10-99 million: definitely retire. Start a foundation and a real estate development company. Other stuff as above

$100 million+: Meet with the mayor and council to decide if I want to give DC a tax windfall by taking the money in a lump sum, or if I should spread it out. Get a really good financial planner. Other stuff as above.

In all cases, 10% to charity.

Yes. This.

1-5 million: buy a nicer house with a shorter commute (go on my lottery dream home?). season tickets to the nats diamond club (some to use, some to donate to charity). Weekly cleaner and personal trainer, monthly massages. More travel. Earlier retirement. Help relatives and close friends with things like buying homes and college tuition.

$5-10 million: probably retire. unlikely to move closer to work, though I do like the neighborhood so maybe? More likely, buy a condo in our current neighborhood and fix it up because it would be easier to travel if we lived in a building with maintenance and front desk staff. Consider investing in real estate or businesses. Other stuff as above.

$10-99 million: definitely retire. Start a foundation and a real estate development company. Other stuff as above

$100 million+: Meet with the mayor and council to decide if I want to give DC a tax windfall by taking the money in a lump sum, or if I should spread it out. Get a really good financial planner. Other stuff as above.

In all cases, 10% to charity.

This is way too hard. Tried to play on my computer and it has to verify that I'm in VA and keeps telling me I have to allow location on my computer. Location is allowed on it.

So I go to my phone. And even though I login, my choices are gone. Nothing in my cart. So I do it over again. This time no problem verifying my location. But I chose paypal to pay and it won't let me pay via card, so paypal is saying I have to set up my bank account on there. Don't want to do that, so try to go back and pay a different way. Impossible, and won't let me get back to the regular screen. So now I've pulled it up and ... nothing in my cart.

I'm done trying.

If I take the lump sum less taxes it's less than half a billion so is it even worth buying a ticket?

I generally have no idea what the payout is on the mega millions jackpot. But you mentioning it is at a Billion, maybe I'll play lol.

If I were to win, I'd probably just be happy to be able to build the house I want on a really big lot here in NoVA, and furnish it beautifully with the help of a designer. And I'd travel first class a bit more. And I'd figure out how to endow a scholarship for a female student at my law school, maybe one who shows promise in oral argument/moot court.

Not sure I'd do much else, really. I'd still work, I like my job. I think DH would keep his job too.

But really it would just be that Forrest Gump thing -- What did he say? Something like "Ok, now I have money. One less thing to worry about."

If one wins the one billion dollar jackpot and takes the lump sum payment option, he or she would get about $300 million after taxes.

I would take the $300 million and place even amounts of money in several different trust accounts.

Then I would make some overdue repairs to the house, get the cars spruced up by a professional, and look for oceanfront property.

I would donate a systematic (annual) amount to the Salvation Army as well as to Catholic Charities and other worthy causes.

Would get some tailor made shirts for family members and relatives.

Would commission the design and creation of multiple large crosses to remember my insignificance to this world.

While keeping the principal amount intact, I would donate about 90% of each year's earnings from the trusts from which I receive a benefit.

I would work harder and longer each day for the rest of my life.

And I would be grateful and thankful--proving it by helping others in need.

Your day to day would not be the same if the winner has to be made public.

Quit jobs, travel the world in luxury— and outsource all the planning.

Buy a place in myc, London, sf… also give a ton of money away in my parents native country to the people in the village and orphanages, senior citizens homes etc.

Giving it away and transforming lives would be the most fun.

Your day to day life would not be the same, even if that is what you imagine now.

Single winner of the jackpot... that is generational wealth, if you are smart. May the odds be ever in your favor.

Is anyone else like this? We are not gamblers and are solidly employed, stable people...but when the Mega Millions reaches this level, we usually buy a couple of tickets. Then, I spend the day enjoying the ideas of how we would use the money & what we might do with our lives.
Anyone wanna play along? If you won the jackpot what would you do? What about a 5 million or 10 million prize? 1 million?
Mostly my life day-to-day would be the same ( high school teens) but breaks would be FUN and summer would be amazing, with that jackpot. Even for 5 million I would quit my job immediately. Not sure I would for 1 million, but would take a small amount to have fun with (new car? vacay?) and invest the rest for kids and university.