If I had a 100 million, or a billion a day, how it might it change my life?

Fabrice Grinda photo from the NYT story

I read a short article today entitled, A Curious Midlife Crisis For A Tech Entrepreneur. 

In short, a 100+ millionare finds his single playboy life in the mansion near the city is empty when he hits 40. He wants more family, friends and experiences with them, then parties, fast cars and possessions. Bravo!

I suspect he'll land somewhere in the middle when he does land. Nice cars and house, but more friends and family.

He travels and visits friends and family, getting on their nerves sometimes with his late night activities and tendency to empty the fridge and leave dirty laundry around.  

Reflecting on myself was easy in this article. I was a bit of a laptop nomad until age 42, moving from job to job and relationship to relationship, with and two graduate schools, starting at age 25. But I wasn't rich. It's quiet easy to live cheap if you're alone and don't have expensive habits.

I did learn that you can get at least two weeks at a friends house though, but you've got to add value - do the dishes, do their laundry, watch the kids, mow the lawn.

Anyway, so this guy, Fabrice Grinda, then tries to stay in hotels, which doesn't really work, since he can't get them for long enough, and women he dates think it's strange to move around from hotel to hotel. Then he tries gathering folks at big parties, but they have to work and take kids to school, etc. so they come for the weekend only.  He settles a bit on two big destination parties a year during Xmas and summer break. Now he's looking into a buying  flat in the lower east side as he grapples with women he dates liking guys who live somewhere stable.

I sense he'll move in the direction of my life. Living in one place, with friends and family nearby that you prioritize sharing healthy experiences with. Summer and holiday travel. Work he loves, but not too much of it. I expect he'll find a good stable partner if this happens as well, as they are attracted to sanity - or mostly sanity...

So I am rich now I think!

But what would it be like for me to have 100 million dollars and lots of investments in startups? Would I move towards his lifestyle? Would I leave my friends and family for a mansion and parties?

Money I believe is an amplifier and a source of power to do things, and like being very attractive, or very convincing, it presents opportunities for both good, and bad, things to happen.

 

What If I Had 100 Million In The Bank?

 Here's my guess on what would happen if I had 100 Million. And following, if I had a billion a day.

1. Initially, I'd split the money up in 4ths. 1/4 for me to invest and play with, 1/4 with a low risk trust-fund money manger, 1/4 with a high risk money manager, and 1/4 in an ETF like VOO.  Each manager wouldn't know about the other. 
2. I'd give to charities that provide support (books and home doctor visits, etc) to kids 0 to 5 in the US.
3. Later, I'd learn more about how to manage this kind of money and probably make some changes.
4. I'd keep my job. But not my side contracts after they were complete. 
5. I'd pay off the mortgage, and give my parents 13,000 a year (the untaxable limit), until the needed more.
6. I'd buy a new VW TDI wagon, Tesla  Model X, Mac tower computer with three huge screens, drone, battery operated weed whacker, mudroom for the tiny house, fence for the property, kitchen remodel, green house, helicopter lessons and Quicksilver 10 tent trailer.
7. I'd think about starting a non-profit lab that I funded that was affiliated with a college and explored what works in educational technology around the world.
8. I'd take up amateur, modest and relatively safe, Rally Racing.
9. The family and I would discuss long range plans. We might get a bigger house, or move, but not for a bit and not if it wasn't a family decision.
10. We'd travel on vacations and rent a lake house in the summer for longer.
11. I'd have a personal trainer and a gym membership, or a home gym.

 

What If I Had A Billion A Day?

1. The above with 100 million from the first day.
2. With the rest of the money I'd start a non-profit that focuses on healthy children, education, sustainable business, and astrobiology, specifically a manned mission to Mars, a mining mission to an asteroid, and a probe to Europa. 

Europa. Moon of Jupiter. Smaller then our moon, but with more water then than all the water on earth.