Slashdot Mirror
Ask Slashdot: What Would You Do If You Were Suddenly Wealthy?
An anonymous reader writes: There are a few articles floating around today about comments from Markus Persson, aka "Notch," the creator of Minecraft. He sold his game studio to Microsoft last year for $2.5 billion, but he seems to be having a hard time adjusting to his newfound fame and wealth. He wrote, "The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance. ... Found a great girl, but she's afraid of me and my life style and went with a normal person instead. I would Musk and try to save the world, but that just exposes me to the same type of a$#@%&*s that made me sell minecraft again." While he later suggests he was just having a bad day, he does seem to be dealing with some isolation issues. Granted, it can be hard to feel sorry for a billionaire, but I've wondered at times how I'd handle sudden wealth like that, and I long ago decided it would make the human relationships I'm accustomed to rather difficult. So, how would you deal with Notch's problem? It seems like one the tech industry should at least be aware of, given the focus on startup culture.
How about volunteering time and money and spend some time helping people in need instead of whining, blaming, and name calling?
Marry a little girl!
Step 1: Stop reading Slashdot
The world is made by those who show up for the job.
I'd buy an island and make a nation out of it. I would live there with the family and my army of 1000 topless female slave-warriors. The island would have a private airstrip and a private jet, piloted by a topless female slave-warrior, that would whisk us around the globe. People would become jealous of my topless female slave-warriors because Grub Island would be the only place on the planet with them.
I would have a lottery with $1,000,000 ticket prices. The prize would be one week on my island with 10 topless female slave-warriors to be at the winner's beck and call. After the winner departed Grub Island, the other topless female slave-warriors would destroy the lottery winner's 10 because they would then be soiled and not worthy of me.
Trolling is a art,
And end the scourge of patriarchy in tech!
Becoming wealthy (whatever "wealthy" is considered these days) comes with its own challenges.
People with no money have very specific challenges: find food and water and shelter for your family. Everything else is secondary.
People that have a job and shelter but not enough money have different challenges: Buying a car, paying for school, You have enough for basic necessities but not enough for aspiration items.
People with lots of money have unique challenges: Who do you trust? Taxes become problematic. Gold diggers. How do you raise kids without spoiling them?
It seems to me that the sweet spot is around 100K per year. You're not rich but you have enough. In many cities that is enough to buy a nice home and a new car every 4-5 years. It's a nice place to be.
Buy land and start a small hobby farm (very small). Animals and crops require constant attention, you can't ignore them for even a day. Keeps you busy, keeps you grounded, even if you do still get most of your food from a grocery store. He's got enough to bring internet access out from nearby town or city, so he can stay up to date and work for fun instead of a living, until he figures out what he'd rather do instead.
Stop "solving" all your problems with money and pick up a few that require attention and care instead of cash. You can buy the animals, buildings, and tools, but YOU still have to use them or you fail and things die.
Turn it into Meatspin
The first thing I need to do is hire an accountant so I know how much I actually have. If I do anything else first, I have a feeling a significant portion of the fortune would be gone before I have any kind of understanding of what my tax burden is, and I'd fuck myself right back to poverty.
Next thing I do (after buying a house, of course) is start studying accountancy, because if I've learned anything from reading the news the past several years, it's that NOBODY can be trusted with that many zeroes.
After that, I've got friends who need help, and who deserve it much more than I do. I want to see them happy. Then I can start worrying about businesses and philanthropy and shit like that.
I would be Batman.
then we could all still hang on roughly equal levels.
i'd ONLY have $1.5 billion left to myself, oh noes :-(
For me I would do the following: 1) Take a whole bunch of classes - how to do EVERYTHING. Dance, defend a client from a lawsuit, simple surgery, how to play a piano, how to build a car, how to carve a wooden boat. You name it, I want to learn it. 2) Creating a publishing house that makes the decisions on which new book to publish via a combination of crowd sourcing and AI, rather than the current system.
excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
This is the best answer right here, and it would cure his loneliness, too. Not only do the people who have stuck by you during the hard times deserve the reward, but they're the ones who have proven who you can trust.
I'd keep my mouth shut about it.
Repost.
Turns out it's not such a burden after all.
Just give me the money! I'll find a use for it.
Probably in South America. Venezuela, I think. Maybe Argentina. I'd set up a swathe of factories to make consumer goods from local materials, staff them with locals, and then sell them in local markets at maybe a 3% or 4% target margin. If I couldn't find the materials I need I'd set up factories to produce them too. I imagine a few billion dollars would last quite a long time, even if I lost money on every item sold.
The key is not to tell anyone you're rich.
"What do you do?" "I got a severance package from my last job. I'm kind of inbetween jobs right now"
...obviously, more power. If I suddenly had a surplus on disposable income, I would immediately invest in Tesla stock. There is no such thing in this world I am more certain of its growth than TSLA. I had this hunch about 2 years ago, I just didn't have the money. My investment would have doubled and I wouldn't sell the stock unless I was in life or death necessity of it right now. Other than taht, I'd do the usual stuff: buy an island, a jet, and people to do my current job so I could brag I kept my previous life intact to journalists but I "gained incentive" to do what I really want to do. Then I'd probably lose it all in some years out of my total inability to manage the moneee.
I'd have to go Musk and start building my Bond villain infrastructure.
Fleet of cars who's 'owners' don't know are autonomous-check.
Fleet of rocket ships-check.
Doomsday device-check
The question is: Where is Musk's secret lair?
John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
Let's say the GDP of a reasonable country....
more than enough to to never worry about eating dog food when I retire.
I'll pay for schooling of people that cannot afford it. That has the best bang for the buck, I guess.
I'd skim a little off of the top to make sure that I never needed to work another day in my life ever again and then give the rest away. Start with my favorite charities and then, if any was left, spread it amongst some of the more obscure operations.
Then I could do what I wanted rather than what's needed to put food on the table.
Meet lots of interesting motivated people, do cool projects (without having to do the heavy lifting), hopefully improve the human condition.
Bliss.
1 Make sure I'll never run out of money by doing basic investments.
2 Found my own research lab using the ROI of 1 and have fun doing research without the burden of finding funds for it.
3 No need for 3.
Notch, if you want to try, send a PM ;)
Video of some good progressive thrash music
Money is money. It can't treat a person well and it can't treat a person poorly. People on the other hand is another issue, especially people who you don't know yet who know you (or think they know you).
Money can be buried in investments, or dispersed if you want to go to the trouble too. Bury a person though, that will get you in trouble with the law. Disperse people, and they will think you're antisocial.
I can't honestly say what I would do if I had that much money. I would like to think that I'd bury it in investments, skimming just enough off the top to behave like a typical person. Yet I would do my best to avoid the fame bit. Relationships are awkward enough when you know them and they know you. Having the imbalance where people know you, but not the other way around, is something to be avoided.
Peter Gibbons: What would you do if you had a million dollars?
Lawrence: I'll tell you what I'd do, man: two chicks at the same time, man.
Peter Gibbons: That's it? If you had a million dollars, you'd do two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Damn straight. I always wanted to do that, man. And I think if I were a millionaire I could hook that up, too; 'cause chicks dig dudes with money.
Peter Gibbons: Well, not all chicks.
Lawrence: Well, the type of chicks that'd double up on a dude like me do.
Peter Gibbons: Good point.
Lawrence: Well, what about you now? What would you do?
Peter Gibbons: Besides two chicks at the same time?
Lawrence: Well, yeah.
Peter Gibbons: Nothing.
Lawrence: Nothing, huh?
Peter Gibbons: I would relax... I would sit on my ass all day... I would do nothing.
Lawrence: Well, you don't need a million dollars to do nothing, man. Take a look at my cousin: he's broke, don't do shit.
There are a lot of ways I could spend money on myself (bigger house, nice car, etc), but at some point, you just don't need gold-plated toilets or whatever, so you should start looking for ways to make use of the money to do something good. Pick one or more causes that mean something to you, and start putting your time and money toward helping them.
Personally, I donate a decent chunk of my time right now to the MIT science fiction society; we run the world's largest open-to-the-public library of science fiction and fantasy novels. Sadly, a lot of new books are written every year, but our space isn't growing, so if I found myself winning the startup lottery and holding a hundred million dollars, I'd buy the library a nice large building to hold all the books.
You might find that you'd rather work on curing malaria (like Bill Gates). Or that you want to run a gamer-centric convention, and a gamer-centric charity, (like the penny-arcade folks who started PAX and Child's Play). There are plenty of diseases in the world; all sorts of ways you could improve education; charities to help poor people experience the outdoors; charities to help people get to sci-fi conventions who otherwise couldn't afford to go. Find a way to make the world a better place that resonates with you and makes you happy, and go for it, don't just swim in your money like Scrooge McDuck. Heck, start a business, you'll have a bunch of people happy that you gave them jobs, and you can pursue a dream of writing that uber-awesome game you've always wanted to write...
Piss people off by spending it, or not spending it, the way I want. Since I'll be dead and have no heirs there's no reason to spend it on others, especially when no one bothered to spend their money on me during my lifetime.
Screw people. We're supposed to be the smart ones. If you want to spend a fortune, make your own. Don't expect someone else to spend their money the way you want.
We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
It really is difficult to feel for Notch when, by his own admission in that series of tweets, he shows that having the material possessions and lavish experiences that is typical of filthy rich people has been his primary focus. It's myopic, depressing to the point of repulsion, and all-too-typical of the rich.
As for the human interaction element, that's of his own doing and merely an extension of the HAVING ALL THE RICH DUDE THINGS mentality. I wouldn't really care to hang around someone regularly who has some obnoxious, resource-guzzling mansion, replete with luxuries that, frankly, no person really needs. It all feeds into a mental sickness, and the only way he can snap out of it is by his own sheer will--to question himself and why he feels so empty. The answers, while not that difficult, tend to elude those who have relinquished critical thinking regarding their own lifestyle in favor of, "Well, I sure am having a shitty week... time for a weekend bender in Ibiza!"
I hope he's able to successfully reflect on his current life situation and realize that to have "normal" human interaction, you can't flaunt wealth and economically divide yourself from your peers in the numerous ways the rich tend to.
Sure, when you strike it rich, people will glom onto you. Everybody wants something, and they gravitate toward people they think can grant their wishes.
I'd say that's fine, but I'd make it clear that I'm going to make you work to achieve your dream. Starting a business, or a humanitarian organization, or a school - let's make it happen. But what I won't do is just give you a stack of Benjamins and let you loose.
I would just enjoy your life. So he says he found somebody who was afraid of his lifestyle. Find somebody else who isn't. Don't waste your time moping about other people. Find something to do with your life that makes you happy without requiring other people. Somebody like Notch, although rich, isn't a huge face in the media, and can probably stay under the radar in most circumstances. Very few people are actually going to recognize him unless he wants to be recognized.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
Most people think they'll be "smart investors", but 70% declare bankruptcy. Higher divorce rates, homicides, law suits, etc.
/obligatory
I guess if I was Notch I would millions of tiny violins people could play while I whine about my girl problems.
Found a great girl, but she's afraid of me and my life style and went with a normal person instead.
Did he never meet a great girl who wasn't that interested in him before? I guess it's possible that they were otherwise perfect for each other and she just couldn't see past his wealth but probably she would have preferred the other guy anyway.
Stamp out kitten juggling!
love is just extroverted narcissism
I don't have any best friends really.
1) Setup a trust fund for my children.
2) Give some money to my parents, and my ex brother in law (he's cool).
3) Make sure my ex wife gets nothing at all.
4) Buy a boat.
Buy some stuff I've always wanted, new computer / monitors.
Clear all debt for my friends.
Put it all away.
Look up the average income for my city.
Set my bank to disk out monthly "pay cheques".
Donate remaining interest to charity / family in need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IalDTq8jS6I
Unless you mean "those seeking to enter", then this is yet another call on an "industry" to solve the problems of individuals. Notch can't deal -- Notch's problem, mot "the industry's".
#1 setup an annuity for FSF
#2 look for software projects begging for $ to get going.
#3 look on Kickstarter for projects begging for $ to get going.
#4 become a prophet!
Obama's legacy: (N)othing (S)ecure (A)nywhere and (T)error (S)imulation (A)dministration
...And give the money to the poor.
after adopting a special needs child from another country... children around the world sorely need so much help..The day I received the money would be the first day of my new job
Actually, probably a trip around the world to see everything that is on my bucket list, then after that get involved with something involving education ..
and a few trips to Vegas, or Monte Carlo
But I'd definitely not whine like a little punk.
#3: Not a chance in hell. The courts are setup to fuck men.
Shut down my business, buy a winter home, hire a maid. Tell people I'd inherited about 1% of the wealth I had and set up an anonymous non-profit to parse out most the money for education and arts projects I like.
Then go do everything I'm already already doing, except I'd never bother to look for sales. 'Cause, really, I kind of like my life.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
I'm working on becoming financially self-reliant and as such I've already given this a little bit of thought.
For of all, I figured I would need around 250.000 EUR to become self reliant if I'm willing to emigrate to a "poorer" country like e.g. Thailand. To be self-reliant in The Netherlands (my home country) I would probably need a bit more. At the moment I've saved around 40.000 EUR in my first 1,5 years of saving, so I should be on track to make this happen. I might actually have quite a bit more money if I sell my house in 10 years. At that point I should be in my early 40s.
Self-reliance to me means that I'll be able to live of the money I earn from my ETFs and bonds. 250.000 EUR is my goal, since that should earn me on average around (250.000 * 0.05 after taxes and inflation) 12.500 a year or around 1000 EUR a month. The average living standard in a country like Thailand is around 500 EUR a month or so I've read. While definitely not rich with this kind of money, it might be a decent start.
With that kind of money I would rent a small house (I'm single, I don't intend to have kids - might want a girlfriend at some point). I would make sure I'd have a good software dev room. I would work on some of the many ideas I'm having. Games and other kinds of apps. Hopefully some apps would earn me extra income, which I would put back into ETFs on bonds. Over the years I'd become more and more wealthy, but would set some aside for old age when the body breaks down.
If I'm single / widower when I die, I might give the money to some foundation, like WWF, though ideally I'd develop some sort of foundation myself that keeps earning money through ETFs and only spends part of the profits each year on some foundation while it automatically keeps growing larger and larger.
I've met people worth over $100 million. It's not a big deal. The problem is, some people don't ever interact with the ultra wealthy or famous. Some, I mean most.
Markus needs to find a hobby. mountain biking, running, whatever. It sounds like he is enjoying his wealth by buying material things. Buy a 2 year old jeep and mountain bike. None one will know who you are and judge you for who you are. It sounds like he is making his wealth apparent.
That guy I know worth $100+ million drives a $50K car. And it's not a BMW. Last I knew it was a high end Chrysler. But his guest house on his primary property cost him $2 million.
Pont is, if you met him .... you would quickly realize that this guy is smart. Smarter than almost anyone I have ever met. And that is all that is apparent. And that is the point.
When I was in college, there was a guy who was really wealthy (no idea how much, not billions, but millions I'm sure) --- his parents died young, I think it was an accident of sorts, and he inherited a fortune, or got a settlement.
Anyway... people used him for free beer, parties, food, anything they could get from him. I knew him tangentially because he was a pen and paper gamer, and ran some D&D sessions so we had some common friends.
The poor guy seemed miserable, knowing most people were only hanging out with him for his money, etc. Seriously, he was just a sad sack, seemed depressed and lonely in that existential kind of way. I know people say 'aw.... poor little rich boy', but I really felt bad for the guy. He seemed like a decent enough person, but the money didn't seem to make his life really that much better. Sure he didn't have student loans like I did, didn't have to work like I did -- but I had some good friends, who certainly didn't hang out with me for money (or lack thereof)
'The unexamined life is not worth living' - Socrates
If I had that much money, I would get a PhD in radio astronomy or particle physics. Then I would try to get in on the coolest project I could find, but work for free.
What are you interested in that can make the world a better place? For sure you can give a bunch of money to NGOs that do important things in education, the environment, poverty, health. Or maybe your philosophies run more toward the free market, and you can spend time finding and funding/helping startups that are going to make the world a better place. Or maybe your skill set is such that you can join boards of ongoing ventures and help them focus. It's easy: you have money, but you may -- or may not -- have other skills to contribute as well. You have philosophies of how to make the world a better place. Combine those in any way that makes sense, and do it. Make the world a better place.
As for lifestyle, no need to be ostentatious if that's not your thing. Drive the car you want, life in the place you want to live, etc., and you will attract a like-minded person. Which, by the way, is the same rule the rest of us should apply! Lots of us have been passed over by people who have different lifestyle desires than us. That's a good thing. You'd do the same, one would hope.
I'd probably first pay off all debts I had and all the debts of my family and friends. I'd still keep my same shitty job so I had something to do, and if it got too bad I figure I'd have enough money to fake my death and start somewhere else.
Right now every US presidential candidate needs a billionaire backer to run. That usually means bad things. Maybe Notch and his $$ can balance the scales a bit and back Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren? But then again, I don't know his politics and perhaps this is a terrible suggestion.
"Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
Buy every industry in said town. Give loans to desperate people that you know they can't pay back. Buy up all the politicians and the realestate. Become sheriff because that is where the real local power is. Make subtle changes to the town and architecture giving everything a creepy southern gothic kind of feel. Slowly tighten your grip year after year. Ah, it would be heaven.
I have it all worked out lol.
1. Sort out my debts (Kind of no brainer loL) and debts/mortgages of my closest friends & co-workers.
2. Get a nicer house, but certainly no $70m mansion. Many 'normal'' people in my area have houses between $1m & 2m CAD, so I would probably settle for something in the 2-5M range there. It would have to be somewhere that I can play 'cars'.
3. Cars. I'm a car guy, don't think I need to expand on that one much. Get my old dream cars, a few supercars. Note that my choice of cars are for DRIVING, not showing off, which leads me on to...
4. Tracks... It would be nice to find a place that is near a nice karting track. Failing that, buy a place where I can BUILD one. Either play on it myself until I get bored, or hand it over to someone to manage for me and make a business of (Doesn't need to be profitable). Get the grassroots racing scene going by injecting some of my weath into it.
