Song Lyric of the Day:
We’re paying with love tonight / It’s not about the money money money / We don’t need your money money money / We just wanna make the world dance / Forget about the price tag
As of tonight this week’s Powerball drawing is now up to a record $700M. A few weeks ago my friend Nan and I started playing the lottery together. She of course was one of the Hobbit Fan Fellowship contest winners for the trip to New Zealand, while I won a trip for two to Paris way back in 1991. We figured with our combined history — and some luck — it was worth playing. Which is why we are among the kajillion people playing Powerball this week.
So what would I do if I came into any substantial money? I’d pull an Elmer Fudd and be vewy vewy quiet and run to a financial advisor. Historically, I do not descend from strategic financial planners, so I’m pretty sure I would blow through lots of money very quickly if the opportunity arose (despite Rich’s undoubted efforts to keep that from happening). Hell, if I had enough money now and easy access to casinos, I’m pretty sure I would turn into a degenerate slot jockey in no time flat because I LOVE the slots. Which is where an expert planner would come into play to rein my ass in before I started misspending. I would set up trusts for our family members to make sure they were taken care of. I would set up college funds for the kids in our family. I would try to help certain friends on the short list. Once the dust settled, I’d look into permanently vacationing in (read: relocating to) New Zealand. I’d splurge and buy matching living room furniture — you know, live the dream.
But really, I don’t need $700 million. Or $100 million. I just need enough to pay off a house and I’d be happy. I could live a perfectly fulfilling life as a multi-thousandaire.