Thread: If you won the lottery, would your life be better or worse?

In talking in the VAT tax thread, I thought "Would I be happier and better off than I am now if I was very rich (monetarily)? I've thought about this kind of thing periodically throughout my life and I'm honestly very very thankful that my answer continues to be.....No.

My wife and I don't gamble and we don't play the lottery. I believe for example, if I did play the lottery and were to instantly win millions and millions of dollars that ultimately it would negatively impact my life. Maybe it's because I lean toward the "money is the root of all evil" camp (I'd say I believe money IS the root of all evil, but then physical lust can be unrelated to money, so....), but I'm also a person who does NOT envy "the rich". I'm also not one to say I don't envy the rich but secretly do.

So, what say you? Do you think becoming monetarily rich would better your life overall or impact it negatively and if so for either choice, why?

Assume for the sake of this question that saying you'd give away/donate all your new found wealth WOULD make you happy; instead for this question, leave it at would you be happier if you were wealthy and/or obscenely wealthy.

Bummer. I tried to make this a poll, but it said my second choice response had too many characters.

Chris L

Quite honestly, I too am content where i'm at without a monitary windfall.

I've tried poverty and being lower middle class. I wouldn't mind giving being rich a shot. I heard IIRC that when he died Michael Jackson was in debt to the tune of 44 million dollars. That made me think. I do play the lotto and have no expectation of winning but by spending one dollar a couple of times per week I can fantasize.

I've always thought that if I were to win a few million I would be set for life but reading that about Jackson gave me pause. How do you spend 44 million + ? Must have been quite a ride.

I'd rather be able to help those who normally go without than have to wait for help from those who don't

maybe another question is can you trust yourself with more money than you're used to?

I would go on a whirlwind trip around the world visiting all of SRP

Simple answer for me, Yes!

Because : Freedom.......

...to help others as needed.
...to do whatever I wanted to do.
...to pursue, more formally, things of interest that might prove to be interesting as a career.
...to ensure the safety and financial well-being of those that I love.

BTW, I do not play the lotto either!

"Life is like a sh*t sandwich; the more bread you got, the less sh*t you gotta eat."

This is basically the way I feel about the question. More money can be a great thing if you don't let it go to your head. THAT's the operative point here, not the money itself.

There are rich jerks and there are rich nice people. Of course, the majority are jerks, but that doesn't mean I have to be.

I've never been poor, but I do recall what it was like when I was younger and didn't have much extra, and it certainly was no picnic.
Having said that, it does seem that many folks have a very difficult time handling all that goes with a sudden influx of wealth. I would guess it's not simply the money itself that's the problem, it's the change/disruption of all that had comprised that person's prior existence. Relationships become strained; expectations arise; etc. Having people treat you differently, and often having the world in general exhibiting the type and degree of deference that goes along with being wealthy is often difficult to handle, especially when it happens suddenly. I'm sure this is why athletes, movie starts, music icons, etc. have so much difficulty handling fame and fortune.

I'd give it a try. I think, as long as I could keep my wealth to myself and my wife, my life could turn out... perhaps not better per say, but without a care about mortgage payments or my care breakig down.

I don't gamble, so I can hardly win.
Maybe I should, so I could buy an old house with a big garden and NO neighbors, LOL.
Thats probably what I'd want to do with an unexpected chunk of money coming in.
But then... I love what I'm doing, so why should I stop living this way?!?