5. Workshops - I would not NEED to work on cars, but I may still WANT to and hell, i'd have the time, right? Still want to build a Se7en replica. Although with that money, I could tool up to build something far more fancy.
6. Play - Soooo many things I want to play, but have no money or time for... Watersports, skidoos, skiing, just have fun doing the activites I want to do without having to worry about the bottom line. Child is still in school, so I would have to find someone else to play with (partner does not like all this activity stuff)
7. Invest (I guess this was a no brainer, should have been in nr 1)
8. Donate. If I had 2.5bn, and I live to 100, that would leave me with over 40m a year - Even with all that crazy spending, it would still easily be over 30. Even if I invest loads, for what I know not, I could still easily donate a million a month or something. Work out how I can make my money do something every month - don't just throw it at charities, but maybe find ways to directly inject it where it's needed. This could be incorporated with some volunteer time. Maybe do a month long trip once a year to places that really need the help - something.
I just don't thing that I would have that much trouble keeping going with that much money. Look after my friends, look after my self & family, look after the world. Plenty to go around and PLENTY of stuff to do.
Alas, I'll be stuck here, not being able to do track days in my leased car (I can't afford a warranty miss) and pondering if I will be able to go skiing once this winter :/
He got rich, moved to California and started going to clubs, strip clubs. All things devoid of any personality or soul, he moved to a soulless land and wonders why he is lonely.
I would have stayed where i was, but travel and live big with my friends.
Problem - workers from startups are so rich they can't have social success
Solution - we don't get social success anyway. Enjoy not having crushing student loan debt, or mortgages. If you want to save the world then go privately and massively sponsor engineers-without-borders or doctors-without-borders.
invest it all in VA Linux Systems.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
1) Buy nice house. 2) Buy nice car. 3) Set up a trust for my nephew. 4) Setup an investment account that will payout a few hundred thousand every year for me personally on an average year. 5) Setup a non-profit with the rest, and setup computer labs in high schools and colleges. 6) Teach.
I know we all have our desires and hopes of winning the lottery, but for us slashdotters im sure there are a few indelible things we would absolutely need to do. Ive compiled a list i think best represents the community.
1. replace inefficient and wasteful toilet paper with stack of cash. replace glade plug-in with more appropriate bathroom salvadorian priest to burn myrrh when needed.
2. finally repair faulty kitchen sink with tap that, instead of dispensing Jolt cola as intended, unfortunately just dispenses cold water.
3. finally upgrade from Gentoo on X64 to the intended platform, Gentoo on D-Wave quantum annealer.
4. Notify the zoning board that you will finally come 'up to code' and install the helipad that was intended for the roof alongside the infinity pool that used to be the neighbours back yard.
5. repair the broken outdoor grill with the fully staffed Brazillian churrascaria you'd been meaning to install.
6. kick the disgusting habit of waking up every morning, getting in a car, and driving to work.
Good people go to bed earlier.
- Buy Slashdot: so that they don't need the extra money that have them publish ad-oriented stories, sometimes
- Pay competent consultants and developers to "help" Gnome, xOffice, and a mega bunch of other OSS projects to get managed efficiently/properly
- run for president, as a lot of wealthy people do, I guess
Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
Suddenly everybody wants a piece of you and you have to distrust their motivations. Because the amount of people looking to sink in their teeth isn't going to be small.
Conversely, how do you expect to have a normal relationship with a non-wealthy person? Suddenly they're trying to keep up with a zillionaire and haven't got the means ... which means they're living on the charity of rich people and whatever their mood does. That tends to be present no matter how much you want it to not be. Get into a fight in some faraway location you can't afford to be in on your own, and you're a nobody.
Get rich over time, and you can build up some friends in the same situation. Get rick quickly and you can't. In which case you better hope your family and your existing friends can cope with it.
I've seen TV shows with some lottery winners ... and they constantly get letters from random people looking to get handouts, or people trying to scam them. Because people are greedy bastards. Oh, and the other rich people want nothing to do with you because you're new money.
I've always said I have no interest in being rich and famous ... I want to be rich and anonymous, precisely because I don't want to deal with this bullshit.
The real question is ... as tragic as this is, how much sympathy do recent billionaires expect from the rest of us? The whole "I'm a billionaire, now what?" is one of those questions which you can't expect a serious or helpful answer from anybody who hasn't done it.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
Realize that your life is yours to live. You choose your lifestyle, not the other way around.
I've been my own boss for a while and I've grown a successful company. I'm a millionaire many dozens of times over. I drive an old Volvo wagon I bought used for $2500. I live in a 1500 square foot house. I buy clothes at Kohls. Only a very small handful of people know what I'm worth, and they are sworn to secrecy.
I chose to life the lifestyle of a regular Joe. Here's a step-by-step guide to coming into a lot of money quickly:
1) SHUT THE FUCK UP. Keep it secret to the best of your ability. If you can't, come up with a plan for that. But, do the best you can.
2) Decide NOW what kind of lifestyle you want to live. Think 5 years down the road about the company you will want to keep. Birds of a feather flock together. White people hang out with white people. Rich people hang out with rich people. It sucks, but you have to decide now.
3) Put the principal away, and pay yourself what it takes to live the lifestyle you decided to live in Step 2.
4) Finally, and most important, change NOTHING right away (except, paying off debt is perfectly okay). Stay at your job. Don't run away. Don't take a vacation. Don't throw a party for all of your close friends unless you want to find out how many of them actually aren't your close friends. Just maintain the status quo and make decisions SLOWLY.
That is the best advice I can give, from one rich guy to another.
(1) Buy/build a super-yacht big enough to live on as your home.
(2) Travel the world, taking your home with you.
Requires 'only' a few hundred million to really make it work.
-Matt
terminate systemd development, and elect Donald Trump President.
A lot of very wealthy people live amongst you and don't appear wealthy, because they save and invest and live modestly.
Your problem is you think affluenza, or sudden riches, means you need to spend like a fish.
Smart people just put all their new wealth into their retirement accounts over a few decades, pay off their car loans, and reduce their mortgages (keeping some allows you to deduct a lot of cool things), while not appearing to be wealthy.
First, if you inherit a fortune, or make a killing on IPOs, do the above. Then figure you'll blow 10 percent of it on silly things. Cut yourself some slack. It might sound fun to buy 10 new coats because you can (and it is kind of fun), but after that initial period you'll realize you don't really need more stuff, or it owns you.
Other things you can do (some of which I've done) are: figure out what your most fun hobby or hobbies are, and pay for Lifetime memberships or access to them. I got SIFF Platinum Lifetime membership, NOW Lifetime, and I was good. Because those tend to be sometimes charitable things (like when I got platinum donor status to some of the local art museums and music events), you may be able to deduct a lot of that.
And then go back to living. Everyone else will be worried about the future, but if you're diversified in sound low-cost mutual funds, you realize you never can spend that much anyway.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
He already had a grown successful child but no grandchildren, was retired from big blue after getting his Rolex, married into a ridiculous amount of money with his second wife, and lived comfortably in Boca Raton. The boredom along with not feeling as useful anymore led to depression and eventually a suicide attempt. Part of his therapy was to go work at a local subway sandwich shop. This is a guy who use to babysit me and cook tiger shark for dinner, so I always got a kick out of imagining him slinging subs for john Q public.
You don't necessarily need to be productive, but feeling useful on the inside seems to be a major outlier when it comes to the mental health of "retired" successful people.
A successful celebrity was once asked if money buys happiness.
Her reply was, "I'd rather be rich and miserable than poor and miserable."
Table-ized A.I.
Then why get married? Wasn't the whole "buy the cow so the milk is free" idea WHY you got married?
You know, my gut reaction was to agree with your comment. But, thinking about it more I don't think "deserve the reward" is quite right. To be honest, I don't think any person can be said to "deserve" $100 Million. Not only does it create the sort of imbalance that Notch is talking about with others, as you have the equivalent buying power of hundreds of people over their whole life, but it's pretty clear that there are others who work harder, smarter, etc who still never see any "reward" of that scale and the very nature of such a reward only works precisely because it's so rare. To that end, at some level it's a curse. You get all the greedy and anger and fear of others, which you have to spend a lot of your effort placating, just to have anything like a normal relationship with them.
Now this is the part I agree with. The real question is what it means "proven who you can trust". It doesn't mean a lack of greed or selfish imposition. It means more, "I know enough about them that I can trust myself to know their worst impulses". Giving them $100 Million might be enough to placate them for a while, but consider the The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. One can burn through $100 Million without trying, and it doesn't take much spending for jealousy to take hold, no matter the scale. It's one reason why, in a way, the discussion is most about buying off your friend's greedy to try to keep their monkey off their back.
I'd create a State of Nature to preserve the pre-civil culture of northern Europeans -- not just to "save the world" but because that's the enrivonment I want:
1) Buy up large tracts of undeveloped land in nations, in exchange for low land value taxation, that agreed to let people, on those lands, live by the 7 points of agreements between individuals outlined in the aforelinked blog post on "The State of Nature".
2) Permit any indigenous peoples to remain so long as they agreed to those points, excluding everyone else but invitees of the people in those nature preserves. This includes financing a nature preserve patrols (drones, etc.) to prevent encroachment.
3) Set up a cloning foundation to clone people who have been taken out of the gene pool by the current dysgenic culture -- particularly highly intelligent and attractive females that got conned into giving up childbearing for a "career".
4) Set up a foundation for emergency relocation of population when a host nation violates their agreement to permit autonomy.
5) Invite people I like personally to the nature preserve in which I want to live.
6) Invite other lonely billionaires to live in other nature preserves so they could enjoy the natural healthy relationships with beautiful intelligent women.
7) Do what I can to help Bezos, Musk, et al to reduce civilization's ecological footprint on the biosphere -- preferably by space migration. This involves all manner of technology.
Seastead this.
I'd buy an island off the coast of Italy. I'd find someone willing to spend all my money (which shouldn't be too hard) and I'd use a couple million to create a venture capitalist corporation. I'd hire people to run the day-to-day operations and live on my island away from the world.
If there's any money left, I'd buy a professional sports team.
Erm, she's already an ex, there's very little she can do about his change in worth.
Follow the lead of Howard Hughes.
there are many developers who wouldn't mind being mentored so that we too can become successful (rather than toiling in dead-end jobs or just-not-making-it). and as expected, yes even some funding to help us turn our ideas into reality.
Two billion dollars will buy you 2 minutes with a senator, 10 minutes with his call girl, and a 30 minute limo ride out of town complete with a police escort....all at the same time!
I would buy /. and make sure questions like these would be relegated to reddit & digg.
Knowledge = Power
P= W/t
t=Money
Money = Work/Knowledge so the less you know the more you make
When you come into that much money, you are no longer Little People. Stop trying to think that you are. Little people will generally despise you for your money. Hang with other famous/rich/powerful people. Seriously. They might despise you for your money, but are generally better at hiding the knife when they slide it between your ribs.
Not a problem here, I'm very anti-social, have developed a general dislike of people and have few attachments other than financial to my current city.
So I would just pack and move someplace else, probably have a cool house built, and keep doing what I'm doing without having to do it for anybody else.
If he wants to hide/conceal some of his money, just rent a decent apartment in town where he can hang out, and drive a cheap car like a vette. He also needs to lock up his social media accounts and make it not so obvious who he is and how much money he really has.
Seems like a common mistake that people who come into sudden wealth often make is drastically changing their lifestyle in accordance with their new wealth.
Should it happen, I'd donate all but what I need to live off the interest with a life of luxury (say ~$10million, probably less) -- in exchange for the usual board positions if that's what I'm interested in at the time. It's what several billionaires have promised to do upon their deaths -- instead of passing the massive wealth and all its negatives to their heirs, donate it except for a few million for them to live off of if needed. If you don't want the hassle, get it over to someone who needs it; if you want to maintain control, insist on a board position as part of the deal.
..give 90% of it away; keep what I need for a healthy, sustainable life-style; my favorite charities will be getting the rest in some form.
Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away. - Elvis Presley (source: imdb.com)
There's absolutely no reason he can't have two lifestyles. One living as a regular joe in a suburban house driving a regular car. This lifestyle can be used for dating and others where it's more important to maintain a low profile. Maybe new potential endeavors or getting to know new people.
And the other in his mansion. with the yacht.
Sometimes it's easier pretending to be two or more different people than being one and being torn in a hundred different directions because you ultimately know people will want to use you for what you have, and finding substance in our relationships becomes the most important thing in life.
the average slashdot reader will behave no differently than any other lottery winner:
poor intuitive math skills mean you don't understand that 1+2+3+4=10. You will over-extend, over-commit and spend yourself into bankruptcy, just like most lottery winners.
Get rid of all debt. Make sure my kids will be financially secure if I drop dead (though that's largely taken care of with life insurance). Among other things, that addresses making sure my kids will not have to worry about paying for college. Reno my condo. Buy a house in Princeton. Give money to close friends (you know, those I've had for decades) and family.
Retire, or seriously cut back the hours working for someone else. Write.
Volunteer time/money/expertise for anti-poverty; healthcare; and guys-not-getting-screwed-when-divorcing-a-crazy-person causes.
Being wealthy is only a burden if you let it be one. If you don't want a bunch of attention, don't buy a bunch of flashy things that will attract attention. If you want to save the world, hire an economist from a university to study ways to maximize the impact my money has in benefiting society.
Take time, travel, learn, become well rounded and interesting. Heck, move to Bhutan and steal from yourself. Build yourself to be willing and able to accept the responsibility that comes with this great power.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
Until one dies of an overdose, one disappears into some kind of cult, half of the rest spend it all and blame you when you won't give them more because now they're entitled. It sounds like a good plan, but it can go bad pretty easily, too.
The Quirkz Handbook of Self-Improvement for People Who Are Already Pretty Okay
Go completely dark.
Hire attorneys to handle ALL your affairs. Carry only credit cards. Stay out of the news.
But you can also have fun anonymously...
Make an arrangements with a car deal to give away cars to people you think deserve it as you encounter them.
Pay the check for an entire restaurant full of people when you leave.
Watch for local foreclosures and intercede on the behalf of those you think are getting a raw deal.
Fund a promising local business for two years.
Of course it goes without saying that you pay off the mortgages of all your relatives and set up college savings accounts for all of your children, nieces, nephews and cousins.
When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
Immediately purchase an incredibly expensive mansion that basically none of my existing friends would ever be able to drive to much less feel comfortable in, assuming they didn't just hate me on the principle of flaunting my wealth like that in the first place. Making a move like that and complaining about feeling alienated is just moronic.
I would have a broadband connection installed at home.
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
#3: Not a chance in hell. The courts are setup to fuck men.
I had a woman judge and I still got full custody or our disabled daughter. Yes, I'm a man.
I agree that getting married is a sucker's bet, but as an anecdote, men don't always get fucked.
The biggest issue is if you have kids or not when you come into that sorta wealth. If I had children I would feel some obligation I think to retain said wealth for them and future generations.
Since I don't have kids though I think it would be fairly easy. First a billion dollars is a heck of a lot of money. If I am still a "billionaire" after paying the taxes on the windfall than I essentially have more money then I really know what to do with.
First) I'd probably make a gift to some family members of paying off their mortgages. That will probably run me a million or so. Hopefully that would be a sufficient gesture that they would not resent my sudden wealth and be glad that my good fortune has made what is probably the biggest monthly payment in their lives a thing of the past.
I don't think I'd move or anything but I could probably drop a 100K or remodeling my own place.
I'd certain acquire some new costs like hiring out the law work etc.
I'd probably blow another few hundered K building a bigger garage and picking up four or five fun cars, nothing nuts like a super car or anything stuff I could actually drive, a Tesla, Alfa 4C, Corvette, and couple interesting classics.
I'd travel and go cool places. Invite my current friends to go with with me on my tab. Again though nice hotels, good resturants etc, but no renting out the entire floor or anything nuts.
The rest I probably just live life as I do now with, for the most part. I guess I would on my own projects like OSS stuff rather than work a day job.
Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
Seriously, I would have no such problems with 2.5 billion. it would allow me to dip my toes into many, many things without the worry of financial ruin. I could throw 10-20 million at various projects and get involved with the actual process, and possibly help change the world for the better. I could do things on a whimsy. Shit, I would start another band and tour 9 months out of the year, but wouldn't have to weigh "gas, food, or a motel room because the floor in that house is soaked in cat piss and roaches". (I still wouldn't do a goddamned tour bus though..) But then again, I have very simple "needs", but lots of interests.
If you were me, you'd be good lookin'. - six string samurai
This problem has a pretty straightforward answer - Just move, and take on a new identity as someone moderately wealthy (ie, no need to work, but not "solid-gold Veyron" level crazy-rich).
Hindsight is 20/20, but I've always thought that were I to come upon a windfall of some large(ish) caliber, I'd likely not tell a soul, and not change my lifestyle significantly and suddenly. Sure it's tempting to run out and buy a Ferrari, but if one thinks about it, those are childish wishes and whims - a lack of self-control, if you will. The first things I'd do is settle all my debts (house, car, etc.), which aren't as visible to others. I'd also start winding down my employment (i.e. 1-month or even 2-month notice).
By simply slowing the transition down significantly, perhaps even "embellishing" the nature of the windfall (i.e. "I just closed a deal that's going to do very well for me over the next 2 years") such that the changes are logical and incremental vs. sudden and drastic, one can avoid such "acclimation pains" in one's social circle.
In the end, if you change your life drastically there's a very good chance you'll run into the same isolation issues - windfall or no. So it's about the (perceived) speed of the climb, not the steepness.
Besides, if you make the change slow it's easier for people to see that you're not changing - just your lifestyle and economic conditions. Less scary that way I think.
PS/ what's he bitching and whining about women for? he can afford any (set of) pornstar(s) he wants now!! :D
Just start worrying what would you do if you suddenly lose it all. Simple.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
You must have enlightened friends and family. Some of my friends are bright, but my family members would blow through $100M in a couple years then be back to zero.
First I would keep my pie hole shut about coming into a massive pile of money. Then since I wouldn't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from I would start running my mouth at work and let people know what I really thing of some of their ideas. There are a couple of people who I think just like to hear their own voice and when you are in a meeting with them they give the impression that you are there to bask in their glory and genius even if they say some of the stupidest shit ever to be utter.
