If Bill gave you a Billion...

[stephencp]

What would you do if Bill Gates (or Warren Buffet....) gave you a Billion dollars - no strings attached...

Stephen
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[WanderingOak]

I would quite my day job and concentrate my energy and financial resources on creative projects that would improve all facets of our society.

[Nneka]

If I got a billion dollars from Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or anyone else, I would open a school for K-12 that does spiritual enrichment, explores different cultures and religions, financial literacy, and teaches the usual reading, writing, and arithmetic. There would be a lot of experiential learning with annual trips to different countries for all ages.

My vision for the school is that it be 20-50% scholarship students. The parents would have to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours a week. If your child is on scholarship, you would have to volunteer more hours.

I would also start a parallel center where the parents can do life enhancement courses in health, financial literacy, spirituality, and relationships.

I want to do the project like Disney World (or Land, the one in Orlando) on acres and acres of land with a buffer to the city. When students and parents arrive on campus, I want them to feel like they have entered another world.

I want to create this school with leaders in all fields academic and otherwise. For example, I want to higher architects that can create a space that blends the inside with the outside and has nooks for meditation along with open play areas entangled with classroom areas.

This is my life dream. Even if I don't get a billion dollars from Bill or Warren, I will create it.

[msd]

I'd go on vacation and think about it

[Nicketas]

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

I would quite my day job and concentrate my energy and financial resources on creative projects that would improve all facets of our society.

DITTO THAT!

[John Wesley]

First I would take a really long vacation. I love traveling but haven't gotten to do much of it. When I got back I would spend my time following my whims and constantly learning interesting new things. Wow that would be great to be totally free!

[geekchic9]

After paying all of my debts, moving out of the house, and going back to school for my MBA, I would split the money into 4 parts: money for the family, money for the non-profit that I work for, money to dedicate to my web site, and money toward investments for the future.

[Hsiang-Lin]

I probably wouldn't accept the money.

I don't feel I have the knowledge, consciousness, and discipline yet to deal with that amount of money. Also, I feel working my way towards wealth is a much more rewarding path than simply having it come easily into my life.

[young guy]

i will to do all things which i want to do,such as buy a car ,return to school....~~~~

[Baltar]

Originally Posted by Hsiang-Lin

I probably wouldn't accept the money.

I wouldn't be able to accept that much money either, because I'm not ready for it and I wouldn't be able to do much good with it. It takes a lot of experience to earn that kind of money in the first place, and if you manage to do it then you should also have the knowledge of how to use it to make the world a better place. It's easy to see from the responses that nobody here would be able to properly handle that amount of money. For one thing, it's a lot more than a person can spend in their lifetime. There are only so many luxury cars, boats, planes, mansions, jewelry, private islands, etc. you can buy before it gets boring. And you'd still have most of a billion dollars left over. Such a huge amount of money isn't meant to be used by one person or one family solely for their personal use.

[Michael Chui]

Why do you think Bill Gates is funneling it all into philanthropy? Why do you think Warren Buffet threw up his hands and said, "Here, Gates, use it," like he does with every other company he's invested? The luxury thing is really, really boring. Though if you get enough people doing it, you'll start dickering over little things just so you have an excuse to start a war, which at the very least, is interesting.

A lot of the people here seem to be saying, "I'll fix up my life using this money." I would point out, to echo Baltar, that you could probably do that with about hundred thousand. If you want to be cushy, a couple million. If you want a dozen friends to be cushy, too, maybe 50-100 million. These are pretty much givens, when you get a billion dollars dumped in your lap.

The problem is: what do you do with the other 900 million?

Since there's no way I believe myself capable of judging NGOs on their competence, I think I'd join an angel investment group as a small timer, set up my will to split it pretty equally among my best friends as stewards, and travel the world (preferably first class). It would be a good opportunity to enhance my dinky little art collection. I figure I could burn 100-200 million this way. 300, if I really let it loose, and perhaps five, ten years or so.

The reason I want to travel the world isn't really to see it. I'd spend the rest of the money and my life on building a university, specifically funding research into psychology, sociology, genetic engineering, and aerospace engineering while simultaneously bringing a focus to undergraduate education of five to six years.

I figure, halfway through that, the money will have disappeared very magically but I'll have enough outside funding from my contacts all over the world and in investors' circles and general publicity to keep operations running until my death.

