How much is enough

Belly35's avatar

Belly35

9,716 posts
How much is enough

How much would you have to win in the lottery to be comfortable, enjoy some of the finer things in life and not have to work?

Don’t include providing for your older kids / other family members, just you and your wife / husband and or those still living with you now.

Reviewing my age, wife age, our present living standard, debt, goals and general comfort level I would like to enjoy (travel, vacation home and hobbies) … I don’t know.

What is greedy and what would be reasonable?

If the lottery commission said to you won now tell us what you need it's yours?
Jan 24, 2011 12:06pm
justincredible's avatar

justincredible

32,056 posts
I'd be set with $5 million.
Jan 24, 2011 12:11pm
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

24,984 posts
All of it.
Jan 24, 2011 12:13pm
sleeper's avatar

sleeper

27,879 posts
It's never enough. Even if I won the lottery at 200-300 million, I would spend the rest of my life trying to turn those millions into billions. Once I get the billions, I will try to turn those into trillions, and you can take that to the bank.
Jan 24, 2011 12:30pm
CenterBHSFan's avatar

CenterBHSFan

6,115 posts
$400 trillion dollars should do it.

Greedy? Yes! Reasonable? Also yes!
Jan 24, 2011 12:32pm
McFly1955's avatar

McFly1955

1,441 posts
I could make it happen on 2-3 million, easy...
Jan 24, 2011 12:32pm
sleeper's avatar

sleeper

27,879 posts
CenterBHSFan;650375 wrote:$400 trillion dollars should do it.

Greedy? Yes! Reasonable? Also yes!

If someone of your intelligence ever obtains $400 trillion, we'd have to experiencing hyperinflation on steroids.
Jan 24, 2011 12:35pm
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

24,984 posts
I'd be happy with $1 million, after taxes. With debt paid off, my wife would not have to work, and we could live comfortably off my salary.
Jan 24, 2011 12:36pm
M

MontyBrunswick

justincredible;650352 wrote:I'd be set with $5 million.

Likewise
Jan 24, 2011 12:36pm
W

WebFire

14,779 posts
ernest_t_bass;650383 wrote:I'd be happy with $1 million, after taxes. With debt paid off, my wife would not have to work, and we could live comfortably off my salary.

Question was...
How much would you have to win in the lottery to be comfortable, enjoy some of the finer things in life and not have to work?
Jan 24, 2011 12:43pm
CenterBHSFan's avatar

CenterBHSFan

6,115 posts
sleeper;650382 wrote:If someone of your intelligence ever obtains $400 trillion, we'd have to experiencing hyperinflation on steroids.
You're damn right!
Jan 24, 2011 12:44pm
j_crazy's avatar

j_crazy

8,372 posts
if i won 5 million after taxes that's roughly 3 million (rounding down). I could do that. pay off all of my debt (aka, the new truck and the house, and my final student loan). Put my current house on the market and wait until i get an offer i like to sell (aka i'm not going to lose money on the house if i don't have to), once i sell this house, pack up and move to OH, build my dream house on my family's old farmland, maybe invest some of my money into my own oil company, and live it out from there. my problem is that seemingly i'm going to have about 12 kids and i'll need to pay for some tuition down the line.
Jan 24, 2011 1:00pm
S

Sonofanump

$6.375 Million (after taxes and taking the cash sum) based off of current (and expected increases) salary of both of us and inflation not exceeding rate of return on the savings and investments made with the majority of that money.
Jan 24, 2011 1:02pm
BORIStheCrusher's avatar

BORIStheCrusher

1,893 posts
I would be pretty greedy because I would spend a lot, maybe $50 - $100 mill. But at the same time I might open my own business (something I enjoy doing), I couldn't just do nothing for the rest of my life.
Jan 24, 2011 1:05pm
Belly35's avatar

Belly35

9,716 posts
Owning your own business: Which part of working 24/7 or having to deal with people, vendor and customers, problems comes with owning a bussiness and all the potential tax issues does a individual want if they have enought money not to work or be a business owner.

