Friday, March 30, 2012
Editorial: On becoming filthy rich
From the RoundTable blog
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Our minds are way too pedestrian to wrap around the concept of being worth half a billion dollars. Actually $540 million — which is five hundred, thirty-nine million, nine hundred fifty thousand and some change more than the average Jane Roanoker and Joe Valley take home each year.
Once you pay off the underwater mortgage, fully fund the kids’ college account as you’re always meaning to do, buy a new car — oh, heck, make it a fleet — and squirrel away enough that you don’t have to worry if the government kills off Medicare and Social Security, what next? You could set up a do-gooder foundation, buy a villa in Tuscany, tour the world, and then?
Join us today on the RoundTable blog to dream a little.
Remember, lots of folks will want to help spend it; don’t let them, the experts say. They’re dispensing lots of advice on what to do — hire an attorney, a financial adviser — and what not to do — tell anyone, start giving it away — and, most importantly, they say: Don’t Blow Through It All. Are they kidding? Half a billion dollars? Whom do they mistake you for? Congress?
What strikes us most is they suck all the fun out of winning HALF A BILLION DOLLARS. Be cautious. Be secretive. Be patient.
We don’t know about you, but if we won the biggest jackpot ever we’d have a hard time keeping it on the QT. All of you would know come Tuesday, what with nothing but white space in this column, that we didn’t show up Monday.
