That's what the Illinois lottery is at today- JP's office is pooling to buy tickets (b/c investment bankers are in desperate need of such pocket change) and he's buying a few for us (I have imposed a limit of 5). JP is the gambler and financial optimist of our little family- I'm the realist/pessimist and would prefer our money to be in a box under our bed, or, I suppose, in a safe, interest bearing account of some kind. I have a deep mistrust of the stock market and hate that we have money there- maybe its because I only realized what the stock market was when the dot com bubble burst, but I regard it warily.
Anyway, this made me think- if we were to be the sole winners of that ridiculous amount of money, what would we do? Would I quit law school? Would JP quit his job? Would he still go to business school? I have friends who insist the only happiness in life is to be independently wealthy- no need for grad school, loans, jobs, etc. But I'm really not sure that much in our life would change. I'd still finish law school- maybe take a year off without the pressure of repaying my loans, but I'm not even sure I'd do that. I pretty much want it over with. I would be free to do any kind of legal work I want, but I think I'd still start at The Firm. I like the people and I could get an idea of what types of law are out there. I can't imagine what I'd do without a job- a purpose to my day. It could be part time ,volunteer legal work, but it has to be something. The biggest changes for me would be the little extras- a new (4-wheel drive) car, a bigger apartment, giving money to my family, a personal chef!, vacations without a strict budget, etc.
I think more would change for JP. He'd definitely leave his job- he has enjoyed it, but the long hours and often tedious work got old a while ago, and it would be nice for him to have time with the baby (and me!). I'm sure he'd still get his MBA, but I don't think he'd actually go into the business world to use it. He's dream in life is to own a cattle ranch (yes, I married a nice boy from upper crust Washington, D.C. and it turns out he's a Republican who voted for Bush and wants to live on a cattle ranch) and I guess now he could do that. The financial freedom would mean a lot more to him- there's so much he wants to do: invent things, start his own company, and ride horses. He loves the stock market and would have lots of fun researching and investing his own millions. I would still prefer it to be in a box under the bed.
I would enjoy being able to give lots of money to our favorite charities and I could buy all the maternity clothes I wanted from Isabella Oliver, but I think I'd still be a lawyer in some capacity. I suppose that means I've chosen the right field...
hi, my name is baukjen and i'm one of the founders of isabellaoliver.com . someone forwarded your blog entry and it put a smile on our faces that you wrote that you'd buy isabella oliver if you won the lottery! drop us an email at thegirls@isabellaoliver.com and ask for your email to be forwarded to me and let us know your size and address and we'll pop a few pieces from past photoshoots in the post for you. take care and congrats with your pregnancy!
ReplyDeleteWow, looks like you hit the jackpot in another way!
ReplyDeleteI think it's wonderful that you'd do the same stuff even if you were rich. Shows you've really thought this thing through and know what makes you happy. I can't imagine not working either.
My husband, the gambler, loves to fantasize about what he'll do with his millions. I prefer not to gamble with my money, but it's still fun to think of all that I could do with all that money.
ReplyDeleteI would change everything... I would open a huge daycare center, a storage facility, and an apartment complex. I would also like to go to college, and to repay my parents for everything. Hmmmm... I can think of 100 other things, as well. This is fun!