Think about yourself: suppose you did well and became worth, say, $100 million. What do you do next?
Me?
Ass sitting. Spending it on family and friends. Doing odd hobbies. Work ain’t gonna happen. Why in heck should I? Just the annual return on that (say 5 million after taxes) is more than I can spend.
I don’t want or need a 300 foot yacht. Don’t need to take a sub to Titanic. Not interested in going to Mars. God bless those who have these ambitions but I’d rather hang out with friends by the pool.https://x.com/Mark_E_Noonan/status/1940127883474981159?t=weMiawupPtQyFnXRPPQA6g&s=19
Are people in earnest about this? That they’d be happy to sit by the pool and do nothing in the prime of their lives? Every time I’ve tried to take “do-nothing” days, by day two I would start getting depressive and develop symptoms of exotic illnesses.
What are people going to talk to their friends about by the side of that pool? Gossip? Celebrity news? The post was written by a man, so I assume he isn’t planning to breastfeed and try to recover from giving birth by the poolside.
If I somehow came across $100 000, I’d buy this house:
Plant a ton of trees around it and then continue doing exactly what I’m doing.
Or probably this one:
But I’d continue working exactly like now because I’m loving it. Why would I be doing it at all if I didn’t?
Most of the aspects of my life I constituted myself and I’m happy with how I did it. Of course, I wanted three kids but that was out of my hands.
Clarissa's Blog 
While I don’t think most people would be happy sitting around doing nothing, most people’s jobs are just a means of making money. I’d definitely quit my job immediately if I had 100 million dollars, though I would try to find something to do in place of it.
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Exactly, you’d find an occupation. What would people even do by that pool for decades? Stare at their phones to find out about the people who actually have lives?
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If I ever win the lottery, one thing (among many) I’ll do is organize an all-expenses-paid weekend retreat at a five-star resort and fly in Clarissa and all the regular commenters.
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That’s a great idea. I’m in. Let’s all pray for SB to win the lottery.
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A million bucks would buy enough woods to never have to hear the neighbors…
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I retired at 55, here in France. I had paid off my mortgage the year before and my three children completed college at about the same time. Also, I inherited from my mother the year when I retired. So I ended up with more money for my wife and myself than I had ever had before, and I more or less found myself in the situation you envision, Clarissa..
What did I do? I accepted an unpaid job as a treasurer in a association. It’s a quarter-time job, and it allows me to meet lots of interesting people I didn’t know before. For instance, the mayor and city councillors of the city where I live, college professors, etc. As a member of the editorial board, I have my name in the books and bulletins we publish. It’s nice to give as presents books with me as one of the authors. I never forget to mention, though, that 95% of the texts are written by one guy who isn’t me.
I have lots of free time, and I do my best to keep fit and visit my children and grandchildren. I study enough English to be able to call myself bilingual without exaggerating too much, and I write bad science-fiction for a dozen readers, half of whom are friends, among other hobbies.
I live in a nice apartment, but if I were rich I’d rather live in a house with a garden. Presently my battered, 25 year old small car is enough for me. I’m not really interested in traveling. Who’d like to visit New-York or San Francisco in their present condition, anyway? I’m presently 68 years old, but when I was 55 I was embarrassed to say that I was a pensioner, in front of people who had to toil until age 62 or older. So I said I was a treasurer in an association, and people seemed to be satisfied with that.
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I would probably invest about 80% of it, put 10% in bullion (kept in person rather than paper bullion.) Then buy a sailboat and leave for the Caribbean.
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