# Shortening your life for $1 million a year **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495 "2014-11-13T02:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Mr.Blue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/41 "2014-11-14T01:00:11Z")
Despite the fact that I voted for 1 yr, if our world didn’t worship money I most likely won’t do it at all. It would be too easy to enjoy life without the money, but because money can “buy everything” in this world I would have to do so to enjoy life. Or to make sure my family can be secure and happy even long after I’m gone. So that being said I probably would go for 10 or more yrs if I could. ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/42 "2014-11-14T01:25:47Z")
I’d want 6 million after taxes so I’d give up the full 10 years. 6 million would allow me to earn 144k a year after taxes and inflation forever. That would mean neither my wife nor I would ever have to work for the rest of our lives. We’re 30 and would retire in 30 years if you figure 50 weeks at 40 hr a week for both of us that would be equivalent to 120,000 hrs or 13.7 years. So we would be able to spend more time together then we would lose. We’re trying to have kids now so I’d get to spend tons of time with my children and if you count those hours then I’d pay off those years even faster. I wouldn’t take less then 6 million (after taxes) but I also don’t want more but I’d trade up to 14 years for that or about 700k/year. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/43 "2014-11-14T01:47:15Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > You get the $5-million today. You don’t die five years \*from now, \*you die 5 years \*earlier \*than you would have - say you would have originally lived until 94. You now would die at 89. fuck yeah, I’d take that in a heartbeat. I don’t _want_ to live until I’m decrepit and infirm. And if this also means that I was destined to die 5 years and one day from now, which means I’ll drop dead tomorrow, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/44 "2014-11-14T02:01:04Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > What if there is a breakthrough in life extension? It’d suck to throw a way eternal youth for a couple of mil. What if the breakthrough comes and you can’t afford it? Eta: Velocity, why the heck would you declare this “before taxes” death money? Taxes are different everywhere and you could have easily said “600 000 per year” or whatever you really wanted everyone to consider. So can I move to Monaco before I take the deal? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/45 "2014-11-14T02:10:48Z")
> [@dracoi](#): > > Yeah, but can you also imagine living to 85 and being totally broke, so that you’re stuck living at a nursing home on Medicaid, with a mere $59/month allowance for personal expenses? (Real story for my mother-in-law, who was so set against proper retirement planning that she even turned down an employer-paid life insurance policy because it was of no benefit to her. :smack: ) Being poor and old sucks. Being poor or old sucks. But I’d rather be poor and old and alive then rich and dead. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/46 "2014-11-14T02:31:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Being poor and old sucks. Being poor or old sucks. But I’d rather be poor and old and alive then rich and dead. Says young you. Old you might disagree. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/47 "2014-11-14T03:06:58Z")
hell yes. I took 3 years for 3 million. That gives me about 2.3 million after tax which is WAY more than enough to live the rest of my life in luxury in south east asia. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/48 "2014-11-14T03:52:39Z")
I ended up going with 4 years for $4 million, but I’d really take any of these choices if they were offered. I’m definitely in the “30-some years of not having to waste 10 hours a day between work and commuting offsets the four years of lifespan” group. I enjoy what I do, but if I didn’t need to work to get money, I’d never work another day. People who don’t know what they’d do with all that free time confuse me - it’d be at least a decade before I even ran out of books, never mind places to go and things to experience. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/49 "2014-11-14T04:20:49Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Says young you. Old you might disagree. I’m already old me. It’s young people who would glibly throw away years of their life. They think they have all the time in the world. Old people know better. We’ve come to the realization that we only have a finite number of years left and we put value on each of them. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/50 "2014-11-14T04:38:50Z")
Write the check baby ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/51 "2014-11-14T05:43:30Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m already old me. > > It’s young people who would glibly throw away years of their life. They think they have all the time in the world. > > Old people know better. We’ve come to the realization that we only have a finite number of years left and we put value on each of them. Old people accept death all the time. You don’t speak for them. But good on you for your own stance. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/52 "2014-11-14T05:56:43Z")
Old people never go get drunk at the bar every night. Old people dont smoke or gamble. Old people never get into heated useless arguments. Also, you learn to love all those aches and pains. Its life after all. Smell those roses! That’s right, when you turn a certain age you got it all figured out. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/53 "2014-11-14T05:57:58Z")
Ok. Sorry about those posts. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/54 "2014-11-14T06:11:15Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m already old me. > > It’s young people who would glibly throw away years of their life. They think they have all the time in the world. > > Old people know better. We’ve come to the realization that we only have a finite number of years left and we put value on each of them. I’m old me already too. It changes your perspective when you deal with older relatives with dementia. Family who grab your arm when you walk by and say “pray that I die” Family that are in elder care homes that beg you to take them home to live with their parents. Mom’s who ask if their husband is still living and you have to tell them every single visit that he died 25 years ago. And that her oldest son is dead and that her next oldest son is dead and that her brother is dead. Lather, rinse repeat. Every single day. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/55 "2014-11-14T06:17:22Z")
> [@sinjin](#): > > I’m old me already too. It changes your perspective when you deal with older relatives with dementia. Family who grab your arm when you walk by and say “pray that I die” Family that are in elder care homes that beg you to take them home to live with their parents. Mom’s who ask if their husband is still living and you have to tell them every single visit that he died 25 years ago. And that her oldest son is dead and that her next oldest son is dead and that her brother is dead. Lather, rinse repeat. Every single day. I’m only middle age me (45) but I do a little work in a nursing home. One guy I see is basically emotionless and answers “i don’t know” to almost everything. Except when his wife is leaving after a visit where he cries like a baby for her not to leave him. Last time I saw it, it took everything I had not to cry myself. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/56 "2014-11-14T10:56:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Velocity, why the heck would you declare this “before taxes” death money? Taxes are different everywhere and you could have easily said “600 000 per year” or whatever you really wanted everyone to consider. So can I move to Monaco before I take the deal? A very good question: do we have time to move to and establish residency in a lower-tax jurisdiction before taking the deal? Even without moving to Monaco, we Americans could change our payoff nontrivially by moving to a state without an income tax (assuming we’re not already living in one) before accepting a deal like this, a change that could be done more quickly and easily than establishing citizenship in another country. ---
**Author:** ![Inna\_Minnit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Inna\_Minnit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inna_Minnit)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/57 "2014-11-14T15:56:00Z")
So the only thing more certain than death is taxes. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2014, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495/58 "2014-11-14T16:06:35Z")
Guess the OP lost interest in his poll. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortening-your-life-for-1-million-a-year/704495.md?page=2)