# I have recently come into some money. Please suggest: **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793 "2010-01-21T03:54:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Klif](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Klif](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klif)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/1 "2010-01-21T03:54:47Z")
I have recently received a sum of money. I will not discuss the amount of money other than to say that it is more than $0.25 and less than $1,000,000. I will not discuss my likes and dislikes as regards to what I would like or need to spend it on. Please suggest to me things to use my money on. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/2 "2010-01-21T03:57:00Z")
My suggestion, because I don’t know what you’d like or need to spend it on, and I don’t know you, is that you should give it to me. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/3 "2010-01-21T03:57:15Z")
[TIPS](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasury_security#TIPS), hookers, and blow. In that order. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/4 "2010-01-21T04:03:14Z")
Well, if it was me, I’d pay off the mortgage and any debt, see an investment counselor about most of the rest, and send some nice checks off to favorite charities. Oh, and then take a really nice trip. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/5 "2010-01-21T04:06:23Z")
Send it to Haiti. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/6 "2010-01-21T04:07:52Z")
Depends on how much it is. $100? Take someone out for a nice dinner. Buy a great bottle of Scotch and share it with some friends. Donate it to charity. $1M? Pay off debt and/or invest it. That is the kind of money that you can really put to work in the long term - tens of thousands of dollars per year interest…retire early, work less, put people through college, that kind of thing. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/7 "2010-01-21T04:09:28Z")
Pay off debts, buy yourself a modest vehicle that will last the rest of your life, invest the rest in a way that a responsible investment counselor meets your particular needs. This investment counselor is one you pay hourly for their services, not someone who makes money by having their company manage your money. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/8 "2010-01-21T04:11:20Z")
Well, my real answer is that you should pay off your credit card debt yesterday. I probably wouldn’t bother paying off a mortgage since it’s such a low rate and you’d be better off investing the money. I wasn’t kidding about the TIPS but you assuming you are fairly young, you should be more aggressive. I’ll be really pissed if the OP comes back and says it was $.50. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/9 "2010-01-21T04:14:45Z")
What a coincidence, so have I! However, I cannot currently access it, as it is in an offshore bank account and I need the local address of someones to operate it. THere is 10,000,000$ (TEN MILLION USD), and I would be willing to bive 10% (TEN PERCENT) of it to anyoen who gives me their addres,s bank account, and SSN (SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER) Thank you for your kinkins regards,k The Empror or the Federates of Northe-middle Midwest America. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Crap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.crap/32/3131_2.png) [@Dr.Crap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Crap)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/10 "2010-01-21T04:17:38Z")
Treat yourself and a friend or loved one to a very expensive, full-course dinner at an upscale restaurant. Something like The hobbit, The French Laundry or Nobu. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/11 "2010-01-21T04:19:39Z")
Go to Disneyland! ---
**Author:** ![Rafe\_Hollister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/fbc32d/32.png) [@Rafe\_Hollister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rafe_Hollister)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/12 "2010-01-21T04:20:19Z")
Debt reduction. In times of plenty, prepare for times of little. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/13 "2010-01-21T04:37:10Z")
Play the Lottery! ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/14 "2010-01-21T04:53:12Z")
Put some into either savings or an investment account, spend a little on something you might not usually purchase (nice dinner, TV, etc. dependent on the amount), and buy a small something for the people that mean the most to you. Saving/investing takes care of the smart part, indulging takes care of the instant gratification/“selfish” part, and giving small gifts gives you that awesome feeling of giving when you are able to. If you run out of people to give stuff to, I could really use a new comforter for my bed. 😃 Also keep in mind that any substantial dollar amount can be seriously life changing for some people. As little as $1,000 can literally turn a debt laden fast food worker into a college bound, future home owner. You might be able to change a life with your own “stimulus package”. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/15 "2010-01-21T04:59:27Z")
10 percent for fun 10 percent for someone else 50 percent for what you ‘should’ spend it on, and if that more than covers any debts, put it toward educating yourself \ 30 percent for a rainy day IANA financial advisor, obviously. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/16 "2010-01-21T06:06:18Z")
I’d sit on it. The economy sucks so bad now. If you pay off a debt, the credit card company will probably just cancel the card once it’s all paid off. I certainly haven’t seen the economy getting any better. So I’d sit on it till the economy gets better. Then take a trip to New York or San Francisco ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/17 "2010-01-21T06:17:11Z")
It depends on how old you are, and how much you have already. If you are 99, hookers and blow sound good. If you are 20, maximize your investment, probably by paying off debts and saving rhe rest in a good range of investment types. If it is enough to pay off debts with a lot left over, do have some fun with some of it. But 15 years ago I got a bunch of money for leaving one company for another, and I’ve got more accumulated pleasure from not worrying about debts than I could have from blowing it on fun at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/18 "2010-01-21T06:23:42Z")
There’s too much difference between 0.25 and 1,000,000 to give serious advice. If it is more than your annual salary, buy property. Like, now. Preferably in the Las Vegas area, on the east side. Please. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/19 "2010-01-21T08:52:06Z")
Buy new batteries for your smoke alarms, if you have smoke alarms. If you have no smoke alarms, buy some smoke alarms and install them. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793/20 "2010-01-21T09:33:47Z")
Everyone needs: A good mattress Comfortable shoes A warm coat A smart suit A sharp knife A good Saucepan An improving book Tasty, nutritious food A warm blanket A soft pillow A little fun To do something philanthropic Beyond that- pay your debts, save for a rainy day and seek advice from Independent Financial Advisor. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-recently-come-into-some-money-please-suggest/525793.md?page=2)