# You come into a huge fortune. What NON-frivolous do you buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683 "2010-07-14T17:46:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/1 "2010-07-14T17:46:03Z")
Inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=570558). And it doesn’t have to be something bought. It can be a business startup, etc. For me, I’d found a private school where the emphasis is on quality academics and learning Taekwondo. I’d start with grades 9-12, then expand down until we have all grades covered K-12. Our goal is to be so good that we have colleges lined up waving bags of scholarship money at our graduates and begging them to come be students on their campus. How about you? ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/2 "2010-07-14T17:54:05Z")
I’d create an trust fund to financially support my public library. My town’s city government has been screwing them for years. They’re down to three operating days a week. I’d put enough money into the fund so that the interest alone would support the library in perpetuity without too much fear of the city’s control of the budget. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/3 "2010-07-14T17:56:16Z")
O dear. I’m far more selfish than the previous two posters. I’d like a new clothes-dryer, please. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/4 "2010-07-14T17:56:54Z")
I didn’t post in the other thread because I couldn’t think of anything frivolous! I would definitely be sharing the money with family, but I always get bogged down in the details of just how to split it up. I’m going to give to charities and do volunteer work benefitting animals as well. ---
**Author:** ![FordTaurusSHO94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f07891/32.png) [@FordTaurusSHO94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordTaurusSHO94)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/5 "2010-07-14T18:04:36Z")
I could use a house. It would have frivolous stuff in it though, I’m afraid. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/6 "2010-07-14T18:19:01Z")
Pay off the house. Trust funds to pay for my kids’ college. New carpeting and counter tops. Invest practically all the rest. Clausewitz says the first principle of warfare is to make your base secure. I would do that first - _then_ we can start taking about sports cars and what not. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/7 "2010-07-14T18:20:49Z")
For me: land, house, vehicles. House passive-solar, passive geothermal. Land to include permaculture gardens, greenhouses, etc. Hydro-electric installation, solar-electric panels, wind turbines for power. Maybe a small biofuels plant. And electric/biofuels vehicles. For the community: fund reliable rural transit at least on the main routes so that people have an option not to use cars. Fund urban planning to encourage walkable design in towns. Start transitioning towards local self-reliance: composting to return nutrients to the soil, local food production, local electricity and fuel production, etc, etc. For youth: fund a social-skills training program in public school and especially high school. This would be for those who, like me, had trouble socially and never learned how to be socialble until it was too late. This would cover things like social awareness, body language, conversation skills, vocal training. Everything a kid needs to be more successful in the dating world, for one. And in the work world. There would also be a section on self-defense. The best way to deal with a bully is to not be the target… but if you are the taeget, you need to be able to defend yourself as well. Edit: do such social-skills training programs actually exist now? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/8 "2010-07-14T18:59:33Z")
1. Pay off house. 2. Set up a college fund for the kids that will cover their whole education. 3. Set up retirement fund (if it were enough retirement might start now). (Then if there is anything left over, I would start getting more frivolous things. Like that newfangled air conditioning I keep hearing about.) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/9 "2010-07-14T19:16:22Z")
Upgrade house. Buy securities. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/10 "2010-07-14T19:20:53Z")
I’d probably buy a house, and go back to school, and buy a new car. Not something special, just maybe a cute little Yaris or something. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/11 "2010-07-14T19:23:12Z")
Over $100 million? My two main priorities would be paying off our house and helping my parents retire more comfortably, but that would still leave most of it. Tough question. I’d probably buy the SDMB so I could get rid of all the ads, and put the rest toward animal rescue, likely via the Humane Society. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/12 "2010-07-14T19:37:39Z")
Scholarships. Lots of scholarships. A trust fund for my debate team, so they have funding after I retire and go off to live a life of decadence and debauchery. Then houses. If we won more than $50 million after taxes, it would break down to a large compound in Skagit county, WA, a condo in San Diego and a condo in Vegas. 5 acres of land in northern San Diego county to establish a cat ranch. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2010, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/13 "2010-07-14T19:42:53Z")
Get a general contractor to supervise redoing our house, instead of contracting out each piece ourselves. Pay off my son-in-law’s law school debt. I like the donating money to the library idea. Ours aren’t that bad yet, but it is a struggle. Also, I’d donate a bunch of money to Guide Dogs for the Blind, since we’ve had such fun raising puppies. But the big thing would be to see if I could endow a foundation to help teach critical thinking in schools, as well as financial education. The goal would be to have every high school graduate be able to critically analyze news stories and ads, and to have them be able to make wise decisions on credit cards, mortgages, and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/14 "2010-07-14T19:53:10Z")
1. Set up college funds for the kids of family and friends 2. Make sure parents and grandparents will be taken care off 3. Pay off the mortgages of family and friends 4. Set up scholarships with a couple of groups we are involved with ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/15 "2010-07-14T19:56:19Z")
Pay off my mortgage, car loans, student loans for my daughter, and my daughter’s student loans. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/16 "2010-07-14T19:59:02Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Pay off the house. Trust funds to pay for my kids’ college. New carpeting and counter tops. Invest practically all the rest. > > Clausewitz says the first principle of warfare is to make your base secure. I would do that first - _then_ we can start taking about sports cars and what not. > > Regards, > Shodan Ditto. To have no financial worries would be heavenly. To know the kids can go to college. To know the house is in good shape. To know I’ll be comfortable in my retirement. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/17 "2010-07-14T20:24:20Z")
House built to my design. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/18 "2010-07-14T20:48:45Z")
A house. Go back to college. A second vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/19 "2010-07-14T21:21:21Z")
I’d buy and completely rehabilitate an entire run-down old traditional village, restoring the architecture that’s worth saving and building new structures and spaces to fit in with the good old stuff. Building a house for myself is fine, but I want a whole living streetscape and neighborhood to my standards. After each building or property is in good shape, I’ll sell it off (excepting a couple), but with my architectural standards as deed restrictions, so nobody can screw it up again. I’ll provide incubator programs to subsidize the establishment of the businesses I want in my neighborhood. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683/20 "2010-07-14T21:21:53Z")
Pay off student loans, both mine & my husband’s. That wouldn’t be much, but it’s the only debt we have at the moment. Buy a house. Then pay off anything my parents may owe on their house (I don’t know if they owe anything at all, but if they do). Ditto for my sister & her husband. Go back to school. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-come-into-a-huge-fortune-what-non-frivolous-do-you-buy/546683.md?page=2)