Apart from that get a new car (I'm thinking an M4), get a new truck like vehicle (can't take an M4 out hunting in remote areas), put up a cabin on my recreational property. Although I would like a nice custom made leather trench coat made from that nice thick cow hide that they make motorcycle safety jackets out of. Apart from that I would probably quietly give to various charities, ensure that my children will be well off, and that any of my relatives won't have to worry about school if they apply themselves.
Time to offend someone
So, to me what to do would be simple. Sure, he just won the part of life dealing with having funds to live a life... but is that all there is to life? If you are one to have a religion... I am sure there is plenty to learn there I assume he still "thirsts for knowledge"? I know money wouldn't automatically teach me everything about the cosmos. Isolation? why is he isolating himself? I kinda question the girl that left him because she wanted a more normal person. It sounded like she was concerned about his life style, not his potential life style. That to me doesn't sound like a choice of money, but a conscious choice of living a specific lifestyle. Now, one challenge I could see, he started a company, grew it well, and sold it for a bucket of money. If that was his main motivation in life (work life balance much?) he will need to re-direct his motivation. That is if he looks at it as winning that part of life. Then again I do know entrepreneurs (dealing with much smaller amounts of money) that enjoy building up the company (restaurant/etc), just to sell and start up another. I could imagine many different things I would do, free time to try my hand and research/higher degrees. Also, all my hobbies... I could spend plenty of time there. and since many of those are hobbies that can include people (its not like im just sitting there painting warhammer 40k figures all day long) I would still socialize with others. Frankly I wouldn't move far from where I am now, and would retain my same friends (I am sure they would get to receive some of my fortunate luck too). Honestly, I think I would still want to pursue some work, whether its "real" work or volunteer type work, I wouldn't want to turn to mush.
Step 1 - pay off all debts.
Step 2 - Invest most of it so that it makes me a yearly income that is comfortable.
Step 3 - Troll detroit with all kinds of OCP and "New Detroit" advertising, pay a couple of guys to break into GM headquarters and hang an OCP banner over the GM sign at the top.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Seriously, I'd contribute to OSS projects. Since I can't code my way out of a paper bag, I'd work with various projects to see what they need and then help them hire the people they need and support this hire.
All kinds of triple-deck etc. cheese burgers I've never tried or even imagined, giant sandwiches, 2^12 combinations of pizza toppings, 4000 bottles of red wine (not even really fancy ones, just roughly $10 and up)
I would eat and drink myself to death, but trying to keep it as long and varied as possible.
I find you ideas fascinating, and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter....
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Interestingly, it seems he's already tried what I probably would have gone for at his age: Buying a ginormous house and trying to act like a hedonistic big shot.
As a ... more experienced person nearing 50, I think my priorities would be different. Big houses suck. They require continual maintenance, and who's going to be wasting their time shepherding all that? Having to deal with stupid BS little issues all day is precisely what he sold to MS to avoid. The more big expensive crap you acquire, the more effort has to be expended to maintain it all. No wonder he's made himself miserable. I can always trade time for money, and that certainly goes moreso for someone with his new financial resources. Its TIME that is precious.
Today, I'd find a fun interesting place to live, and *rent* myself a place there. Preferably somewhere walkable, so I wouldn't have to maintain a car (gawd, what a time and money sink those things are). I'd probably approach a local charity (like the food bank) and offer to do some free computer work for them. Knowing myself (and as a developer he's probably similar), it wouldn't take long to find some really interesting problem in there that could have wide application.
As for meeting people, how is he going to meet cool new people while locked behind gates in that mansion? Blah.
I've got virtually no relationships now, so there wouldn't be anything to whine like a little bitch about.
I'd:
Eliminate my debt.
Eliminate my family's debt. At least for mortgage and car.
Invest for my future and my heirs.
By all the toys. Island, boat, plane, car(s), other vacation homes.
What? There's still money left over? That's gas money for the boat and the plane.
Maybe philanthropy, but only if there is a shit ton left over and I make sure they don't ever come to me. I'll call you, you don't call me.
I'd be a lot more ambitions with $2.5 billion than just a couple of million.
Either way, highest priorities would be taking care of the urgent (but not that expensive) stuff: pay off the mortgage, do some house upgrades (or perhaps buy a new place), make sure the kids' college expenses are covered (within reason, they need to learn the value of work, too) and the like.
Beyond that, donate to a number of worthy organizations (not all of them 501(c)3). EFF, for example, perhaps ACLU and NRA also (let's defend all the liberties), and a few lesser known outfits promoting worthwhile (to me, anyway) goals - Space Access Society, 100 Year Starship, etc. Some medical research charities, a few others.
Endow scholarships, quite possibly with some interesting conditions (but not as oddball as the duct tape prom outfit scholarship) and/or fields of study.
If the wealth is in the billions rather than "mere" millions, then I'd look at doing a Musk and investing in some higher-risk, high-payoff endeavors: space transportation, new energy technologies (fusion, small fission, etc), and so on. Tomorrowland type stuff.
Minecraft 2?
These days, the milk is free anyway if you know how to get it. No reason to buy a cow when you can grab one off the street for free.
Let's hear it for feminism!
You are correct that a million will net about $60k. That's in a diversified portfolio of long-term investments, a fairly reliable income. Actually $600K per ten years is reliable - year to years gains will fluctuate and that's okay - your spending doesn't have to fluctuate to match each year.
What will ALSO net $60K spending money is earning 100K, saving 12% for retirement, spending 15% on your mortgage, etc. Once you retire, you're no longer saving up for retirement. If you pay off your house before you retire, you're no longer paying mortgage. You're probably not saving for your kids' college anymore. Therefore a $1 million retirement fund will provide approximately the same lifestyle as a $100K / year job.
This assumes you're under 55 currently, so you don't count on any social security at all. *
* You know based on how people are 55 today that 20 years there will be more 75 year-olds than there is money to pay benefits.
Studies have shown that most people would be very happy if their income doubled. But then they get used to the new level and need another double fix. There is never enough money.
I think that the sweet spot is $500k, especially in an urban area. I would never pay a million dollars for my house, but that is what it will sell for.
A large increase in money means moving to a new house in a new social strata. If you are 1000 times richer than your neighbors and friends, life is impossible.
Reading everything is helpful. You learn from Jane Austin that ones "wealth" was not how much money was in the bank, but how much one could spend in a year.
As a hobbyist game developer myself, I know what I would do.
Buy a nice home somewhere, and use most of my free time to make and play games.
But keep a low profile, so I can still take walks, order a coffee and visit wherever I like.
Ya cant have it both ways..
yes money cant buy happiness, the feeling of safety (deep saftey), it ruins trust, relationships, etc. which is why its best suited for those whom are older.
I wonder what the stats are regarding wealthy individuals, specificially: (physical, chemical, Health), Longieviety, Mental Health, family illness, etc..
Like a hoarder or "pink" from the Movie by Mr. Floyd, what do you do when the "Walls come down", " and your exposed to society"
The right decision, the wrong decision, which way to go.
It's like growing up
when your young, you cant wait to grow up, the freedoms, no more mandatory school, you can do what ever you want. But, what to do?
Remember anything you do, has to be carefuly evaluated Like ROOT on a Linux machine.. :(
Because your at the top or close to it, your decisions may be ever so far reaching because you are able to mitigate most of the safeguards in place..
That being said, its easy to have your decisions affect others in such a way that it may deter from the attepmted experience..
All you know is, you dont want to go back to the way it was when you were trying to reach it..
but now that you have it,, deperession sets in, schitophrenia drops by and introduces you to the notion that every one is taking from you, and not even attempting to give back, which further isolates your thoughts, your emotional capacity, and thus really screws you up
a quick solution to the situation,
Open up a marijuana club. Because you need not worry about the finanitial issues associated with Poor decisions made in that "area/industry".
Further more, because you dont have to compete with the other malodies that other establishments in that area fall victum to, you have the oppurtunity to really make a big "social" splash and thus encouraging the distribution of your Good name in various circles which in turn leads to the oppourtnity of healthy social interaction with young and old while also helping those in our society get along as normal as possible..
It could only lead to good things..
Imagine, doing what not even to most well known indivualds could not accomplish such as:
Helping with a cure for MS
Helping with a cure for MDA
Helping with a cure for Parkinsons
The list goes on and on..
I understand being lonely. Life at the top is naught so grand..
Life at the bottom sucks too
Life in the middle, taken advantage of above and below
Why is it in our society, we find pleasure in screwing each other.. Why do we feel the need to make things difficult for every one around us..
Like Rodney King said, "cant we all just get along?"
Imagine a world where people in any class supporting eachother for the greater good of our society
Imagine "all the people"
If I was a billionaire I would travel around in disguise and, because it is impossible to help everyone, I would help a number of random persons I would see. Like a homeless man in the street, a single mother on welfare, e.t.c. I would create a company with staff which only purpose would be to help those people to find a home, a job and education.
1) Pay off the mortgages of family and maybe friends.
2) The Devil makes work for idle hands. Find a charity doing something you believe in and become a volunteer for them.
3) Have a balanced life. Doing stuff and keeping in touch with friends is essential.
"Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping."
-- Bo Derek
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
Go find something that is fun and challenging.
Something where the money is nice, but your effort/skill is really what makes it go.
Participate with like-minded folks.
Classic examples are sports, travel, flying.
Sounds like some life counciling would not hurt.
It's not clear that money can help in that area.
Maybe a wise butler?
The problem to solve is how use this cash to shorten the time to grow into a confident, comfortable with himself adult.
You have youth and money on your side.
At least it should be a fun and interesting problem to have.
Honestly I have no use for that much money. My goal would be to invest about 50% of it. Take what ever money would be gained and hand it out to the people. Not from some agency or NPO. I would go to the streets daily and hand out everything I could. I would pay others to do the same. I would go to stores and pay attention if anyone is using state funding(food stamps etc.) and offer to pay their bill. Then give them double what ever it came to in cash. I would go to local farmers markets and buy them out. Then sit on the corner giving it all out for free. I would go to soup kitchens and take them all out to a restaurant. I would spend my money on the people. Not looking for friends or to be praised. I see too much suffering here in Woonsocket R.I.. No questions. No matter whom. Of course then again I may have nothing left to live for anymore depending on how today goes.
I would avoid fame at all costs. In addition, I would do my best to hide how wealthy I was.
Choosing the lesser of two evils is a choice for evil.
for the irresponsible ones anyway
Depends... suppose the Minecraft guy got divorced before he sold Minecraft. The wife can still say he started developing the game during their marriage and she's therefore entitled to some of the proceeds. Weirder judgements have heppened.
...and I'd look for a way to change that. I have some ideas about transportation and electronics that I would want to pursue. I would see what manufacturing capabilities I can make available to people in need of prototypes ("maker space", but more as a service than a shop). I would construct and build a solar powered trike. Not because I think it's important; the concept just appeals to me. Go for the quote from Tomorrowland: "I guess I got tired of waiting for someone else to do it for me." Look for the thing that you want but can't buy, and make it.
I'd purchase a large number of rare and vintage musical instruments and related gear, see that it's all taken care of properly, and build a recording studio where people could record using those instruments.
I wish I could come into that kind of money b/c there is so much I would like to do if I had the resources. For instance, I so much want to "Musk" the housing industry.
and the rest of us will be able to laugh at you forever.
Wanted to post exactly this. He may manage his wealth, but many of his friends would be destroyed, and at best might experience exactly what he is feeling.
She could petition the court for a child support jack if his kids are under 18.
"I would Musk and try to save the world, but that just exposes me to the same type of a$#@%&*s that made me sell minecraft again."
You don't have to try to be Musk. If you don't feel the need to get into that or be that sort of creative, at least you can recognize the people who do/are. Call him. You don't need to buy public shares when you have that kind of money. You invest in other people who are trying to change the world.
Keep some for yourself and enjoy your life while knowing that your money is helping to change the world. Don't like what Musk is doing? He's just an example. Fine something you believe in and invest.
I would blow it on something I found ridiculously cool. Like hardened, high-speed em-drive interstellar probes or something. But to each his own.
I am not interested in articles about life extension advancements.
I had animals as a kid. That's waaaaay too tied down.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
As an obsessive-compulsive programmer working on Free Software, I'm solicitating money from other Free Software enthusiasts in order not to have to have a paid job. Problem is, those who are most passionate about software (here the music typesetter LilyPond are those who have already invested considerable time and love and money in it themselves. So the list of the most significant sponsors reads like a Who's Who of the ancient and partly present gods of this software. That's embarassing. Instead making the bulk from micropayments would require actually reaching the users but there is no good strategy for that. Nagware, ads, self-advertisement on mailing lists (which only reach a very small subset of people)?
And then I'm not the most amicable person, and creating frequent reports and basically customer pampering is something that I totally suck at, at least eventually. Being independently wealthy would just mean that I could keep doing what I can without worrying all the time that I cannot make ends meet even in the short term. Of course, that would still not do my taxes for me...
In other words: there are fscking enough worthwhile causes to put your money to if you just open your eyes. If he did every worthwhile project even in some small town, he'd likely get rid of a lot of his trouble. Instead he'll likely throw it to the stock manager leeches in order to have even more things to worry about, and they'll try sucking the most out of needy people in return.
I'm eccentric and poor now. I'm sure I could handle being eccentric and wealthy just as well. People are already hard. Having more money won't make them any harder.
With $2billion it might be possible to fix systemd
I agree with the other posts about hiring an accountant first, and paying off my debts next. Once the black board is clear I would engage in a couple of things that would suddenly become possible. First up is a long term effort to bring potable water to areas where none is available. There are a myriad number of methods to accomplish this so there is no new technology to invent. It simply needs to be implemented, typically along with a reasonable solution for waste. Coupling any of these with (again any number of) renewable energy solutions would bring a community currently at the bottom of the civilization scale into a much better place.
Given that I would be onsite for many of these efforts, it solves the problems typically associated with newfound wealth in terms of pariah who look for people with money to take it from them. Being in a remote, 3rd world location makes getting to me difficult. I would be serving humanity, and avoiding those whose self interest exceeds their politeness.
The other project is directly in the realm of renewable energy but with a twist. The project would be to use uninhabitable lands such as the Sahara desert as very large scale solar energy farms. This would tilt the balance of power in terms of the energy economy to an area in desperate need of an influx of salable resources and provide a large scale demand for workers in areas plagued by unemployment and economic depravity. In fact the math holds that if enough energy could be captured rather than strike the ground, climate change could be thwarted, or at least lessened. The shear investment in infrastructure for the build would positively impact the areas surrounding where the farms where built. Being deliberately placed in uninhabitable areas removes concerns about impacting the surrounding community. The long term gains for the world-wide energy economy would be staggering. The only thing missing is a group of people with the vision, and the capital to make it happen.
So ultimately I would quit my current job which serves only my personal interests, and go off to do something that benefited everyone, world wide.
And yet another profound remark, lost in the quagmire that is Zero Mod points.
I mean really guys, does some one have to sign up for some BS account just to get noticed?
Relaly guys take a moment to stop read your own articles, and responses, and really think about this one..
think long, deep and hard about whats the right thing to do here??
# 1 Pay off all my bills for sure, second get a truck that can pull my new boat OR depending on how much i won buy a houseboat and eat fish and enjoy the rest of my life lol nice dream hu? ya i play the lottery but the odds are super low,BUT ya cant win if ya don't play :} so i at least have some odds
Jack of all trades,master of none
Most of the major banks offer a Private Banking service. Ask about it at your bank (Wells Fargo was a huge help to us). A surprisingly large part of the service consists of specialized staff to help you deal with these issues. You are not the first person, nor the last, to have immense wealth suddenly thrust upon them. The myriad of psychological issues that accompany those windfalls are best dealt with by people who have the experience of dealing with individuals struggling with the unforseen downsides and conflicts. It's far better to be rich than to be poor, but the transition in either direction is not an easy one. Good luck.
- This also lets me know who in my life is a gold digger, and who will continue to treat me the same. I don't want to be a bank, but "everyone gets one"
- my favorite atm is giving $5 starbucks gift cards to parents when their kids are being obnoxious in public, sometimes you just need a break!
- paying electric bills for all customers who are behind
- buying groceries for the people who are clearly just trying to get by
- paying for all the kids in the school to go to sea world, local zoo, etc
in the case of billions, I like the Musk idea - improve the world, help build what you've always wanted. Things get hard and frustrating, but I think remembering to be a normal human and not flaunt your money or lifestyle goes a long way. I also think those hard parts of life is what gives us the most return - accomplishing something hard is far more satisfying than doing something easy.
It sounds like he expected money to solve his social interaction issues. Now that he found it didn't, he feels "cheated".
wah...
No, he doesn't. When you are a billionaire, you are not free to do whatever you want to. You cannot travel freely, you need an armed security detail EVERYWHERE you go. You need to live in a secured house/building/whatever. You are very limited in who you can meet and hang out with as most people will freak out and start acting differently when they find out who you are. Your prospects for love and dating are very limited unless you just want a gold digging trophy wife.
Also, there is a real question about your life motivation, when you are a coder with a lot of money. Presumably, he enjoys coding, but why would he do it now that he can hire 100 better coders to do anything he can think of? It makes it hard to want to get out of bed in the morning when you simply don't have any reason to.
Notch, if you are listening, figure out what give you joy in life, and then use the money you have to create and influence things in a good direction. Also, go talk to Bill and Warren about joining their charity or found your own to do some real good for people who have nothing. There are a lot of them in the world.
HA! I just wasted some of your bandwidth with a frivolous sig!
Wait...what was the question again?
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
I would buy a controlling interest in the stock of my former workplace, and then indulge in some payback for my former bosses, coworkers and users....
There is no God, and Dirac is his prophet.
There's no law saying that somebody suddenly wealthy has to quit their job, buy a nice car, a mansion, a private jet, etc. Certainly you need to do all the Estate and Tax things anybody with a lot of money needs to do. (The tax part doesn't have to be hard, if you don't mind paying a lot of taxes, the tax forms work just as well even if you enter very large numbers onto them, and the IRS will happily cash your very large check.)