[smallstar]

I'd invest in the media first - money is power. A newspaper would be good, and perhaps a radio station. Maybe I'd hire staff for some full budget computer games - I've always wanted to make games but I've never had someone do all the graphics.

Secondarily, research. Especially: new forms of energy, transportation, materials, communication and medicine. Then, when one of my companies makes a key discovery, I'll be even richer.

Probably, I'd still keep my day job though, at least for the start, to avoid getting shocked too much. Of course I'll also invest in my life, but that goes without saying.

[toomuchtoabsorb]

Let see now: If I take about 20 million for myself, I could most likely support myself and my future family on that for a long time (and build my dream house as well). Just being lazy and doing nothing sounds sweet, but you'd be sick of it after a few years, so that won't do.
As education is one of the most important things in life, I'd start up a couple of "ordinary" schools, especially in third world countries. Assume that costs me about 180 million, for an unknown, but probably quite large, number of schools. =P
Then, I'd do like Nneka and start up one or more slightly more unusual schools, that uses accelerated learning, teaches various life improvement skills (maybe emotional mastery, time management, speed/photoreading etc.) and has a wide curriculum. (Who wouldn't have wanted to learn something like rocket science when they were a kid?)
However, I think I'd still have quite a lot money after that, so maybe I'd invest it in something. Probably research of some wacked out ideas. =)

[WanderingOak]

Originally Posted by Baltar

I wouldn't be able to accept that much money either, because I'm not ready for it and I wouldn't be able to do much good with it. It takes a lot of experience to earn that kind of money in the first place, and if you manage to do it then you should also have the knowledge of how to use it to make the world a better place. It's easy to see from the responses that nobody here would be able to properly handle that amount of money. For one thing, it's a lot more than a person can spend in their lifetime. There are only so many luxury cars, boats, planes, mansions, jewelry, private islands, etc. you can buy before it gets boring. And you'd still have most of a billion dollars left over. Such a huge amount of money isn't meant to be used by one person or one family solely for their personal use.

That is why I didn't mention any 'toys' that I would buy with the money. With those resources I would be able to establish an 'empire' dedicated towards the improvement of society as a whole. I wouldn't care if I lived in a leaky tin shack and drove a rusted-out Model T Ford, as long as my resources and energy were going towards the betterment of society.

[placebo]

I would have time to learn to play guitar and money to see the nba game. i would buy myself some small basketballl club and learn kids to play b-ball.

Rest of the money..i don't know, probably give back to bill

[RT Wolf]

I'm thinkin I'll buy a few cars:

Bugatti Veyron
Ferrari Enzo
Aston Martin V12 Vanquish
McLaren-Mercedes SLR
And, of course, the McLaren F1

A HUGE house in Hollywood. Maybe a ritzy hotel or two. Prolly buy a few actresses to hang off my arms at all times.

I'll probably also buy soem talent. And happiness in the form of cocaine. It'll be a good life.

In seriousness, though, I'd have to think on the problem of having that much money and then decide what to do with it.

[JHL]

If Bill gates gave me a billion dollars I suppose I might stop disparaging the Windows OS so much. But probably not.

[Shuchetana]

JHL -- hehehe

I wouldn't turn down a billion dollars. I'd probably spend a bit (maybe 30-50K) to finance my masters degree at UniMelb. The money would just rot in a bank or something for that one year.
I'd spend the next year travelling the world, because I'd really like to see it all. How much could I spend on that? Maybe 1 mil?
I'd give some away to my family, maybe another mil.

After 2 years, I'd sit down and think about what to do. Most probably, I'd set up a charity and manage that, and put some funds away for the future and emergencies. A bit boring, I know...

[Love]

Originally Posted by Nneka

If I got a billion dollars from Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or anyone else, I would open a school for K-12 that does spiritual enrichment, explores different cultures and religions, financial literacy, and teaches the usual reading, writing, and arithmetic. There would be a lot of experiential learning with annual trips to different countries for all ages.

My vision for the school is that it be 20-50% scholarship students. The parents would have to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours a week. If your child is on scholarship, you would have to volunteer more hours.

I would also start a parallel center where the parents can do life enhancement courses in health, financial literacy, spirituality, and relationships.

I want to do the project like Disney World (or Land, the one in Orlando) on acres and acres of land with a buffer to the city. When students and parents arrive on campus, I want them to feel like they have entered another world.

I want to create this school with leaders in all fields academic and otherwise. For example, I want to higher architects that can create a space that blends the inside with the outside and has nooks for meditation along with open play areas entangled with classroom areas.

