I’d probably start investing in crazy science research just to see what I could come up with. First on the list would be one pair of glass that automatically changes its prescription based on where you are focusing. Can’t stand bifocals or progressive glasses.

Or maybe eye surgery that would actually fix all of my vision issues.

I love my house so I wouldn't move. But, I'd hire landscapers to keep our large, sort of wild backyard looking beautiful. I'd renovate some- add an amazing master bath to our bedroom. Hire cleaners twice a week and someone to come every other day to do laundry. Take amazing vacations. Send my kids to private school for high school.

It's funny because when I saw the post I was like oooo this will be a fun fantasy! But we make (combined) 300k a year, live in a nice Maryland suburb, and have no debts besides our mortgage. We don't really need much other than we have and I wouldn't want to uproot and move, nor would I want the headache of owning and maintaining multiple vacation properties when I could rent a place on a whim whenever I wanted or stay in the nicest hotels. I guess I could hire a housekeeper on less than a billion, but that's the one thing that comes to mind other than the master bathroom!

First I would travel my heart out. Lux everything + custom trips.

Next I would find myself a couple extraordinary assistants to help me with everything. Research, planning, finding jet investment folks, a team for my kids to manage coaching them for their learning disabilities.

Then I would actually start on determining what I wanted to do. Finally, where and how I want to live.

With $1B it's about generational money not just 1 lifetime so it's not just do a few things but a few things. It becomes strategic and building foundations.

Anonymous wrote:fund the next democratic candidate for president.

Elon Musk bought access to Trump for only $250 million. Imagine what you could buy for a billion.

Anonymous wrote:Quit my job. Buy a nice house in Santa Barbara with an ocean view and horses (my main residence) and a home in the Mediterranean - Southern France most likely for regular family gatherings and summer holidays. I’d hire people to teach me things like gardening, cooking, etc and spend my additional free time traveling. Would rent private jets or fly first class/business. Some first fun trips I’d take would be a safari in South Africa, Japan, Australia/New Zealand, and India. Would splurge on regular spa treatments. I’d also donate the majority and set up a few scholarships for girls from low income families.

I'd happily never cook again!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And I don't want to hear your weird ass investment ideas—not the place to pitch your theory on bonds or whatever.

Besides the variety of houses I'd buy, I'd also buy a really nice private rail car. Something like one of those super fancy RVs, but with a garage that I can have a car in, or maybe room for staff to travel with me.

Obviously, if you need to go from LA to NYC, it's absurd to take Amtrak—expensive, uncomfortable and slow... but if I was a billionaire the cost of a private rail car would not be cheap, but would be cheaper than a private jet, it would be as comfortable as I want and who cares if it's slow—I'm rich, people can wait for me.

One billion USD is really not much nowadays. It takes multiples to pull off what you silly geese are describing...but keep dreaming big!

It does not take multiple billions to buy a private rail car.

fund the next democratic candidate for president.

I'd pay to restore food aid and medicines for all the children that are dying because the USA cut off their foreign aid programs overnight.

I would have a residence on the Upper West Side, facing the park. I'd have a residence in Berlin. I'd have a "cottage" in Aix en Provence or the Cote 'Azur. I'd also have a beautiful cottage in the Finger Lakes in Upstate NY. That would be mostly for family to come and go, and I'd show up sometimes in the summer and fall. After I figured out how to live comfortably on my investments and interest on my money, I'd give massive amounts of money to the arts and early childhood education programs. I would spend my time being creative and making art. I'd also garden.

Inner city green spaces and adjacent play-based low-fee daycares. Preservation of public lands.

I would keep $10 million each for me, my DH,my kids then give $1 million to each of my siblings before putting rest in a fund for free healthcare to as many as possible.

I'm retired and middle class, why would I imagine something impossible?

Anonymous wrote:I’d spend about a year researching charities then I’d give it all away.

I'm too lazy to research. I'd keep a few million, then give the other $998 million to Givewell, which has a staff of researchers to do the work (https://www.givewell.org/)

I work on increasing access to tuberculosis medication. It's the single deadliest infectious disease, kills over million people a year and it's curable.

I’d hire a personal assistant and a personal chef. I’d throw out all my fast fashion and replace with Hermes and Dior. I’d buy a NYC apartment, beach house (without much worry about flooding), and travel first class to Asia, Europe, Australia and Brazil.