If you manage to come by your money in a relatively anonymous fashion, you don't even have to tell anybody you are secretly rich.
My college professor used to say, "The problems associated with success are preferable to the problems associated with failure, but they are problems nonetheless."
Our town doesn't have a high school, and the elementary/middle school is very overcrowded. I'd start there, and spend extra to get the best teachers.
Give it to me. I hate seeing people suffer.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
Renting an apartment within a few blocks of the Royal Mile, of course. Plus a second or third apartment to invite friends and family for their vacation times; I'm assuming there's enough wealth to share generously here. Then on to other events and activities around the calendar and the world, with exceptions for special events (weddings, birthdays, whatever) as they come up. In more practical terms, all of the young generation in that friends-and-family category will get all the education they can get admitted to. Experiences can have a longer-lasting impact than things.
So run it like a business or an investment, with a budget and goals. No investor would hand a brand new CEO $2.5B... they would ration the funds over time. You could do the same with yourself.
For example, put most of the money into a well managed trust and "give" yourself $250K per year as an allowance. You could bump that amount up each year on a predetermined schedule, but you'll probably hit a point where you don't need more. Set a goal that once you've gotten married you'll have access to a one time "payment" of an additional $500,000, perhaps to buy a new house. (You might be financing part of your house... ironic, but it's all part of not being isolated. And your credit score is kick ass.) You first child is born... bump your annual pay by another $50K for each child while your money manager begins automatically setting aside money for college funds.
In other words, live the comfortable life of a trust fund baby, except that you play the role of both parent and child. You will need a reputable firm to handle the details... reach out to other billionaires for recommendations on who to consider for this critical role.
You will probably die with over $2B in the bank, but so what so long as you are happy and you've led a good life? And if you throw yourself into the world (travel, volunteering, parenting, etc.) you will likely discover a cause that you feel is worth of your largess. Don't look for it... you'll know it when you see it.
Turn off the alarm clock.
I think whether or not the world knows who you are makes a big difference. If everyone knows you've got that kind of money, you're kind of stuck surrounding yourself with "flappers" in order to maintain some amount of peace and quiet.
In my case, my first priority would be to stay anonymous.
After that... Well, relatively small amounts of money can make a *huge* difference for some people. A $200 million lottery payout at even a crappy rate of return still gives you a five-figure PER DAY budget without touching the principal. I would make it my mission to give away at least 90% of that, daily and personally. Impossible, perhaps, but probably way more fulfilling than anything else I could do with it.
Ultimately, Heinlein was right when Jubal (in A Stranger in a Strange Land) pointed out that people want to SPEND money, not HAVE money.
If Musk is trying to save the world, he is doing a shitty job of it. Provide the world with unlimited free wireless power in the same way that Nikola Tesla dreamed. The technology has been already invented a long long time ago. It just needs to be implemented. Then with what is left, start converting internal combustion engines to run off of water using electrolysis so that the hydrogen and oxygen can be used in the combustion chamber.
Posting Anon due to mod points.
Why not do some philanthropic things? Wouldn't it feel fulfilling to change the world in some way? Help needy people... buy mosquito nets for Africa, donate to ALS research, work on space travel, back things that seem important and need a boost, setup a thinktank, etc... DO SOMETHING! Less bitching and more doing!
Retire, then spend the rest of my life writing free software.
Start an internet provider company that provides a gigabit network, and actual customer service. And don't rape your customers with the charges!
First things's first, I'd hire an accountant, a lawyer, and an executive assistant, have them all keep each other in check and keep me financially and legally secure, and let me direct the use of that money more easily than having to spend it all myself. But that settled, I would fix the problems that personally affect me the most, first:
My mom is presently homeless and in terrible physical health, and her mom (my only living grandparent) likewise; grandma at least can stay with another of her kids for now, but I live in a tiny trailer and can't really help mom. But simultaneously, the first childhood home I can remember, near where I live now, is for sale. I'd buy that house in cash immediately and let mom and grandma live there, with in-home nursing care and a personal assistant to help them with anything they need, and instructions to help enroll them both in creative and social programs (painting classes, book clubs, etc) to help bring them both back into good enough mental shape that I can have positive relations with them again.
I'd buy my dad's underwater land off him, and basically redevelop the entire thing into a proper house, rather than the decaying frankenstein partially rebuild mobile home and unpermitted slapdash structures it's made of now. It would include a lot of garden space, so that dad could grow his own food, which he loves to do already, and which would save him a lot of money. I'd probably also buy him a lot of musical instruments, and let him retire to the music he's always wanted to do his entire life.
And lastly I'd buy the property at the top of the hill from where dad lives now, the ruins of the huge old house I grew up in as a kid, before the mountain fell on it. I'd have the whole place rebuilt the way I remember it, and retire there myself. I'd finally be able to live with my girlfriend, and we'd get married and live happily ever after in there.
Of course, new cars and computers and phones and such for all of the above, and physical and mental health care and therapy for everyone involved until everyone's in as good a shape as possible, but that's all trivial on the scale we're talking about.
I'd then invest enough money in some stable long-term investment like index funds, such that the returns are enough to fund the upkeep of all of the above and a comfortable lifestyle for everyone involved indefinitely. I would then spend my time completing the life's work that I've had to put off until retirement.
I'd probably finish the mod for an ancient video game that I never quite completed, and then make another mod for another ancient game that I never even got to start, just for a warm-up. I would likely hire a bunch of my old friends who wanted careers as video game developers to help me with this, and maybe fund a startup for them to bring their own projects to fruition together and realize their own life dreams.
Then I would finish writing my philosophy book (probably hiring a philosophy student or graduate from the local university to be my sounding-board and fact-checker, since I'm so out of practice in that world now). Then I would probably spend the rest of my life fleshing out the speculative fiction series I've been very slowly developing in one form or another my entire life. I'd probably also study a lot on my own, or take classes or hire teachers when I can't teach myself something from books.
I might want to make the personal-funding investment large enough that I could afford to travel while I do all of this, and then I'd buy a boat and sail from port to port along all the coasts (and up all the rivers) of the world, maybe traveling by horseback up the rivers where boats can't fit. Bringing an entourage with me the whole time to make sure we can communicate with the locals, get us through customs, stay out of trouble with the law, don't miss any important sights, etc. See the world, while doing my life's work, since all I need to write is a laptop and I can do that from any hotel room anywhere.
Any money left over would g
-Forrest Cameranesi, Geek of all Trades
"I am Sam. Sam I am. I do not like trolls, flames, or spam."
Seriously, that's all you need to do.
If it's a cause you care about, find a way to go after it. If you are alone or the field is sparsely populated, you'll probably lead the cause. Otherwise you may find it better to join an existing organization.
If it's business you care about, found a company or buy one. Either in whole or in part, it doesn't much matter. But go corporate.
If it's adventure you care about, start investigating the adventurous life. Become that.
I suspect the biggest issue hanging over all these choices would be: Must you lead, or can you follow? Do you require control or are you satisfied leaving control in the hands of others? And of course this isn't a 100% either/or choice. You may want control over certain aspects of your work or time but are happy leaving other aspects in the hands of others. The dividing line on that will be important.
Another issue, lesser I suspect, is how social you are. Do you want to do things alone or with others? For most people the answer will be "with others of course!" Then you need to discover what relationship you want with those other people (which gets back to the control issue).
First, I'd hire someone whose entire job was to say "NO" (s/he would be fired for saying anything but "NO"). Then, when someone approached me asking for money, I'd say "I have a person who manages my money and makes my financial decision for me. Here's their number."
Why is there an "insightful" mod and why isn't it "-1"? If I wanted insight, I wouldn't be reading
I would (wait for it...) take a really nice nap.
Two chicks at the same time
Keep it a secret.
Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
Could probably use about $100k myself. That would be plenty to pay off mortgage of this small home here in the backwoods. Hell, maybe splurge a bit and get 2008 model Volvo V70, my dream car. Yes, 2008. The last model that actually looked good. I'd shut up about the money. I'd say absolutely nothing to anyone. I'd stay right here where I live, 360 sq ft is enough for two dudes and a mini dinosaur. The rest... I'd invest in startups and companies that are important to me, some stuff that helps humankind as a whole. Maybe buy enough politicians to have the majority vote and put my own candidate as the president.
Anyone who thinks money can't buy happiness has never bought a week's groceries for a poor person.
My blog: http://www.seebs.net/log/ --- My iPhone/iPad app: http://www.seebs.net/seebsfrac/
As someone who has little life and a large penchant for daydreaming, I've come up with a rough list of things, in order of priority:
1) Hire an accountant. I would do this before I even collected my new-found wealth
2) Pay off all of my debt
3) Gift large sums to my family, working with my accountant to see as little as possible be eaten by taxes (amount to gift depends on what I receive, but for $2.5B probably a million each sibling (4) and 10-20 million to my folks)
4) Set aside a good amount for long-term living, so that even if I undertake anything and bottom out I still won't need to work at all
5) Find a nice area, probably somewhere 30-60 miles outside a major city, and settle down there (at least, use it as my "home base")
6) Donate vast swaths to select charities. EFF is up there, as is the UCLA. I also have more specific charities that I have personal relationships with, such as a poverty assistance center outside of Detroit, a feline sanctuary outside of Denver, and a cancer research fund that partners through my fraternity.
Once all of that is done I'll probably undertake a large number of economic experiments. Maybe something like MINCOME, but attempt to make it self-sufficient. I've always had a idea of taking the run-down areas of Detroit and turning it into a city of sorts for veterans, offering both housing and employment. These might be separate, or they might be the same. Such a city would also try to implement various "newer" technologies and be used for studying them, such as heavy solar installation and a revamped electrical grid.
Another notion I've long had is a website where people (likely just Americans) can apply for a $1000 grant for anything. Ideally I would partner with various companies to supply whatever was being purchased to help spread money further via sponsorship (and maybe a reality TV series), like if they applied for a grant to use towards a washer/dryer I would just buy the washer/dryer for them.
tl;dr: Pay off my debt, set aside money, they give most of the rest away
100K a year after taxes.
It's bound to go up, but to being "wealthy" means $2-4M in investments to get to that after taxes. Depending on how.
Everything after that is either "invest in the investments" or "pay off the house loan against the line of credit".
Any way you look at it, if you do not want to work, or you do not want to work on something other than "facebook++" for some asshole who thinks he has a magic "get rich quick" scheme, you are at a minimum looking at $4M.
Get involved with helping under-funded important opensource project, like NTP, OpenSSH, and getting hardware into the hands of reputable open source programmers for better support.
1. Put the money in some nice, safe savings and investments, dispersed among a few banks. Or even currencies. It's not the highest return, but it is lowest risk.
2. Quit job.
3. Buy small house. Not a mansion. Just somewhere with spare bedroom I could turn into a workshop.
4. Tell no-one of my obscene wealth.
5. Enjoy a life of doing just about anything I wish with all that free time.
6. Commission huge amounts of furry art, buy myself lots of cool tech-toys to play with, hire professional programmers to work the bugs out of a few open-source projects that are pretty good but could use some refinement. All the little things you wish you could do, but can't afford.
Now, if I have a truly crazy amount of wealth:
7. Commission the construction of the world's largest needle, and rent a camel for a day.
See, his real problem, in my opinion, is that he put the cart before the horse, and made a crapton of money before properly establishing a family life. I'm married, so I don't have to worry about meeting Miss Right. What's more, we have six kids and are barely able to make ends meet -- so now would be absolutely the perfect time to become suddenly wealthy!
Now, if only I could come up with the next Minecraft...
I would live better that's for sure even if i'm all alone. Everybody as an adult becomes alone in a point of their lives. Boo Hoo. I would travel through out the U.S, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. Plus, I would have the time and money to start a new career or business. The guy is 36 years old, live your life for crying out loud because by the time your 60 your mind and body will start going downhill.
With enough capital to retire off of, I'd probably use whatever was left to help people, to the extent that money can.
Maybe build an apartment building that wasn't being run for-profit to keep rent down for low-income families or something like that.... having come from one myself, I know how much of a difference the availability of stuff like that can make.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Sounds like Notch is suffering from the early symptoms of Affluenza. If he doesn't start to correct this problem he will be hanging out with Kardashians and/or trying to start his own reality show.
Well, forst I would hire an accountant and an a tax attorney.
Then I would give the same % back to God as I do my regular paycheck, but it will be more complicated than just handing a check to my local church.
Then I would pull out enough for myself to pay off my debts and be able to generate 150-200% of my current income, adjusted for the cost of living in the most expensive metro area in America. This will be in the $1-10M range.
Everything else goes to charity, with one catch: if you ask, and I hadn't slready decided to give you money, you just disqualified yourself. If I had decided already, you'll get the low end of the range I was thinking of giving you.
Oh, make that two catches: no publicity as long as I live. A private thank-you letter and a note for the tax man is enough. If you want to name a scholarship, endowed chair, or building after me fine, but please do it over my dead body. :)
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
The condom failure rate for people with that much money is AMAZINGLY high.
Just an FYI, taxes will take about 50% (more or less, depending on the state) in gift tax. So like, if you ever do have $1.5billion, that's a good thing to know, I guess.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
Persson also began hosting wild parties where guests like Skrillex, Selena Gomez, and Tony Hawk would sometimes make appearances.
I'd hire a ninja keep those people out.
And another ninja to beat my ass if I had actually invited them.
Being rich on that scale requires one getting into politics on some level. Basically there is a difference between money and power and those things are not equivalent. Somebody armed with the power of the mob can come after a guy with money.
Start your own political party, Minecraft party, why not? Run for POTUS, what the hell, Mitt tried it, Clinton and Trump are trying...
On the other hand you can also invest into research and various alternative ideas if you feel bored doing what everybody else on that wealth level does - trying to chase the markets.
Build your own space rocket, seems to be the latest fad for billionaires.
You can set up an investment fund of-course, let others try and do something with your money while really enjoying your life a little bit.
Heck, invest into my startup.
I'd move into a house that allowed my wife & kids to have more property for horses & horse related stuff
I'd put in a food forest, silvo pasture & raise some cows, & more pigs.
I'd put in a nice shop, wood working, metal working, laser cutter, cnc, 3d printer or 2. that way I could get back into wood working & just play doing stuff
I'd probably also take a really long trip (30-60 days) with my family to see the US,
I'd spend more time with my kids camping, fishing, horseback riding, etc.
Then possibly go walkabout when their older.
TKrabec Pahh
boo hoo hoo.
I would use my technological/business skills to properly and permanently correct the wrongs around me, except that I would make sure the combine it with things that I love. So for instance where I once lived the local aid organizations were always begging for their local food banks. There are families who need food, this is a terrible thing in a modern country. Thus I would spend my money buying up some prime farmland where half of it would be to grow food, and the other half would be leased out to create a revenue stream to fund the growing half.
Then in the downtown I would do the same pairing. One property would be purchased to lease out and fund the food bank operations, while another building would be the food bank.
The key would then to completely opensource the above model.
The same sort of thing could be done with homeless shelters, research organizations, etc. This way where the government does not charge the wealthy elites enough taxes, I would just charge them rent.
The key would be that I would aim to charge the wealthy money that then goes to fund the worthy. Other examples would be to have a luxury hotel that funds a rehab center.
One other odd thing that I would set up is a medical research charity where my money covers all administrative costs. Donor money then 100% goes to actual research. Except that I would not spend the money with established researchers. I would only hire researchers who were working on their PhD or had graduated within the last 5 years. They would then get 10 years of funding that could only go to people meeting the same PhD conditions. At the end of 10 years they would either have delivered or failed. Close would be something for another funding organization to look at.
Thus donors to the charity would know that exactly zero of their money would be going to a bloated administration or to "established" researchers, many of whom have only established themselves as really good at getting grants. The 10 years would allow these young researchers to break the chains of convention and ignore their established peers and potentially explore areas that would be impossible if their established peers had any say. There would also be little auditing except to watch for violations where the designated researchers were somehow forced to hand the money over to others or egregious fraud.
Nope, and I like it that way.
Slashdot is forum of the ancient internet and is modelled after usenet. Comments have subjects, just like a usenet thread. And once you post something, it's out there, just like usenet. Sure they could let you edit the post, but then you could make the replies seem stupidid or nonsensical.
I like it like this.
SJW n. One who posts facts.
1. SHUT UP. no one else needs to know you have a bank roll....
2. hire a very good financial adviser to invest said lump of money.
3. Live off the interest of said money and repair computers and Networks when I felt like it.
Other than those 3 things, I would do nothing differently other than stop working and maybe a bit more travel but nothing stupid
I would donate 1 year worth of stipend to each and every person begging for money that I could find in the city.
Actually, a million cash would be about enough to fund a $60k a year income assuming you can get a good rate of return (6%...crazy these days).
Forgetting about taxes and inflation? To turn $1M into $60K/year of income you'd need a rate of return closer to 10-13% or so every year without fail. If you get less then your rate of return has to be higher the next year because you'll have dipped into your principal or you'll have to live on less for that year. Some years you will be almost certain to have a negative return.
Sure, even rich people have problems, but, I'll take those problems over the problems poor, (and working), people have.
To anyone newly super-wealthy out there, having problems making new friends, let me offer a solution. Fill up my bank account with a few million, and as two former poor persons, we should have a lot in common. I'm intelligent, but not a nerd. I have lots of ideas on how to enjoy life, and would be happy to help out. No, I'm serious. PM me.
-- sudon't
Air-ride Equipped
If you read some of the stories about "Notch", you get a sense that his problems started before MSFT bought him out. For example, he was previously divorced. Also, the constant hat and trench coat might indicate somebody trying to build a wall around himself, so he's probably an extreme introvert. His best course of action is probably to start a new venture to keep himself from brooding, which he's stated he doesn't want to do so he doesn't have to deal with the "assholes" he's dealt with in the past. But I guess he doesn't realize he can just hire a person to tell anybody who enquires "Sorry, dude's a billionaire, he doesn't need your money, not for sale at any price", and anybody else he doesn't want to deal with.
The problem is how to find a girl. The answer is: start with the societies and old money. Then widen the search to those royalties and industrial figures aboard. Accumulate those fortunes together.
and turn it into a porn site.
