How would you spend the Powerball jackpot?

[sweeps]

The Powerball jackpot is up to $340 million. http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/200...hits340million That comes out to about a $100 mil lump sum after taxes...

If you were the sole winner, how would you spend (and save) it?

[Fern]

If you ever watched the TV show, Lost, you might have caught the recent segment where the guy who won the lottery initially didn't want to turn in his winning ticket or tell anyone about it becus he was afraid it would change his relationships with others and that everyone who knew him would be expecting a handout.

so maybe i would not break the big news to anyone, just begin helping out family in various ways, at various times. i expect to be selling my home in a year or so, so would probably not make any big expenditures at this time, just bide my time, put a bunch away for retirement and see what happens.

[shengmei]

There is this program with the university. You donate a lot of money to the university, and the university pays you interest every month on the money until you die.

It is a good way to spread out the money.

[cercis]

Well, I don't play the lottery, but if someone gave me the winning ticket (a girl can dream, right?) I'd invest most of the money in companies which are environmentally and socially responsible (and which pay dividends).

I'd use the dividends to fund a foundation to provide solar panels and mini-wind turbines to everyone in this area (not all at once and I'd look to provide jobs for several people, including paying to train people to install said panels and turbines).

With what I didn't invest, I'd buy some nice land in Arkansas or Missouri and start a communal living area for a special group of friends with similar political and environmental ideas. We'd provide jobs locally by starting an organic farm (we'd do some of the work, but not all) and a farmers'/crafts market. We'd fund an organic gardening/ranching/large scale farming program at whatever college/university is most local and provide scholarships to said program.

We'd partner with the Rodale Institute (if they'd have us) and the Kerr Foundation.

[meaghanchan]

I'd buy a beautiful townhouse on the Upper West Side in Manhattan.

What's left... Should buy me a cup of coffee or two

[frugalfarmwife]

I'd set up full college funds for all nieces and nephews, pay off our mortgage, buy the farm in front of us, put in a separate drive for our neighbors that we share a drive with (GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, their place is grand central station and ALL traffic goes right in front of our house!) Purchase hubby a new truck. Then a new house for us, complete with solar and wind power. Take my truck in for a complete overhaul.

Oh, very first? LOL, TURN ON THE FURNACE!

Then we'd sit back and look into setting up funding/investing for small business's and farmers in our area.


KJ

[PrincessPerky]

build a learning center, and go wonder around to schools offering scholorships to any kid that actually wanted to learn.

Since it is free money (I dont play the lottery) wouldn't bother me at all that I would lose all the money (sorry investing in education is not a current trend)

[debtfreeme]

set my mom up for life so she would not have to work
set up college funds for my nieces and nephews
assist my sister in holland and her family
pay off my sister in San Diegos school loans anonymously (she won't speak to me)
take my good friends on a once in a life time vacation whe ever they want to go
donate to my favorite orgs through trusts that will keep earning them money for projects with out allowing them to touch the proncipal : Doctors with out borders, save the children, my alma mater for grad school for a student or two from a third world country to study,
buy a home--nothing outlandish just a home for me
buy my best friend a cow convertible volks wagon bug
buy my volkswagon convertible bug in navy blue with tan interior

invet the rest so that my family will never have to worry (will still have to work but not live had to mouth like we did growing up)

give lots to charities!!