This is my life dream. Even if I don't get a billion dollars from Bill or Warren, I will create it.

Oh my goodness! This is the school that I have been wandering around on the Internet trying to figure out if it exists so that it will hire me! Wow, I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who thinks that a school like this would do so much good for society...If you ever get it started, sign me up!

[Nneka]

Love, thanks for reading. Seems many people are focused on the WIIFM.

I've had this idea for quite some time. I feel like everything I am doing now is preparing me to create this school. I know in my lifetime I could create one. I've been thinking about what it would take to create 1 in every state in the US during my lifetime. My consciousness is just not there yet, but I can definitely do one.

I'm not a teacher in the classic sense, but I believe that education provides options. The first thing to teach is that you can choose anything. The second is to offer choices. The rest is up to the individual.

Send me a PM if you are serious.

In Spirit,
Nneka

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by Hsiang-Lin

I probably wouldn't accept the money.

I don't feel I have the knowledge, consciousness, and discipline yet to deal with that amount of money. Also, I feel working my way towards wealth is a much more rewarding path than simply having it come easily into my life.

I feel the same way...and I have 25 dollars to my name, and my car just broke down.

[tc33]

two chicks at the same time

[RT Wolf]

Nneka, it sounds like you're thinking of charter schools. There are some really innovative ones out there (although I don't know if there's one specifically like that), but this might help you start a search. I also bemoan the lack of financial literacy and spirituality in schools, the really important stuff isn't taught. Glad you want to do something about it.

Good luck!

[ABlix]

Originally Posted by Nneka

If I got a billion dollars from Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, or anyone else, I would open a school for K-12 that does spiritual enrichment, explores different cultures and religions, financial literacy, and teaches the usual reading, writing, and arithmetic. There would be a lot of experiential learning with annual trips to different countries for all ages.

My vision for the school is that it be 20-50% scholarship students. The parents would have to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours a week. If your child is on scholarship, you would have to volunteer more hours.

I would also start a parallel center where the parents can do life enhancement courses in health, financial literacy, spirituality, and relationships.

I want to do the project like Disney World (or Land, the one in Orlando) on acres and acres of land with a buffer to the city. When students and parents arrive on campus, I want them to feel like they have entered another world.

I want to create this school with leaders in all fields academic and otherwise. For example, I want to higher architects that can create a space that blends the inside with the outside and has nooks for meditation along with open play areas entangled with classroom areas.

This is my life dream. Even if I don't get a billion dollars from Bill or Warren, I will create it.

That sounds like a wonderful aspiration. So basically you want to create a new type of system for schooling?

I can tell you that it's way too hard on kids right now. The school I attend now is very fear-motivated and it's a little hard to deal with on a daily basis. Rather then teach application and motivation, they teach "GET A GRADE." It's great! I love to do work, but please be patient with me and do your best to help me.

It's all a lesson, but the conformity thats engrained in schools at the moment seems to be counter intuitive towards what we should be learning in order to succeed as individuals.

[ABlix]

If I got a billion dollars from Bill Gates, I would want to donate it all to the destitute nations of today. Basically, build nice things for them. Not sure what, but definitely something they would appreciate in accordance to their culture. It would have to be carefully established based on the most state-of-the-art knowledge and talking with people there to see.

[Nneka]

RT Wolf, I'm thinking of a private school. Although, charter schools do allow you to create something innovative, they are still under the jurisdiction of the state. Because of separation of church and state in the US, it makes it difficult to discuss spiritualiy openly.

I think that the separation is essential to keeping the country as open as possible. However, I also think that schools without a spiritual element are at a significant disadvantage.

[Wanderer]

I would either...
a) try and pay off as much of the third world debt as possible
or
b) go to developing and countries and use the billion to boost growth
or
c) build a huge castle/university where all the greatest minds of the world can go and study together
or
d) improve space exploration
or
e) have a heart attack from shock

[Michael Chui]

Originally Posted by Wanderer

e) have a heart attack from shock

Write me into your will, please.

[Wanderer]

17 years old, likely to die at 100+, assuming I dont get a billion, so therefore am thinking you'll die first, then Id like to be frozen so you know...
You can put me in yours if you want

[Michael Chui]

Well, I very likely will die first, but if you get a billion dollars before I die, then you might die first. And I've already told you how I'll spend it.