In coastal Connecticut, $100K a year isn't enough to buy a decent house if you're trying to raise a family at the same time.
Quite so. You can find a place to live but it's going to be a dump relatively speaking.
$200K might be enough to get a nice home around here, but $100K a year here is like making $40K a year in a rural area.
It's worse than that. Houses along the Gold Coast area cost something like 3-5X what they do out in the midwest where I live. A house that would cost me $100K in Michigan would cost me something like $400K+ anywhere along the so called Gold Coast. I know because I almost moved there at one point and went house shopping. The house I have now would have cost me well over a million anywhere remotely close to Greenwich CT.
It would be easy for me. I like what I do, my job and my hobbies. My job (engineering) is a lot about helping people, so it is something that I would definitely continue doing because the best rewards are immaterial. Now I could ignore the financial aspect and focus on what seems the most interesting or worthwhile.
I think it is probably easier for someone older who is somewhat less of a consumer. I have many toys and there are not a lot of toys that make me go "Ha!". I do not salivate before the newest and greatest things. I just went back into biking and I bought a $2,500 used bike that is just great. 140 HP, in great condition and very comfortable. I can't really imagine why I would want a more expensive one. I typically drive my cars until they return to dust, so my 2005 will last a while longer. I probably won't wait as long before replacing the tires :)
I would definitely complete my house remodeling that has been stalled for the last year or so. I would probably do much less myself and get professional help. My wife would continue gardening, knitting and sewing because this is what she likes to do as well.
With more time on our hands, we would travel some. There are many great places to visit, but we both are home buddies, so I cannot see myself as a permanent traveler.
The problem with some people who become suddenly rich is that they do not have something they like to do other than make money and/or spend money. Once they have so much of it that exactly how much they have does not matter, what is left for them to do?
If I were uber rich that would be my goal. More than all the houses, the planes and exotic cars, the sports franchises, having a foundation with the means to do lasting good on a globally significant scale and leaving a legacy rather than just an estate would be so fulfilling. Well it would for me anyway.
Not a big Microsoft fan, but I absolutely admire Gates for his foundation's work. Given it was MS that bought Minecraft I'm sure Bill could give him some pointers.
These days, the milk is free anyway if you know how to get it. No reason to buy a cow when you can grab one off the street for free.
And how exactly do you get it for free anyway? Some men are just much more gifted with talking to women than others; AFAICT, getting "it" easily as you say seems to involve spending a lot of time at bars, and being outgoing and confident. When you don't drink and are introverted, this isn't so easy to do. It's still not hard to get free sex even if you're an introvert who doesn't like alcohol or socializing that much: you can just use Tinder, but it requires lowering your standards a lot. and "liking" all the women who are 20 years older and/or 200 pounds heavier than you. I'd rather play Minecraft.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that it's impossible to meet a nice and attractive woman as an not-terribly-social introvert and create a permanent relationship with her, but you're talking about quick sex or a "hookup" as they call it these days, something altogether different than a typical courtship.
Shouldn't #4 be "Prophet!!!"? And then shouldn't #3 be "???"
experience exactly what he is feeling
Misery loves company.
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
ps - I'm not including taking care of an older generation, as many others have mentioned, because my older generation is gone; I *am* the older generation.
I would buy the best politicians my money can afford, converting some of my money into power. Then I'd use this power and money to push humanity to the stars. I don't care who does it - Musk, NASA, or someone else. We are going there and beyond and/or die trying. I'd also be on one of the first flights out.
Why? Because nobody remembers the person who bankrolled Christopher Columbus.
That's the problem, it's a toss-up.
Also, your results are likely to be very different based on several factors, such as the geographic area you're in (and the political leanings there), and state law.
What state/region are you in? And how bad was your wife? The typical complaint is that the only way men get full custody is when the wife is basically a crack whore, judged mentally incompetent, etc.; cases where it's so completely obvious the woman is unfit for custody that they have to give it to the man or else put the child in foster care.
for me... (1) get rid of the trashmobiles we've got. (2) set up a managed trust for a relative that is indigent and has physical issues. (3) upgrade the security system slightly at home. (4) develop a charity to pass a bill or so around where it's needed in places not covered by safety nets. (5) and NOW we have time to dump a week or two at a time into Habitat for Humanity, get some green space up in neighborhoods that badly need humanizing, stuff like that.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
This is my exact plan for any potentially large lottery jackpot win. It's also why I only play Powerball and Mega Millions. I don't want to win $10k on some stupid scratch-off ticket that costs $10. Odds are that I would lose the $10 without much real enjoyment. "Whee! I won $5k after taxes!" If I was in such dire financial straits for $5k to be life-changing, then I shouldn't be spending $10 on a scratch-off ticket.
The minimum payouts (assuming I don't get screwed with having to share the pot) for both of the big games are enough for me to comfortably retire immediately. That fantasy alone is worth a few bucks a week. For less than two packs of cigarettes, I can have a major psychological boost (fantasy of possible win) with the added benefit of avoiding lung cancer. On the other side, that's just a single skipped Starbucks mocha, and I get the added benefit at the waistline.
The key to being rich is not appearing like you are rich. If you have a mansion, bentley, and all the things money can buy then once people catch on they leech on you because of your money. If you continue to live a modest life style as if nothing has changed then people will continue to like you for you. This doesn't work if someone is a celebrity.
I offer to solve all of Mr Persson's problems caused by excessive money. I can solve them all by tomorrow, for the low low price of 2.5 billion dollars.
Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
The way to be treated like a normal human being is to live like one. I would buy a modest but nice house on a bunch of land in the country, buy some cars and toys, nice stuff but not exotic or ultra extravogent. In addition to that be generous with my time and cautiously generous with my money. When people see that you are wise (not a pushover) and normal they treat you as such.
Send all your money to me and you will be happy again.
love is just extroverted narcissism
making decisions with what to do with a large windfall. I inherited $1.2 million last spring and I am actually more miserable now than I was last year. Suddenly you have to hire lawyers and accountants. No matter how much you try to keep a lid on, relatives and co-workers do find out...then they start dropping not so subtle hints that they could use some it...
But I'd sure like a chance to find out!
Luckily for me I'm the friend who would be overdosing and joining cults if I suddenly became rich.
and decommission it by end of year.
The only things I could think of to do if I was suddenly wealthy is a)get a $2500 gaming PC so I can max out the new games, and b) get a Suzuki G-48W Gregoire Maret signature chromatic harmonica (http://www.suzukimusic.com/harmonicas/g48w/).
The rest I'd turn over to my wife and daughter to do with as they please. Other than that, I'm already pretty satisfied.
You are welcome on my lawn.
Put it into a non-profit green recycling company to clean up the toxic messes of the world that we are all now eating? http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/welcome-to-beautiful-parkersburg/
Chernobyl
Mongolia
Fukishima
Sunken Russian Nuclear equipped submarines rotting in the Artic sea.
Etc.
then you should be reminded about how horrible you are.
Donate it all to a charity.
A charitable foundation that you create yourself and whose only purpose is to support poor YOU.
So you get the benefit of being known for donating all your billions to a charity, people think you're poor and yet, you can offer yourself anything you want.
Plus, depending on how and where you do it, it can save you tons of taxes.
What would I do if I was rich as Notch? Easy; get a job at Valve and move your desk to the HL-3 area and get to cracking!
With 2.5 Billion Dollars? I'm too lazy to do the real math, but im guessing you could pick one random person and give them $100,000 every day for the rest of your life and still have enough money to live comfortably.
OR you could hire enough people to completely buy out the next iDevice release on opening day, and light the whole batch on fire, just to watch the hipsters cry about it. 453 retail Apple stores, 100 people per store, 20 devices per person, $700 average retail would cost you just over $634M. You wouldn't completely buy them out, but it'd be enough to make a pretty little dent. (This seems to be an XKCD "What if" submission waiting to happen... "What would it take to buy every iPhone available on release day? And what could I do with them once I bought them")
..and how good you are investment and taxes.
I think unless you have an after-tax one-time amount in excess of $10 million dollars or more, you're unlikely to live better than a basic upper-middle class lifestyle.
I did a spreadsheet based on investing all of it into tax-free munis (because they're safe, and I can eliminate tax questions) and only have to make rough guestimates on investment yields and inflation.
It isn't hard to outspend your capital and dividends over time, especially if you dump a bunch of money on property.
I put in $200 million in principal, less $25 million invested in real estate and I run out of money in about 30 years, but it does require spending about $5 million a year in cash, which wouldn't be hard to do if a person liked to travel -- a private jet to Europe from NYC could be close to $100k to charter. You could throw out a million per year easily flying private aviation.
Want to own a yacht? Very easy to blow $3 million on a pretty basic motor yacht (Hinckley T55, you can drive it yourself, no crew or certification required) and not hard to see spending $50-70k per year on fuel and maybe another $100k on services for it.
And $25 million doesn't buy you fantasy real estate, either. NYC condos go way past that all the time, and if you factor $25 million buying you more than one property you're getting into pretty ordinary luxury if you divide that by 2-3 unique properties and they would all need maintenance and caretaking.
I would become a super Villan, surround myself with hot chicks in bikinis and you bet your ass I would have sharks with lasers, I would know the value of a dollar and Austin Powers would be dead!
Notch was married for, but for a year. He got married after Minecraft took off though, or just after he formed the Mojang company.
Yes, but most people would gladly trade the problems that it *does* solve for the new problems that it does not. Arguably a much smaller set, and much more tractable.
No room to bitch. If you're wealthy, and bitching, then give your wealth to someone that would appreciate it.
It's not often that buying new stuff will invoke the same depth of feeling as travelling somewhere new. Long after the experience, you're left with memories and lessons learned, which add quality to your life. The mistake people often make is going for luxurious travel experiences. They are fun to do occasionally...but you really don't learn anything from them. Everything is done for you. Instead, do some research, make sure you have backup resources to fall back on if things go South, and seek out adventures that take you out of your comfort zone. You will learn that the world is a wondrous place, with a lot of wonderful people...and you will learn a lot about yourself along the way.
invest in long term stocks... and live off of dividends...3.5% to 4.51% return would be okay. .. making and generating power. .. to breakup the nsa's hardware cartels
i would buy land in south africa.... for a solar panel plant
pay media to start ad's for texas to separate from usa.
i would build a texas plant for open hardware
i would build pipelines to move water around in north america.. move flooded area's waters to drought areas like cali and texas..
buy up lots of land in mid-west and canadian prairies and wait for north/south poles to melt and collect on real estate...
once the real estate is sold off.. then start my own blackwaters but much bigger.. 1000's time bigger and use force to re-obtain the land i just sold.
then start ww3
That's it
Problem solved! :)
I would buy anonymity. Hire a team that would go through and erase all evidence of me. In panopticon we now inhabit, complete anonymity would be the most valuable thing in the world. People, corporations, governments, they'd have no idea I exist, where I live or what I do. I don't know if it's possible, but with a few billion I'd give it a shot.
Put aside enough for me and my family for the foreseeable future, then donate the rest.
Start some project and work hard for it. You will know why you wake up and you will also find interesting people working in the field.
This one is easy. The only honorable thing to do when one becomes rich is to stop wanting material things and concentrate on helping those who are suffering. Invest the money wisely and give away all of the annual net income you don't need to live. Leave the rest to a foundation that helps people.
How in the world is this stuff that matters [let alone news for nerds]?
Always these articles about how we are supposed to feel bad for the struggles of the powerful and rich.
This isn't the first article about being rich, powerful is hard and you totally should feel pity toward them.
I'm not buying it.
This article in a long series of articles is typical of propaganda.
Notice how he complains about problems non-rich people have as well.
Not having a girlfriend, big whoop!
New challenges arise constantly for most people.
Not to say there aren't problems for Notch, there are but Notch is in a luxury position.
(You see people are not evolved to win the struggle to survival and then feel a bit lost.
Understandably since our psychology has never evolved to deal with such a series of life events.
The question for Notch is: "What to fill the time in my life with now."
One thing rich people should do is to assert their self more instead of their money.
Stand up to people who want to make it all about the money.
What Notch could do to fix his problems:
For starters, learn and get a degree in psychology or, and neurology.
This to achieve two things:
-> Study about the assholes that forced you to sell Minecraft.
Study them until you know how to identifie/detect, expose and ignore such assholes!
-> Study loneliness.
Study how to remedy loneliness, study how rich people defeat loneliness as a psychology/neurology student.
Make information on both issues publicly accessible.
With new-found knowledge should come some new-found confidence in doing things better.
It looks like Notch would like to have a project of some kind, some kind of coding project.
But the burn of selling his 'baby' is still fresh.
Either way Notch might want to find a hobby and coding can be a very good hobby if accompanied by other healthy lifestyle choices.
Thus Notch should become a hobby coder, can be with or without company like structure.
But in addition to that: what Notch's life certainly needs is creating a charity that gives away coder time, hardware, other resources and money to some free software projects.
The charity is both a hobby and a way to meet new people for Notch.
Due to loose connections with beneficiaries Notch should be able to make new friends and acquaintances easier than in other fields.
Not to mention many people are as the head of a software project familiar with some life aspects which are the same in Notch's life. Making contact easier.
I would donate money to an organization that freely distributed birth control devices. Overpopulation strains the supply of natural resources like water, strains the food supply (farms being bought to put in housing), increases pollution, etc. And parents that don't have huge numbers of children can better care for their children. Lessen overpopulation -> help with many other problems.
I would contact some scientists and offer to fund their research. Mostly medical research but probably a little space and ocean also. Not only would these benefit me and everyone I could make more money or fame with it.
This is the best answer right here, and it would cure his loneliness, too. Not only do the people who have stuck by you during the hard times deserve the reward, but they're the ones who have proven who you can trust.
I think even the best of friendships might end up weird if sucking up to you might mean another drop of many millions of dollars. And many people will feel quite obliged by something like that, even if it's a gift. And some feel unnaturally compelled to match spending habits even though they clearly can't afford it, though I suppose not with a billionaire. Sure, some people are welfare queens and will take what they can get but many also don't want your charity. It's always easier to peer with your peers, which is why rich people tend to lump together.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
What a DOUCHEBAG!!! Any respect I had for that guy just went out the window! This is what happens when someone that already has money, gets more of it, they whine. How about give the fucking money to someone like ME who has lived in poverty pretty much my whole life!? I'd buy my way out of this shitty country (USA) and into Europe. Then I'd invest some of the money in a permanent residence (probably in Germany), and live my life!!! I'd invent, I'd go to college (its free there). I'd build kit ultra lights (something I've wanted to do, but am too poor to ever do), I'd try my hands in programming, maybe dabble in hardware, or FPGA's, etc. Hell, I'd spend every weekend in the Hofbrauhaus! ....
WHAT A DOUCHEBAG!!!!
So mad right now!
In my case, I got semi-wealthy very slowly over the years. I retired earlier this year at age 55 with a net worth of about USD $2.5 million. I started with very little -- all the money came from saving aggressively and investing in the stock market.
The money is really just numbers on a spreadsheet. My wife and I continue to live our same life, spending about USD $40,000 per year for living expenses. The money is nice to have as a safety net, but it changed our lives very little except for allowing us to retire early. I'm perfectly content with the idea of never spending a majority of that money. I don't think that having significantly more money (say, $1 billion instead of $2.5 million) would really change much for us -- I guess maybe we'd do more charitable giving out of a sense of obligation?
For years I've read about people who have been ruined by money, or who find the money to be a "burden". I have never been able to fathom that concept. You just stick the money in an account -- how hard can that be? If people are bothering you about the money, then hire a lawyer to deal with them. If you have no idea how to invest money, then hire a professional to help. You're under no obligation to change anything else about your life. (The exception is if you also become famous, then you might find new limitations on what you can do -- but again, professional assistance is always available to help.)
Actually the 6% number is net of inflation. Over the long term, stocks tend to return about 9% including dividends. Some calculate 10%. On average, bonds yield about 6%-7%. So the gross yield on a balanced, diversified portfolio will be about 8 or so. Subtract inflation and you get 6%.
Also, as one might expect, an overall price increase (inflation) tends to correlate with bond and stock prices rising too. So inflation serves to dampen volatility a bit. That is to say, when inflation is high, returns tend to also be high, so net returns are more consistent than gross.
I find it funny that a guy who got rich selling software that lets people explore their creative side chose to purchase a home rather than build one. I'd buy a $250k home to live in for the year or two it'd take for my dream home to be built then I'd give the $250k home to a friend. I always wanted to sit down with a pad and pencil and just draw out whatever I felt would be awesome for a home then give it to an architect to make realistic plans from. That'd be so awesome. I would, of course, build a top end IT infrastructure in my home and a ballroom sized LAN party center. I'd also be a philanthropist. I make $90k a year now, and I'm 40 so I figure if I calculate to 100 years old (unlikely I'll last that long) giving myself a $10k raise every 5 years I'd need $8,910,000. So I set ten million aside in a safe investment fund, maybe convert some of it to commodities to be safe then the rest I could just go nuts with. Help a bunch of people. Rather than just buy people homes and cars and that kinda thing I'd like to be the "debt angel"; pick needy/struggling families and pay off whatever debts they have so they can start clean. Doesn't really do any good to buy someone a Bugatti Veyron if they can't afford insurance or maintenance. Oh yea, speaking of cars.. I'd buy a bunch of cheap supercars (i.e. not Veyron level, more like Gallardo level) then rent them out at reasonable costs so fellow car guys who can't afford to own something like that can at least have fun with them on the weekend :) Yea, they'll likely get trashed but with 2.5 billion in the bank that wouldn't really be a problem lol.
Regarding friendships and such, that may be a problem if the billions fall to a teenager but at forty I already have a handle on who my friends are so that wouldn't bother me.
Learn how to identify when your money is all getting funneled to one guy and opt out. Minecraft could just as well have been open source. It's worth nothing.
I'd travel for a while but I'd also go back to school and learn a bunch of stuff I never thought I'd have time to learn. I'd become a pilot. I'd learn to scuba dive. I'd browse through class catalogs and just start taking classes that sound interesting or travel and take classes from professors I find interesting.
