The Writer’s Coin

Part 2 of the All the Money in the World series:

The first post in this series had me pretending I won a million dollars and what I would do with the money if I really thought about it as a financially responsible person.

Which was fun, but today I’m taking a look at the second part. Not just being suddenly rich, but being filthy rich. I’m talking about being wealthy.

2) What would it be like to have so much money coming in that your children’s children’s grandchildren won’t ever worry about money? What would it be like to be one of those grandchildren?

I was surprised at how my answer to the question “What would I do if…” changed by simply upping the ante a bit.

Here is, after much debate, what I came up with:

- Quit job. Why on earth would I stay at a job I love when I can buy the company, fire everyone I dislike, and then sell it for a profit? Mo’ Money.

- Buy a place in Chicago. Something big, a two or maybe three bedroom spread. Don’t know where yet, maybe in Old Town. Let M fix it up as she sees fit—no restrictions.

- Buy a place in my home town. It’s in a different country but having my own place to stay whenever I go “home” would be great. Probably in a high rise. Or maybe next to my sister.

- Buy a place in Paris. That’s right, right on the river too. Why, you may ask? My answer just proves how wacky this scenario is: so I can save money when I travel over there.

- Get M flying lessons. She’s always wanted to learn.

- Take a trip around the world. South America, Easter Island, Alaska, Iceland, Dubai, Egypt, Portugal, China, back to Japan, etc. etc. Everywhere I’ve ever wanted to go. Flying, on cruises, hiking, on a camel, all of it.

- Get an internship at an ad agency. While I would like to eventually start my own (look at me, not even an inkling of a job and already he wants his own agency), this seems like the obvious place to start. Again, I would be putting mucho dinero into my book.

- Buy my parents a trip. They love to travel and I can’t think of anything else to buy them. They can stay at my pad in Paris if they want. Or a hotel, up to them.

- I would write more. This one is about time. With the internship going I don’t think I would be spending as much of my spare time doing ad-related stuff.

- I would be free. ‘Nough said.

- Buy gadgets like I do groceries, once a week. We’re talking Iphone, Wii, plasma TV, etc. etc.

- Charity. Have we not learned anything from Warren Buffett?

This is the type of exercise where you could go on and on for hours, as long as your imagination will take you.

What would you do differently? The same? How do you think these answers are different from the first episode?

Click here for part III.

Tags: wealthy, what if