The Power Ball Upside The Head

What would we do if we won the lottery? How many have never given this a serious thought? Even if you never buy a ticket these things do pop into our minds from time to time. 100 million, 200 million, more? How much does it really take to be happy? Let's play the numbers game here, how much [seriously] do you need to be happy? I've always told my wife, "If we can't be happy living in a two room shack then chances are we won't be happy living in a mansion".

A good portion of lottery winners end up filing bankruptcy in just a few short years. Others end up cursed, family issues to deal with, major issues that led to deaths of love-ones and themselves. All due to dealings relating to one thing, money. Some see it as power, that power is greater then their minds in the long run and using it only brings the problems. Sort of like the old saying, "money can't buy happiness but it can rent it for 30 minutes". First thing anyone should do when winning any amount of money is make it clear that your name should never be published with amount you won. I don't care if it's $10,000 or ten million, you have the right to keep it out of the press. If you have a need to brag about the good, then you have lost already.

OK, here is my answer to the numbers game. The actual figure to win to set you up for life would be around $500,000.00 A cool half million after taxes, yeah that should do it for anybody. If your figure is higher then I think you should stop reading. The greed you have or personal needs are above my dreams and if it evolves helping others, well that can be accomplished with my plan but not make anyone rich.

First you need to know the rules. This is your money alone. Nobody should come into play with the plans to use it. Don't pay to have the church parking lot paved, don't donate a certain figure to a well known charity and for God's sake don't answer the countless phone calls from lost friends and relatives until you are clear in your mind how you plan the money out. So I repeat myself here, "don't let your mouth write a check that your ass can't cash". Take a minimum of a month to decide this with input from your immediate family and close chosen relatives and friends. Still remember, it's your money. You don't owe anything if it isn't in writing.

My mind has simple ways to plan this. How many of the lost friends and family knocked on my door, called me or even emailed me two years or more ago when I was facing losing everything I had due to illness and unemployment? I know the answer and those will be remembered. The rest are fare weather, my weather is rarely fare. You have to figure this portion into the plan, making friends isn't hard during the good times, it's the bad times that define this.

Now to the plans to spend my fortune [that even I know is a false dream]. Put $200,000.00 into a house, a nice one, in a rural area that gives you room to grow, yet doesn't exceed this amount [if you need more then you also have too much greed for one person to bear]. Put $35,000.00 into paying off the average household debts, credit cards, car loans, personal debts. A good bit of mine is medical but each has there own prison. Another $50,000.00 to help family, friends, donations or whatever [you figure this one out] but keep this a basic rule, the 10% thing! Where I did I get that?

At this point you are dept free, your have nothing to pay. Buy a new car? Sure, but does that car need to cost $55,000.00? I think not, pay cash for a good one around $10,000.00 and it serves the same purpose. Seriously it does. So are we stupid or what? Or am I the stupid one? I still have a new car, a new house, I'm dept free and still have the same income I had before since nobody has quit their job yet. But now we have options. I can look for something that makes me more happy or even invest part of the $200,000.00 I have left over after a nice family vacation which cut $5,000.00 out of the picture.

But the basic plan is invest the $200,000.00 into nice nest egg fund. One that will pay me up to say the rate of 12% per year or more. Never touch the remainder of your money [unless you change your mind] and that is a guaranteed $2,000.00 a month to live on. Take out around half for normal things [utilities, food, etc.] and it still leaves a one thousand a month to play with. $250 a week to play with. Do you have more now? Seriously if you do then I'll swap with you now.........if you actually need more then I have to pass, I wouldn't won't to be you.