If I were him I would maybe would just not do ostentatious displays of wealth such as ridiculous mansions, bugattis etc. Put the money away, drive around in a GTI, etc. Not saying I think there is anything wrong with being wealthy or that people should generally hide it. Saying that if one doesn't like the kind of attention that it's attracting, then don't have it out front and center. Have yourself be the first thing people encounter rather than your wealth.
Go into politics. Buy my way into power. Climb up and up. Then make life a living hell for all the peons. And I mean HELL. Legally, of course. Oppose me, you get arrested or sued into the gutter. Close down parks, close down playgrounds, raise prices everywhere so that entire communities would get uprooted and forced into slums. Buy firms, factories, close them down. Destroy jobs. Flush workers into the streets. Raze entire blocks into the ground, dig a deep deep pit, build a massive tower rising from the pit, a horrible and oppressive building to cast a shadow over your once-fair city. So you will learn not to worship money and power and maybe grow a spine and try to rebel. Of course I will put your puny rebellion down, but you can try and try and try again. It will teach you not to give up. And each time I will crush you down more and more, taking revenge over your loved ones. That will teach you determination. Or you can roll over and be my bitches forever - or until I tire of it, which would be very quickly. And when I tire of you, into the shit pit you go!
I guess part of why people find these discussions so interesting is the fact that there are so many different angles one can take, and still sound logical and "correct".
(I mean, from a purely practical standpoint - it's probably among the bigger wastes of time we could engage in discussing. What are the chances I'll ever personally have such a financial windfall? I barely ever even play the lottery. Pretty sure I'm not alone in that realization.)
Regarding Notch spending all that money on a huge, fancy home though? It's funny, because I've met several older and very wealthy people in the past who advised me that a big house is *exactly* where I'd want to put a big chunk of my money, if I was in that situation. Your argument against doing so makes lots of sense to me. But at the same time? A home is normally the single biggest item a person spends their income on, and with good reason. Whenever you're not at work (and even then if you work from home), you're probably living in your house if you're not out running errands or doing something for entertainment. Your garage or carport on your home serves as some protection and a parking space for your vehicle(s) too. And the land around your house might be used for such things as growing a garden or other hobby activities. In other words, you get a lot out of the purchase. Most other things you buy depreciate rapidly. Even if you spend money keeping them looking like they're brand new "out of the box"? Their resale value plummets as the years go by. With a house, not so much. You *might* wind up with a poor resale value, but that depends largely on factors you have some control over when making the initial purchase (such as the location and what's trending around it). Choose location wisely, and chances are quite good your house will fetch at least enough on the open market to keep up with inflation, no matter how long you live in it first.
IMO, Notch is a somewhat unique individual anyway, in that he's very introverted and quite possibly suffers from at least a mild form of Asperger's. I think your typical coder/developer who found him/herself in his situation with a property like Minecraft would have simply been driven to keep building the product and adding onto it, as its popularity soared. Most of us know, deep down inside, that we probably only get a few chances (at most!) to do something in life that really has an impact and matters to a large number of people. Many people with kids would say their offspring counted as one of those opportunities. But otherwise? Most of us just hope to work for a company on some sort of project that has importance, so we can say we were "part of it". It's rare to embark on a project by oneself that achieves that level of notoriety. I have a feeling Notch's misery is mostly self-inflicted, and doesn't *really* have a lot to do with the fact he attained wealth.
Just go from one small English town to another every two weeks, stay AirBnB and visit the local pubs. Write a novel. Become an subject matter expert in some arcane and remunerative field. Open a distillery (if it's a business failure, you don't care).
In short, become an interesting person, and never mention to anybody how much money you have.
He might have some ideas about enjoying it. Also, if you made your money through business and not the lottery, maybe he can get you on Shark Tank?
Set up an account that transfers to you $100K, adjusted for inflation, every year, for 40 years, and which you cannot change afterwards. That's $4M. You may live longer than that but you'll need to save. Form a research/charity/whatever organization of your liking -- say, to finance teleportation research -- where you are on the board with 25% of the vote and transfer the rest of the money to this organization. Announce that to everyone, so your life is back to normal, you'll still find incentive to work, and you may contribute to something exciting.
What a lazy bastard. How hard it is to spend $2 billion?
Ooooh, look at me shake in confusion!
Truly proof of his mentality, along with backstabbing Mojang, Minecraft fans, Minecraft content creators (yogscast debacle, etc.)
This is a Notch problem, purely a Notch problem.
Might as well go on another fucking vacation. We all know you LOVE a good vacation.
First, grow a thick hide. You're gonna get asked to give money to everyone for their sick goldfish. And if you dare to say no, you are gonna get called at least a couple of bad names. People are going to have a hard time feeling sorry for you, so you are going to get the worst of some things.
Second, take some time for your self. Get yourself a nice home, if you're rich enough, maybe 2 or 3. Spend some time on yourself. If you like skiing, go do that. If you like carpentry, go build yourself a nice workshop and go make Amish-style cabinets, or something If you like bowling go bowling, Whatever.
Third, if you are so rich that you are having a hard time thinking of ways to spend it, find some way to give it away. Or to use it to help people or causes that you want to promote.
Set limits though, chances are you are going to want to pass on some wealth, down the road, so put some aside, there are lots of financial managers that could give advice on how to setup trust funds or whatever fits.
That should cover all the basics. Everything else is the details.
Maybe find a way to hang out with some people with similar problems. Celebrities and other rich folk, you might not like everyone, and they might not all like you, but if you can find someone who has, or had, a similar set of problems, maybe you can comiserate. plus maybe they don't need you for your money. True, this does risk isolating you from "the average joe"
And if nothing else works, go anon. lots of people troll forums pretending to be someone else, go play WoW and just don't mention that you are rich, maybe pretend to be a student (to explain your massive amounts of free-time) or sometihng. Met some people that way, if need be,
Anyways, good luck. I hope I have a chance to figure it out myself someday too =)
L.A. in of itself can be a very isolating, soul-stealing place, let alone when you move into a manor such as his (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZhM56v9UVQ). Status obsessed vapid and shallow social climbers, hangers-on abound. Move to Brooklyn. Eat good food, be around people that don't care who you are, find a nice lady thats a better person than you. Buy a banana hat in TF2,live happily ever after. Just a proposal.
Oh dude, you have NO idea! I know someone who just got fucked for over $30K in "back payments". He was up to date on his child care costs but she decided she wanted more. She also wants her son out of the house now so he's supposed to pay for college and living expenses for him at a dorm only a few miles from his ex's home - kid's grades are so poor in high school he's sure to tank in college. He's also refused to speak to his father for years. Prior to this the guy was forced to pay for her "education". As soon as he paid for classes she dropped them. This woman has NEVER had a job and has instead lived off of this guy while riding the new hubby into the ground. She's also made sure to file for divorce in NY where he becomes responsible for the kid until he's like 21. If you think a change in worth won't allow you to get screwed by an ex where there are kids you had better wake up before considering kids! I know another guy who is also getting screwed over pretty good by a woman in much the same way only he doesn't have much money. She's going to leach his military pension, the handwriting is on the wall but he's not yet figured it out
I would just do nothing. Completely nothing. I would wake up in the morning and and ask myself: "What do I need to do today to pay the bills?" And than I would smile and turn on my side and sleep some more.
... and will have time to maybe find a clever idea.
I would force myself to do nothing. And once you are used to do nothing you will love being bored. Your mind will be clear, simply because you do nothing. Your brains don't have to think about appointments, deadlines,
Most progress in our history was made when people got bored. When people didn't have to struggle to find food, or to work for the overlord, or to work to pay the bills. Many great things were invented because the inventor had nothing else to do. I would try to give my self the gift of being bored in the hope to be the one with a great idea so I could spend my time on this idea, maybe a dream. It could be a great idea and I could hire a team to help me achieve that idea. It could be a bad idea and I would go back to doing nothing to get bored again.
Boredom and laziness were the greatest motivators for inventions. I would give myself both and enjoy the lack of obligation while I'm at it.
You might enjoy reading "The Millionaire Next Door", by Thomas Stanley. He writes about his study of wealthy people and what they are like. He emphasizes that many of them avoid flaunting their wealth and more or less blend in with their neighbors. Best of luck to you.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
Buy a big ass boat. Throw great parties. One weekend announce that I need help washing and waxing the boat and someone to bring beer. The people who show up with beer to work on the boat are friends. The rest are minions.
Either end up killing myself accidentally - eg too many fast bikes , women silly things etc, Or spend a chunk and find that when I can have everything it it no longer means anything to have it and then just stick the rest away to make more money for moneys sake like a lot of rich people do. Then live a very ordinary life style but free of the worry about how am I going to pay the electricity bill this month.
Keep my Job and go to work cause I want to and when my shithead of a boss gives me grief I would just be able to smile with feeling stressed/
Play Minecraft all day!!!
Listen to Steve Jobs who said, "do what you love."
Sound advice, imo.
I'd pay off my mortgage, remodel the house a little bit to make it more usable, and look around for a reasonable lightly used car to replace my wife's aging vehicle. Then I'd help my siblings (and my wife's) out by paying off mortgages, school debt, and the like. I'd set up some sort of financial structure to make sure that my wife and, should they come along, my children would live without financial stress for the rest of their lives after I pass away. And a goodly chunk right off the top would go to my church and another religious organization that was very important in my life.
After that, I'd take up a bit of travel. I'd take lots of guitar lessons and buy more music equipment than someone of my skills can reasonably justify. I'd set up an endowed foundation to perpetually help fund the type of charities and other organizations that I think need supporting. And maybe get back to taking dance lessons regularly. I'd go to more concerts, and pay for better seats and the occasional meet-and-greet. And I'd spend time developing an open-source project idea that I've had for several years. And I'd probably pay someone else to mow the lawn, tend to the flower garden, and clear the driveway of snow.
Cyrano de Maniac
I would start a Manhattan like project aimed at developing a programmable self replicating machine. Imagine an atomic level 3D printer. A flat panel one side is a digester the other side is an extruder assembler. Folded out from the edges would be solar panels. It would be able to replicate using sunlight and consuming trash, basic raw materials and have the ability to transmute elements when needed. As the number of machines continues to grow they would switch from building duplicate machines to homes, cars, roads, dams, water purification plants, power plants, farms schools or whatever mankind needs here on earth. Once everyone's needs are satisfied it would switch to building rockets to send itself into space where it would build human habitats on the moon. Then on to Mars to terraform the planet. Next out to the asteroid belt where it would consume asteroids to build seed ships for the trip to other solar systems. Even if the project failed it would likely result in some amazing technology.
In 2007 I had become close friends with a girl. It was never going to be a relationship, and even though I wanted it, eventually I gave up and accepted our friendship. At the time, I was an engineer getting laid off and she worked as a barista in a local coffee joint making minimum wage. We got along great, best of friends. I got a new job, did well for myself, and she was happy for me. An incredible opportunity came around for me and I moved to Silicon Valley to do some "change the world" type stuff. She moved out here too, and we reconnected. Nothing had really changed for her, but now I was making well into six figures, owned a vacation home in the country that I kept a car and truck at, and had two daily driver sports cars at my residence in one of the most exclusive towns in South Bay. My personality hadn't changed though. She would always talk about the opportunities she had missed in life, and late one night I decided to do something about it. We were talking about the glass igloos in Finland where you can watch the aurora borealis at night, and how she dreamed of going there. I pulled out a laptop, started checking airfares and car rentals and said "ok, for your birthday, let's go." At first she was on board, but before I clicked the "purchase" button on the tickets, she stopped me and said "no, we can't, I'll feel like I owe you something." This bothered me. I couldn't give a gift to make a friend's dream come true, because the disparity of wealth made it feel like she could never give back to me. Later, she began training for the Portland Marathon. "Training" is a loose word because she wasn't keeping track of how far she would go on a practice run, where she went, or how hard the run was. I got her an entry level Garmin Forerunner to help her see progress and make sure she was able to reach her goals. She looked at me and thanked me and was happy, but like before I saw that happiness fade from her face and she said to me "I can't have this. I could never afford this." She cried, hugged me, thanked me, and accepted it the gift. The last major incident she was visiting her family back in the midwestern town she was from, which was only 45 miles from my other home. We decided to see a show that was on tour there, and we would ride together to the airport the next day to come home. When the black town car pulled up to take us to the airport, she stared at me in disbelief and asked "I can ride in that?" I assured her it was ok. When we got to the airport, we parted ways since our flights were at different terminals, hugged, and wished each other a safe trip.
That was the last time I ever saw her.
We talked a little online after that until one night she just sent me a text that said "This friendship isn't working for me anymore." According to her, I was too kind, too thoughtful, and too giving, so I must have been manipulating her. And that was it, she was gone. Someone I cared for deeply, whose friendship and companionship I valued tremendously left me because she couldn't accept the lifestyle I had now. It fed a conspiracy theory in her head.
I understand this guy. I have every *thing* I could want. But in the end, I come home every day to a cat. I have a dysfunctional relationship with a woman who can't decide whether we're equals or whether its my job to support her, and my closest friends are 1800 miles away. The loneliness gets to me. Often. I spend time volunteering to be around people. I enjoy helping others. ButI want to go home, back to the wide open spaces and fresh air, to people I understand and who understand me. I tell myself that this is temporary, the cost of chasing dreams and doing things to help make the world better.
Found a great girl, but she's afraid of me and my life style and went with a normal person instead.
Sorry to be harsh, but this sounds exactly like, "sorry, I don't date coworkers," or the one a friend got in college, "you're just so perfect, I'm afraid I would fall head over heels for you".
She's just not that into you. Money or no money, the other guy was more attractive.
I had a decent layoff package about 10 years ago, and it was great. I spent almost a year living out of my truck going from rock climbing spot to rock climbing spot. I was happier and healthier than during any other similar stretch of time in my life. Right now I don't want more money, I want more time. I would love to be able to go do the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, and spend a lot more more nights hanging in a portaledge on side of El Cap. I'd love to spend more time with my wife and kid too. Heck, just being able to hang out by a fire ring in Joshua Tree National Park without a vacation countdown clock in the back of my head would be a huge life improvement.
I honestly enjoy my work, but I have shown myself that I can be even happier not working just fine for a pretty long stretch. If I could have 3 months off a year I could stop bumping into burnout so often. My real fear is that by time I can retire, or at least slow down the hamster wheel I am stuck on, I will not be able to physically do the things I really enjoy anymore. Maybe I should start buying lottery tickets?
I retired and founded a charity "Kawaza School Fund" that supports a school in Luangwa Valley, Zambia. We are a small charity but everything we can do to help these children is greatly appreciated. It's amazing what just a little help can do for people with so little.
Notch's Mojang was supposedly different from your typical greedy corporation and it was more family. In the end he sold out and left all his employees hanging. Out of that $2500 million dollars, would it be so hard to allocate $50 million into a trust fund such that every one of his 50 employees could have an interest-only income of $50,000 per year indefinitely? Yet he couldn't even sacrifice 2% of his payout?
Well of course I'd have to be original and find myself in the privileged position to send out a satellite to space to be able to monitor all human activity on the planet so I can watch everyone else do nothing instead. Since I can't be quite sincere with my feelings given the paranoia of people's eyes on my wealth, I would just use all the pent up anger and unexpressed love to see if I can influence others outside the scope of reasonable sensory input. Such as putting an extra dot on your T.V., or playing the sound of a bird that lives near your home every time you open the door to leave your house, speeding up your computer fans and what-not, all in a reasonably dismissible manner to satisfy those ignored feelings. This would make me be in a position to scare my new billionaire friends (since they would think I know everything) and given the God Mode view I have in other people's lives, it would give others the feeling of my superior position in society. Yea, that sounds like a good plan. All so one day future generations would look back and say, "Wow, that guy, he really made it good in life, he could watch me try!" That's what we're all aiming for here folks. The stage of life! And less fortunate are the non-volunteer cast! What could be better? Minding my own business? Falling in love? Raising children like every other mammal on the planet? Naaaah, that's for ugly and poor people. Screw those guys.
I have isolation issues already, believe me. If I was mega wealthy I would just go ahead and have those issues in Hawaii during the time I would usually spend at work.
I have no doubt that being mega-wealthy introduces its own set of problems, but that's a set of problems I'm definitely willing to try on for a while. At the very least I would have more free time to travel.
With the collapse of capitalism in full swing (except in isolated parts of the US and Germany) I'd probably go back and finish school - economic, politics, and economics. Then I'd start a worker self directed enterprise (WSDE). I might even do that anyway.
http://www.unfocus.com/
For starters, I could buy the name brand mac and cheese any time I wanted, not just on special occasions.
People will "LOL" at this.
It is a very real issue for those of us who grew up poor.
On special special occasions, you could include 1lb of ground beef.
Like once a week. Most rich people used to be incredibly poor people who will Never NEVER again be in that position.
Uh... LOL. Sorry.
I know, but here me out before you judge. A windfall would free up my wife to know she wouldn't be working a low-wage job until she's 60+ just to keep the health insurance, and it would free me to not have to give up my dreams due to having to pay alimony.
Money can't buy happiness by itself, but this would free both of us up to do the kind of things that can bring happiness, even if we're not doing those things together.
I am not a sig.
I would definitely start donating huge sums to random slashdot posters ;)
I'd give a huge chunk of it to the FFRF.
Bank away around 10% for me. Then Musk the rest. I would figure out what problem I wanted to solve and see who's leading the charge. Make sure there's money to make it happen.
I'd go with printable organs and invest in research there.
Invest in the Chinese stock market. Wealth is no longer an issue.
Have gnu, will travel.
I had a woman judge and I still got full custody or our disabled daughter. Yes, I'm a man.
Just curious, how do you think things would have gone if your daughter wasn't disabled...
Maybe your ex-wife's lawyer didn't put in their A-game and phoned it in.
I'm not saying you didn't get what you wanted from the judge in this case, but perhaps you don't know what it's like to go up against the full fury of a woman once scorned and a judicial system that enables that...
The dude was head of a company that made one of the top-selling software packages of all time. He sold the company to Microsoft.
When someone googles your name and they get "minecraft creator sells to MS for $2BN", there is no way to not tell people.
Furthermore, when you're worth that kind of money, you *have* to change your lifestyle for personal safety.