Don't kid yourself having enought money not to work ... your business will fail ... What the insentive? Ownership buy a dog...
Jan 24, 2011 1:34pm
j_crazy's avatar

j_crazy

8,372 posts
Belly35;650492 wrote:Owning your own business: Which part of working 24/7 or having to deal with people, vendor and customers, problems comes with owning a bussiness and all the potential tax issues does a individual want if they have enought money not to work or be a business owner.

Don't kid yourself having enought money not to work ... your business will fail ... What the insentive? Ownership buy a dog...

i'm just saying that right now (with only 1 kid and a 2nd on the way) 3 million would probably do us just fine. but realistically i'm probably going to end up with 4-5 kids (before i say fuck it and have the V-Job done) and 3 million certainly wouldn't be enough.

honestly, i'd take 500k right now (after taxes of course) pay off everything, put the remainder in the bank/ Roth/ Trust Fund, keep working and retire at 50, instead of 60 or 62.
Jan 24, 2011 1:41pm
ernest_t_bass's avatar

ernest_t_bass

24,984 posts
WebFire;650395 wrote:Question was...

Indeed it was, indeed it was. I lolFAIL'ed.
Jan 24, 2011 1:43pm
brutus161's avatar

brutus161

1,686 posts
10 million. This would allow me to pay off all debts, buy a nice house, provide for my family, and play alot of golf.
Jan 24, 2011 1:59pm
BORIStheCrusher's avatar

BORIStheCrusher

1,893 posts
Belly35;650492 wrote:Owning your own business: Which part of working 24/7 or having to deal with people, vendor and customers, problems comes with owning a bussiness and all the potential tax issues does a individual want if they have enought money not to work or be a business owner.

Don't kid yourself having enought money not to work ... your business will fail ... What the insentive? Ownership buy a dog...

My point was that at 27 (almost 28), I couldn't just do nothing for the rest of my life. I would just consider taking one of my hobbies a little more professional.
Jan 24, 2011 2:21pm
Fab4Runner's avatar

Fab4Runner

6,196 posts
My stepdad and I have actually had this conversation and I believe it would have to be at least 2 million after taxes.
Jan 24, 2011 2:35pm
Laley23's avatar

Laley23

29,506 posts
50 Million. I want houses in way to many parts of the world. I could make it work with just about an amount, but to live the way I have always wanted too (about 15 houses in the world) I'd need more.
Jan 24, 2011 2:43pm
4cards's avatar

4cards

2,551 posts
...Everyone that wins gives a lot of it away (as would I) , so I'd say after the give aways.........30 mil to me after taxes would work out just right.
Jan 24, 2011 2:46pm
R

raiderbuck

1,623 posts
$100-$150k a year for like the next 30 years to life...I'd be happy with that. It's enough to sustain me, invest plenty, and then still have plenty leftover for my grandkids' futures


edit...i didn't read anything the OP posted...dur!

So with that...I'd say $10 mil lol
Jan 24, 2011 4:28pm
Heretic's avatar

Heretic

18,820 posts
Depends on how long I live. Because, let's face it, if I'd ever win some amount of money ranging into the millions...I'd live like a suicide. Hookers, gambling, drugs, booze, mansions, Amsterdam, all that shit. If my heart explodes out my chest six weeks after collecting the cash, I probably wouldn't have blown through a great deal. But if I keep on rockin' for years and years...let's just say that partying like I would isn't cheap. We're talking like "solo winner of $200+ million jackpot" hedonism right fucking here.

I'd be the guy who won $3M and would be bitching about how I still have to live like a somewhat normal human being so I don't blow it all before the year's out.
Jan 24, 2011 4:36pm
2kool4skool's avatar

2kool4skool

1,804 posts
bout tree fiddy
Jan 24, 2011 4:46pm