Please help metamoderate.
He's rich, not famous. Save the bragging about being in the "three commas" club for the 2nd date.
> What Would You Do If You Were Suddenly Wealthy?
1. Convert to judaism
2. Stand on the roof
3. Play the fiddle
4. Turn the story into music theatre
5. Profit and more profit!
Seriously? Oh woe is me! I have so much money!
I dream all the time about what I'd do with a fraction of that money. I'd make sure my family is well taken care of as well as my closest friends. I'd finally be able to afford to live in my own home and never have to rent again (except for taxes). I'd go hiking everywhere. I'd take my friends and family on lavish vacations and wouldn't accept "no thanks, we'll pay". I'd buy my own car and never would have to lease again. I'd rediscover my artistic side that died when I started working 9-10 hour shifts 6 days a week for a paltry pay. Maybe I'd attempt to learn coding so I could make my own Android games. I could have time to read all the books, hike all the trails, watch all the sunsets, bask on all the beaches, drink all the liquors, I could take all the pictures, I could... You know what? I'm going to stop because I'm getting pretty angry and depressed at the same time.
-Wage Slave Working Stiff
Even if that equals giving away all your money and pretending it never existed (lie as necessary).
Personally I'd keep doing the stuff I like (research, writing papers, programming) but quit trying to be funded for it, as it's the grant proposal stuff that I truly detest. And I certainly would never work in a boring job again just for money. And I'd fly first class, choose accomodation for comfort rather than budget, and tell the uni where to shove it's restrictions on personal travel post conferences.
But that's just me. Each to his/her own I guess.
Here is a very abbreviated timeline of events, from a couple different wikipedia pages:
2009-05: Mojang founded and Minecraft first publicly released.
2010-06: Alpha version of Minecraft released
2011-01: One million copies of Minecraft sold
2011-09: First Minecraft convention
2011-10&11: Official release of Minecraft on PC, Android, and iOS, four million copies sold.
2012-05: Minecraft released on XBox 360, sold over 400,000 units within 24 hours.
2012-05: Over $1 million in merchandise sales.
2012-06: Minecraft Lego sets released.
2013-12: Playstation 3 version released.
2014-09: Playstation 4 and XBOne versions release.
2014-09: Sale of Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion announced.
2014-10: 60 million copies of Minecraft sold.
So i'd hardly call this "suddenly" becoming wealthy, it's not like he won the lotto or anything. It involved a lot of hard work (albeit with an even larger amount of luck) over half decade. He probably became a millionaire sometime in 2011, though the writing was probably on the wall in 2010, and there was a lot of news about him becoming a multi-millionaire in 2012. (And according to the reports i've seen Notch is actually worth about $1.5 billion now, not $2.5 billion. Presumably due to a combination of taxes and not being the sole owner of Mojang.)
I'm sure it may have seemed like it all went by in a blur to him, but if he wanted to work on maintaining normal relationships with the people around him that's something he should have been doing the entire time and it's going to be hard to start now.
This Space Intentionally Left Blank
Pay off the houses then sock the rest of it away. I wouldn't change my lifestyle what-so-ever. I'd continue to go to work and do my job. The one difference would be that I would feel completely free to tell the boss that what he's asking for is stupid (if it is). What's he going to do? Fire me? Don't need the money. Ultimate freedom.
The milk isn't free though. If she gets preggos off of you, or anyone while she was in a relationship with you, you will get stuck with 18 years of child support. In fact, just being around the baby might be grounds to force you to pay.
Avoid women at all costs until this is changed.
I am still looking for a corporation to create, to do what is currently not being done to help the innovators at the bottom. I want to be able to help people, like myself, realize creative projects by giving help not in the form of money, necessarily, but by supplying resources to them to realize their goals themselves. Many people barely have the time or resources to access the resources that are available. I could provide a service such as writing and submitting grant proposals to other grant agencies. Another service could be finding Information on materials and processes. Another is creating snippets of code or fabricating components for hardware developers. I could also provide computational and digital modeling services. What do you need?
Yes, that is what we do. Its illegal to use a legal name. The fraudulent legal system is over. Evil will and must destroy itself. Babylon is fallen! Read why at http://losethename.com/
I would buy / lease an island. Move to it. Say my final goodbyes to humanity. Buy a rather large telescope.
Maybe open an endangered animal preserve on the island with me.
( Dino's optional )
Food / supplies can be air dropped periodically. Get a pilots license for when you have to venture back to civilization.
Retire. Enjoy life as it's meant to be instead of being a wage slave who spends their life doing nothing but sitting in a cubicle, working to pay off some debt.
Travel, see how the rest of the world really is vs what the media tries to portray. Keep a low profile, be humble.
Maybe start another Nobel prize sort of thing for stuff you consider important. Try to make a difference in the lives of those who aren't as fortunate. Disease research, fresh water projects, clean energy research, etc. There is an awful lot wrong with the world that funding can help with. I wish the folks who keep buying yachts, mega-mansions, and their seventh gold plated Ferrari would understand that concept. :|
I mean, seriously, how much money do you need to live an amazing life for the rest of your days ?
Figure that out, then become a name that folks will remember for making positive things in the world a reality instead of the usual ultra-rich and greedy we usually get.
I have no doubt, I wouldn't do anything good with it.
I was poor growing up hungry and cold and poorly cared for, and I didn't care for it. now I'm okay and earn a reasonable amount now but I'm stuck in this survivalist mindset from my childhood and teens, where I get precious about things like food and money.
Seeing others waste food is a red-button for me. And I find certain things my friends spend money on insane. (Brand labled goods ect)
Thing is I'm not poor anymore I have tens of thousands of dollars saved up. doing nothing... a part of me really wants to travel learn another language and see the world but
I'm also trapped by my fear because I have these ghosts from my past asking me if I'm "hungry or cold," and if I'm not then I'm okay for now but I should save resources because famine and poverty is always around the corner. I'd be this way even if I had millions of Dollars.
1. Get my house off the grid
2. Invest some of the money in mutual funds
3. Travel every year
First I'd setup a game store, lots of tables, make it a great community place to discover and play.
Second, I'd be writing open source software, kinda like I do now but picking my own projects. Hacking ART or the soon to be released source for swift on Linux.
* Donating money to opensource projects
* If I have enough money, buy some interesting commercial projects and make them opensource
* Donating money to books (scientific, education one) sharing community
* Buy rare books, expensive books, valuable books and upload for every one
Hmm, think again:
* Hire some talents to write softwares for me
* Buy companies that could make me more wealthy
* Buy major publishers and rise the price of books (when they are all owned by me)
Hmm, I want more:
* Hire some talent to build terminators for me
* Buy oil, weapons firms that could make me more powerful
* I don't read book anymore.
two chicks at the same time.
I feel sorry for Notch.
He was pretty much conned into selling his beautiful creation to one of the most evil technology corporations in history. Although he was very well paid for it, it must be heartbreaking for him to think what will almost certainly happen to his project in the years to come.
Has all the money he could ever need. Still not happy. I wonder why.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
With the rise of ubiquitous cloud computing, Google, wikipedia, a sufficient number of mathematically trained individuals, FOSS software, R+CRAN, ipython+python data science packages, etc. the golden age of data science is beginning. I would put the money to work funding research in data science techniques in a FOSS environment.
If you have a society with a sufficiently strong data science technology and the computing capabilities to put it into action then suddenly all sorts of problems can be asked and answered. I would put the money in a FOSS environment so the leeches who want to construct an artificial bottleneck and charge rent are shut out.
I don't mind people making money or even getting rich. I mind people getting rich by screwing over everybody else.
Johnny Loves Linux.
Mostly just more skydiving and less working for douschebags. Having to work 40 hours a week to support my hobby, I've got several more years flying a wingsuit and jumping from a plane before I feel comfortable getting into BASE. And most of the good BASE jumping is Europe. Barring accidents, I think I could easily spend a couple of decades at this hobby, even if that was all I was doing.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
1. I'd pay the folks at the Genode project whatever it took to produce a live CD bootable image, and keep them doing it with every new release. (genode.org if you care)
2. I'd see if the silly idea I had in college for an FPGA replacement on steroids would actually work by designing the chip and having it fabbed... then fixing the bugs until it worked right. (bitgrid.blogspot.com if you care)
3. I'd redo the house, install enough solar to power everything, and build a laboratory with a machine shop.
4. I'd build my own locomotive to run out at the Heston Steam Museum (either diesel electric, or just electric)
4. I'd dig to the bottom of the cold fusion thing, and see if it really works.
So he's a geek programmer. He probably spends some time on IRC. Maybe just start over with a new alias, on a new channel. He can make new nerd friends and nobody has to know he's rich. Once you've got a connection with people you might be able to get past the money issue by just grounding them with whatever conversation made you friends in the first place. Just laugh it off, so to speak.
If I get rich, I will buy my $130,000 dream car, buy a penthouse in one of those happening cities in Asia, buy a house with an apple orchard with a "workshop" where I build new projects with Arduino, raspberry pi etc, start a foundation to help poor children who shown high level of intelligence.....
This is all just a fantasy because I know myself best. If I really get rich, I will just stay on my bed all day to play games, waste my time on slashdot, and maybe grow too fat to even have sex....
> It seems like one the tech industry should at least be aware of, given the focus on startup culture
You must be joking. With anywhere from 90-95% of startups failing within 3 years, the problem of accidental billionaires is not exactly at epidemic proportions. If you want to be aware of a problem, perhaps consider more meaningful issues like retrenchment, re-skilling, and jobseeking.
I'd start by travelling around the world. I'm lucky enough to have an awesome family now so it would be harder with the kids n school but still.
However as a single person I'd backpack - no need for flash hotels etc, etc; fly into a place, meet some people who are already backpacking, travel with them a while, go your own way. There is a heck of a lot of the world to see.
You'll meet nice, new people who are also travelling for the experience and fun; as you get to remote corners of the world you will meet people who have already rejected the western rat race but are happy and satisfied living their lives. Also if you travel the third world you can just tell folks you are a computer programmer or whatnot. Any foreigner/westerner is seen as really wealthy and so you don't have to let on. Sure people will still scam you for money but you'll be travelling with a bunch of people in the same boat.
As for the money; well you won't need a lot of it so put it in a managed trust.
You may well see people living in conditions that you can improve by anonymous gifts and projects; do things locally in the communities and places you visit and then return later - you'll feel a tremendous sense of purpose and start growing attached to places and people.
If i suddenly got a big load of cash, I'd use it to buy a chunk of land & a whole bunch of old trailers. I would invite homeless or near-homeless musicians to come live for free in my trailer park, which would have a special clubhouse full of studios & performance areas. Once free of the constraints of monthly rent, they would be free to perfect and hone their art... also since they would be surrounded by other musicians with the same amount of free time, awesome new bands would hopefully result.
Sure there would be a lot of problems and drama.. but think of the music!
You shouldn't change anything if you get a giant load of money except maybe your phone number. But certainly don't buy a house in an exclusive neighborhood and hang with celebs at late night parties. I think Notch should move back to Sweden and stay out of the spotlight. Enjoy some really basic hobbies....hook back up with his ex. Invest modestly in a few promising companies. Try to disconnect from those seeking you for money and stick with your friends. Tell them you've invested it all and need to work for a living. And get a job that you like or start a small company and limit how much of your own money you put into it so you keep it real. You don't have to solve world hunger. Just give yourself 3 to 5 years to figure out how you want to spend your money- don't go living it up right away or you'll end up regretting it.
0. Avoid fame at all costs. It ruined Notch's, Nguyen Hà Dông's, and many others' life.
1. Buy a large-enough plot of land and anonymously transfer its ownership to my mother.
2. Tell them that I got a job abroad in [insert developed country name that's *not* the U.S.] so they finally leave me alone.
3. Fix my teeth.
4. Learn that country's language.
5. Actually find a job there.
6. Buy a decent house there.
7. Become a citizen there.
8. Find a lonely single woman. Date her. Marry her.
9. Donate anonymously, mainly to educational non-profit projects in my country. Never disclose my identity.
10. Spend the rest of my days as a writer, cartoonist and hobbyist.
--- Sueños del Sur - a webcomic about four young siblings
Can we first point out that Notch's problem isn't his wealth. It's his fame (and notoriety and success which is linked to his wealth but not the same thing). Very very few people have problems with actual wealth. Wealth in and of itself doesn't generate notoriety. Notch's issue is that he's the Minecraft guy. Minecraft a game so popular my Dad probably has heard of it. I understand why a girl might be hesitant to step into that arena especially with all the death threats and gamergate going on. All that risk is out there. Does that have anything to do with Notch? not really but anything could happen and he's a big target. And none of this risk has to do with wealth. Plenty of gamedevs aren't rich and have become big targets in the gaming industry. Heck while she's probably not poor Feminist Frequency is a huge target as you can tell from how man
As for actual wealth? Wealth is easier to manage. There are countless books on people who do this well mostly in the entrepreneurial self help section with titles like "The Millionaire Next Door" and such. Hire some good money people. Get one of those woodsheds that white YouTubers always seem to have an just make stuff like grossly oversized wooden versions of Settlers of Catan. Depending on my wealth I'd help some people out. Give to charities of my choosing. I know my mother was always a big fan of scholarships so we might do one of those. Travel. Read. Play games. I'd have time to actually make plans rather than just figuring out what task I can afford to do next.
My technology would work for me. Instead of against me. I don't think many /.ers realize how much money can make or break your teach plans. My computer screen cracked and I haven't fixed it for a month simply because I don't have the funds. If I had the money I'd be able to get a computer that wouldn't stutter when I open 5 tabs. My sister wouldn't have a computer that overheats and dies in 35 minutes. I'd actually be able to do things like make backups. Actually practice programming rather than just constantly redoing beginner tutorials. I might go legit on streaming services or downloads. I'd check out this Netflix thing everyone talks about. I'd date. Because I could afford to be flexible in asking out girls. If they want to go out we can go out, if they want to stay in we can stay in. The time to work out would be amazing. I do alright skipping breakfast and lunch but I used to run distance and as much as i hate being in my head I miss the ability to just go and not stop. I don't have time for that now.
I wouldn't need to be Elon Musk. There's plenty of smaller injustices to fix that I can work on. I know some kids I could keep out of trouble. I know a mother who wouldn't say no to help getting control of her life back from her ex. I got a cousin whose life sucks and my heart breaks just a little bit because I can't afford to help him.
I'm not saying Notch has it easy anymore than Bow Wow has it easy (he also went through the same sort of emotional breakdown at one point). Life isn't easy being rich and famous. It's easier sure but there are aspects that have to suck. In a way he's lucky as he notes in his tweet (https://twitter.com/notch/status/637665813483417600)
That's gotta help. If I vented my frustrations with life. No one would care. I'm a nobody. He at least has a platform to be heard. I'm glad he has one.
- WK
Good advice (for someone who barely sees 100K).
Now for the fourth (unless I'm terribly bad at counting) thing to do, after fixing whatever legitimate financial problems your close friends may have. Don't go for poor-neighborhood philanthropy. A few billions might not even be enough for Bill Gates philanthropy. I think your best bet is really to Musk (v) it, pick a few technological projects that can benefit from a few hundred million of "concentrated" funding.
To take the Elon Musk example, do you think his wealth would have made a bigger difference if he spread out the billion or so he made from Paypal onto dozens of Kickstarter-sized projects as opposed to his initial "focus" on two or three flagship projects, namely cheaper access to space, electric cars and perhaps solar power (I think this came later)?
Good, can you submit it please? Randall has been too long in putting up his next instalment after "Jupiter Descending".
Wow no one has mentioned this. Find a job that you'd like to do really well, but you're struggling at. Maybe you're not charismatic, maybe you're not as attractive as you'd like to be, or maybe some corrupt person is taking up room in your way. Hire a team of talented people to work silently behind the scenes for you. A personal assistant, a private eye, a fantasy football ringer, a facebook ringer, a pinterest ringer, a think-tank, someone who's better at your job than you, etc. Pay them obscenely to make you a superstar. Why? Just because you can.
So nobody will spoil it all in sex drugs and gambling?
Riiiiight
Invest most of it in low-risk funds, live modestly, spend on the occasional shiny new thing, and take care of my family and friends. use my time to learn new things, travel, pick up a hobby. I guess being antisocial and unambitious makes it easy.
-It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
I would. I would make it the goal of my wealth to utterly destroy the CEO at my current workplace.
I'd run him out of his job, and see to it that he was recognised as a thieving conniving fat stinky greasy little wretch that he actually is. He's misappropriated millions in public funding by refusing to pay staff for work that's done, he's ruined lives by having people work hundreds of hours a year for free, then has the cheek to bitch that it wasn't good enough.
I'd bankrupt him, and I'd see him held accountable for his public and private frauds, for his tax frauds, and many other things.
I'd also make sure he knew who had done it, and why it had been done. I've seen him ruin too many lives to tolerate that pathetic worm.
I might start up my own non-profit. Or I might start my own for-profit business. Normally that would be financially risky but...hey...billionaire. Then again if I'd already started my own business and had it be wildly successful, which is why I'm a billionaire in the first place, I admit I wouldn't be as motivated to try it again. Might just stash 50 million somewhere and give the rest away. 1% interest (after inflation) would be $500k/year.
I've got a very durable shaft already. Just ask my wife.
Pay off the mortgage then take te rest and find all those things in society government refuses to and build solutions to fix them. (+ Secretly become Batman.)
I had a terrible breakup a few years ago. Accepted an awesome job offer in a city I knew nobody. Made good money, but had nobody to share it with. Totally different scale, but felt similar. I worked on myself, treated my body well, and learned to say "no" at work and "yes" in my spare time. You don't need a billion dollars for that, but with his resources, I would get personal trainers, mentors, chefs, etc., study stuff I always wanted to study, but never had the time to do so, travel, and sure, buy fancy things that make my home nicer or in general my life better somehow. I would be generous, but no creepy Santa Claus (hint: don't invite people to parties and vacations everybody knows you only throw because you are bored). I would keep my eyes open, and would find new exciting challenges, maybe working on a new company (once I'm not burned-out anymore) or charity. I would never talk about money, in particular not with friends (unless they need my help) or with people (friends or not) who come to me with investment ideas. Money is what everybody associates with me now. I cannot change that, but I won't remind them by showing off with blingy shit or by talking about stuff nobody else can afford.
I'd take the crapshoot and try to fund all the low cost fusion projects that are out there. There's about three promising ones now. Polywell positive net fusion going to cost $100 million to build a working reactor? Done. Hell I'd allocate $250 million to that project alone. Why not take the crapshoot with 1/10th of the 2.5 billion. It's not like you're going to run out of the other 2.25 billion any time soon. If Polywell doesn't work out, put another 200-300 million into other fusion projects. If those all fail, abandon fusion research and work on something like robotics/automation or space travel. Pretty sure you could re-purpose designs/technology from the Apollo missions at a much lower cost than the government will to get your own moon mission going. Most of the space innovators etc don't have the balls to try those projects now because they care about keeping their billions in the bank.
Given a very large sum (say $100,000,000), you could easily live well and still retain most normal relations with people around you. Invest $10mil quietly in a personal heavily diversified portfolio through 2 different agencies (of solo if you have the chops). That should be more than enough to support you for the rest of your days without even touching principal. You could then quietly pay off all of your Big Debt (house note, car note, student loans, credit card debt, etc). After your big debt is gone, living expenses are exceptionally cheap. You could easily afford a modest 2 bed /1 bath house/condo in a nice/mostly nice neighborhood. You could drive around in a mostly new but not 'new' reliable car. In other words, your appearance and lifestyle can be very comfortable but never betray your actual finances. Going 'grey man' as is often thrown out there. The rest of your cash could be used to do lovely and interesting things.
For example, you could have a company that donates larges sums to life saving ventures like cancer research, etc through a shell company (think Delaware corp to preserve YOUR anonymity). Imagine what 20 or 30 million in a large high dividend portfolio could do donating yearly to these causes. At this point, you wouldn't even be using half of the above mentioned $100 mill but you could be making a huge difference and still maintain your anonymity.
You could quietly fund local art galleries, online radio stations, NPR, local and regional charities. You could fell ALL of the poor in your area....forever. End homelessness locally. Be the deciding monetary tipping point for localized/regionalized green energy. And you could do all this anonymously
Throwing money at organizations wont' make the world better automatically, but I'd like to think that a few 100 million towards the eradication of cancer might be worth the time, money, and effort. And that's just one worthy way to 'spend it all' and still maintain a relatively sane life.
He could give it all / a couple of million to me.. I'm sure i'd adjust just fine.
I know so many people with cool ideas who can't do anything with their lives other than treadmill because they are anchored to debts.
I've got a long list of names of all the people I've met over the course of my life whose debts I'd wipe out with anonymous gifts should I ever come into the money. I'd spend on that project until everybody is in the clear, or until half the money is gone; whichever comes first. I've never thought in terms of billions before, so you could probably lift a whole lot of people out of slavery and still have plenty left over for the next stage...
Start up a foundation, (or a series of them. Why not?). -Maybe the kind with twenty million sitting pat, collecting interest, and you only spend the interest, (except interest bearing projects are sort of the problem which put everybody into debt in the first place. Going all Batman on the banking elite isn't really an option, so I'm not 100% clear on how to proceed with regard to that philosophy. However...)
Foundations. Fixed budget groups with one or two captains heading up each with mandates like, "Seek out cool stage productions and finance them!" "Promote Maker Spaces and the ability to learn, build and fix tech for people of all ages!" "Awesome private schools where earnest disadvantaged kids can afford to be!" "Set up systems your community can use to establish and maintain their own food security!" "Off the grid, one home at a time..!"
Stuff like that.
It'd be fun to imagine new ways to make the world more awesome and less miserable for lots of people; to give people the chance to spread their wings and really use their gifts rather than burn all their energy just treading water.
Fame is not something that bothers me. That's why you hire secretaries.
I love maps. I want to actually see all of it
The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
Do a PhD. People are always dropping out of graduate courses because they don't have enough money. You have to like doing research, of course...
Live life on Slashdot as an Anonymous Coward.
Thinking about Natalie Portman.
Eating Grits before they're poured down pants.
Hugging Cowboy Neal.
Building a Beowulf Cluster out of everything.
Decrying the imminent death of BSD.
And complaining about everything I can complain about.
Sounds like a full life to me!
So, how would you deal with Notch's problem?
Put money into funds/trusts.
And then get a job.
Wealth in itself is not the problem. It is the overreaction to the "success" which is the problem. Most "rich" folks are douchbags not because wealth makes them that, but because they believe that they are better than the rest.
Distance yourself from the money. Give yourself few years to get back on then feet. And only then (very) slowly start thinking what to do with the money.
Money is ultimately the choice. It is only social perception - the status - that if you rich, you have to have an expensive car and huge house. In reality, you can still drive a cheap replaceable car and live in a small comfy house.
P.S. It is easier when you have family and tight friends. It is changes nothing when you burn money on them. Do not lend/give away money to the close people: giving money would only distances you. Instead, for example, go to together to the expensive vacations destination, renovate house, etc.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.
He has lost something; his old life. Depression naturally follows, but he'll probably eventually adjust. He should probably just make sure he doesn't go and spend it all away though, then he'll lose something again; his new life, and depression would follow again from that.
I know nothing about the man, but he probably just needs a friend to tell him to hang in there; thing will get better. He's just got an awful lot of money, It could be worse...
I will happily swap my job with you and offer you a "normal" life instead, just give me those 2 billion I gladly take them off your hands and solve your firstest-of-the-first-world problem!
"They require continual maintenance, and who's going to be wasting their time shepherding all that?"
The people you pay to do so?
I looked at what one could do when winning the various lotteries. Over $50m, and even if you're only making 1% interest on the principal, you're still raking in $500k+/year (pre-tax). Given a diversified and fairly low-moderate risk portfolio, I'd imagine that 1% isn't a particularly high number to aim for, so let's say 2%, or roughly a million a year (in INTEREST, never touching the principal)
That still gives me a fair bit of cash to both enjoy myself personally and do fun stuff for others. Maybe I'd like to hit the fancy hotels or restaurants I haven't tried before, but I'm probably still going to enjoy a milkshake or fries and gravy at a late-night Denny's. There's still going to be stressed out waitresses or young people who are working and trying hard to get ahead. With that kind of income, it's not going to even make me flinch to drop a tip here and there that could be potentially life-changing for something at that stage of life and income. Drop some dough and pay for somebody's tuition, whatever.
Or wander around and find some people who lost a job and/or are about to lose their house, car, whatever. Drop some cash and pay off their debts. Clear things out. Stuff like that could be a lot of fun.
Instead of trying to better my own situation (once I'd bought everything I could possibly need that is), I'd use my money to benefit everyone else's.
and then fund them again. Imagine if he had been able to take Firefly or Arrested Development right away and kept them going!
he could probably make a ton of money that way and meet some actresses to boot.
See subject - quit being a butthurt lunatic, ok? Seriously...
APK
P.S.=> I can't believe you're still SO butthurt - you only do it to yourself like you did here vs. myself -> http://ask.slashdot.org/commen... and I shot you to pieces for it, easily, as I'd been thru it before with other trolls such as yourself here, using NETCRAFT DATA TO DO THEM IN JUST AS I DID YOURSELF (shouldn't have tried me - you failed)... apk
See subject & where ya shot yourself down vs. me http://slashdot.org/comments.p... + http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
You're clearly unable to validly technically disprove my points on hosts (which do the job for more speed, security, reliability, & anonymity FROM A SINGLE FILE YOU ALREADY NATIVELY HAVE better than ANY single other "so-called 'competitor'" there is in browser addons, doing all that AND FOR MASSIVELY LESS RESOURCES CONSUMED too...).
* :)
(It's very funny to me, since You fools always 'start up' with me trolling me, yet only to fall flat on your faces - LMAO, every SINGLE time you do it - & your self-defeats?? You do to yourself, every single time too... lol!)
APK
P.S.=> If ANYONE has a "major mental illness", it's clearly yourself being unable to face the fact you can never, EVER, get the better of me... apk
How about giving money for the protection of Nature ?! People are too many already ! And I don't mean rhinos or cheetahs which you see daily on Animal Planet etc. I mean habitats - the very foundation for life on earth. Nobody makes much fuss about rare plants and their habitats which are destroyed daily - in Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and all over the world - by what is called "antropic activity". The Amazon and all other rainforests belong here too, of course.
The first thing, would be to try to remain anonymous. I would clear my debts, I would then lock the wealth up for a month or two to allow me to decide what are my new priorities.
a) My children's debts would be secretly paid off.
b) A trust fund setup for my grandchildren
c) A selling of the existing home and a move to a smaller bungalow. (lateral move)
d) I would spend some of the wealth on some current technology, some comfortable clothing and a new car.
e) I would return to University, to enjoy the pleasure of learning
f) I would look at what part of it I could give to a registered charity
Leslie Satenstein Montreal Quebec Canada
It's a fascinating question, but let's just start with the assumption that I get a few billion and the tax man takes half. I have 1.5 billion to work with.
I'd probably start out with setting up a few small charitable trusts with 10 million each, for things that I care about in my community -- food banks, educational assistance for economically disadvantaged students, and housing & heating assistance for the elderly and disabled. They would pay out 5% of invested holdings every year. This would get me on a nice dinner party schedule, with some benefits to attend and give me some causes to work on and with other like-minded people. It doesn't have to be flashy, but it does have to be meaningful to me. This is how I'd meet people and pick up a social life.
I'd build a new house up in the mountains, with room for all my toys. I'd get an apartment in NYC and another house out in southern California. I'd probably move around between all three, through the year. I'd probably do a fair amount of traveling abroad as I felt the need.
I suppose, if my GF didn't care for this life, at some point I'd meet someone that would want to go along for the ride.
Honestly, I'd park most of the money in cash and securities and play it by ear.
.. pa-ra-bo-la, pa-ra-bo-la, 2 pi R, 2 pi R, where's your latus rectum, where's your latus rectum, 2 pi R
No one finds this ironic that the center of the question is Minecraft's creator? He needs hobbies and interests at this point. Maybe he should take up some game that is incredibly time consuming.
From wikipedia,
"Minecraft is an open world game that has no specific goals for the player to accomplish, allowing players a large amount of freedom in choosing how to play the game."
Life has imitated art yet again.
I'd produce an anime version of Jame's Joyces' Ulysses with Studios Ghibli.
I'd break the most stupid -should-not-be-illigal- contestable(/conflicting) laws, and get them thrown out by the highest court.
I have worked for many people who worked for a living and then one day there was a million dollars in the bank that they truly could withdraw and take with them. At this point, they become greedy, and greedier. Previously if the computer(s) are broke "Fix them, send me the bill.". Now as rich, "Are you sure there isn't a cheaper way?" "We can get buy without that computer." etc. So my answer is find a cause(s) that can spend your money well and decently and give it away. Keep some for a rainy day or move to a place you always wanted to live, but don't become rich, you may not like your life afterward or yourself. Contact me if you want a good cause... I have one.
I'd be investing in energy-plus housing:ie housing that produces more energy than it consumes. There is lots to be discovered about this and I would contribute to other people's well being for a very long time.
Put up a "Fuck Obama" sign visible from space.
i am in one of those strange places where I make a decent living, but ended up with a lot of debt (mostly due to divorce) and have to deal with a mortgage and my children going off to school.
1. Pay off debt - credit cards, mortgages, other loans.
2. Put aside money for college for the children.
3. Donate money to some very specific, local, causes. My wife has a community theater group she wants to support, and I'd want to support the local Boy Scout troops, and some other groups.
4. Travel: spent more time working when I was younger than traveling. I'd like to see more of the world. And not just in one-week chunks.
5. Figure out what I really like and then do it. I've been a software engineer for a long time, but it doesn't really satisfy me as much as it used to.
To quote an old joke:
Well, I guess I'd just keep farming until it was all gone. 8-)
In ten years, this can replace existing passenger and freight rail, and displace a lot of air travel. In forty years, this could be a multi-trillion dollar industry satisfying most of the county's transportation needs cleanly and efficiently.
Step 1: Buy /. /. return.
Step 2: Fix it!
Step 3: Watch the old school
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Once you've set up all your kids and family and (other) loved ones and ensured yourself a permanent comfortable income, invest where you want to make a difference : computing, politics, health. Your health... if I had so much money that I have to ask for ways to spend it, my second question would be how to make reasonably ensure I get a lot of time to spend it in. Money can't buy time, but maybe *lots* of money could? Peter F Hamilton, here I come!
I recall you couldn't validly disprove ALL of my points on hosts. That's all I challenge trolls like you to do. You never can, or will. Fact...
* The links I posted show that much & so are my consistent successes vs. trolls like yourself, everytime I post them.
APK
P.S.=> You project this in your trollish activities here "talking behind my back", like a gossipy old HAG would... lol!
... apk
I would bury myself in my family for a bit, and "spread the wealth" to avoid too great an imbalance. This is how I would combat isolation, alongside avoiding the limelight, finding people who have no idea who I am, and trying new things in areas I'm not known for.
I would also try desperately not to assume that there is an imbalance simply because the person knows who I am, how much I have, etc. For some people it truly doesn't matter in the way you don't want it to.
Finally, I would also try to recognize and account for my wealth being a new perfect excuse for anyone to employ to avoid telling me the real reason they've opted for someone else.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I'd setup a perpetual lottery system and send money "directly" to the winner's bank account.
There are millions of people living in abject poverty.
http://www.instat.gov.al/en/th...
I'd strive to make everybody wealthy;
For now I'll give $300 million for creating an Independent Nation for the Untouchable in India;
https://www.change.org/p/indep...
Casteism
No idea what to do with $2.5B? Amateur.
Who know what Musk will be in few years? Right now he's just a guy with fat mouth touting he'll put million people on Mars when he doesn't even have million people driving his electric car (which is orders of magnitude easier)
If you wanted to make a real dent in idevices, better way to use money would be to import tons of outstanding cheap android phones (like Redmi Note 2, Lenovo K3 Note, Meizu m2 Note) and give it away for free to any one who is interested in upgrading from an old iphone to android.in US. At $150 per pop, that works out to over 4.2 million awesome android phones given away for free. Much better use for your $634 million dollars.
1. Pay off my debts.
2. Put my kids through college.
3. Build a house.
4. Setup foundations to support the arts in several places.
5. Create a scholarship.
6. Provide funds to a charity that I trust. Anonymously.
7. Invest in SpaceX, and Bigelow Aerospace.
8. Build and fund my own science lab.
9. Become Iron Man.
You mean besides two chicks at the same time?
"What does it matter is I disprove all your points? That is not possible" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 02, 2015 @10:08AM (#50443411)
See subject: Correct - my points in favor of hosts are unassailable truth/fact (for once, you're right).
---
"you irritate people, you are worse than the ads people are trying to block with the repeated inflammatory posting" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 02, 2015 @10:08AM (#50443411)
Truth & fact = "inflammatory"? No, they're just fact & truth!
I "irritate you"? Hey, listen:
You're the one gossiping behind MY back now, boy, as well as trolling me in the past!
(... & yes - I have a whole SLEW of those bookmarked regarding you specifically in fact, & along with many others LIKE you)
Yes - you're irritated since you CAN'T PROVE ME WRONG... & you admittedly KNOW it, see your own post now.
APK
P.S.=>
"Some of your points are correct" - by Coren22 (1625475) on Wednesday September 02, 2015 @10:08AM (#50443411)
Ok then - Which ones are NOT correct, Coren22?
(Let's hear it so I can SYSTEMATICALLY dismantle your ass, YET again (you gossipy old HAG talking behind my back as usual & again today too -> http://slashdot.org/comments.p... like a bitch does))... apk
I would make sure that my family, friends and loved ones were financially taken care of, then donate the rest to missions and relief work, and then I would go very, very far away, someplace no one knows me.
Nonaggression works!
All consolidated vs. his bullshit trolling here http://slashdot.org/comments.p...
* :)
(It's always that way... lol!)
APK
P.S.=> It's just (& you KNOW I've just GOTTA say it, as per my own 'inimitable style') "too, Too, TOO EASY - just '2ez'" vs. "ne'er-do-well" big talkers yet never doers like Coren22, who likes TALKING BEHIND MY BACK on /. ... apk
if i were in notch's position, i think i would campaign for a society with a bigger middle class. perhaps some tax law that automatically adjusts the highest and lowest tax brackets every year, according to the distance between wealthiest and poorest.
Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
Pay my debt, put money aside for my entire family to go to college when they want, get a replacement for my 2002 Kia, but otherwise not change much.
1) Buy a lot of rainforst and set aside a trust to protect it in perpetuity.
2) Pay off the college debt of some struggling entry level workers
3) Fund schools
4) fund food banks
5) Support the politician of your choice - maybe he/she really will make a difference
6) Give all of your money to charity and go find a real job - you will be happier and you'll definitely get laid by a chick who digs you
1. Become a full time student.
2. Find a wife.
3. Start a family.
Step 1: Stop reading Slashdot
by the way I'm not a coward.. even tho the name says it. its just I m lazy to make an account x"D .. not love.
WELL NOW U KNOW WHAT KIND OF PERSON I AM.
u want girls?
i'll give u girls. PROSTITUTES.WHORES. they want money
u want a girl who u want to llove and live with the rest of ur life ?
u find them. love happens naturally. u never buy love. cuz u CANT. true love and shit may sound lame ass horny but there's nothing like discovering that ur life partner was a person so nearby. u were just soo stupid to understand love that u sold ur job.
u misunderstood love.
that's y u did a stupid mistake. becuz u believed love was money.
its never too late. go start doing gr8 things like charities and donations. u'll get noticed. many girls will come to u. maybe that one u lost will be found. but pls..
PLS DONT TAKE HER BACK. SHE AINT URS. KICK HER OUTTA UR PARTY AND SAY @FFFT!!!14511
THERE!
and njoy.
NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW........ what wud I do with that money? ...... I would do ma happy dance...
first
then go to Hollywood and try ma luck .
p.s I 'm a teenager tryin' hard to get famous with ossom job so I don't have to study nymore x"D