If you had a million dollars to spend, what would you buy?

[rootX]

I would go around the world and change my career to national geographic explorer or researcher.

 

[collinsmark]

Would you like my prototype? I have to keep it in a safe with no available power.

[PLAIN]http://abstrusegoose.com/strips/ignorance.PNG

From http://www.abstrusegoose.com/a/205.htm"

 

[jtbell]

I'd buy one of these and some track, wire, and a power substation to run it with. Hmm, I might also need a new place with a bigger yard.

 

[Pengwuino]

Since I live in california, after getting taxed, I would buy a small 2 bedroom house 3 miles from the beach and spend whatever I have left over on a used car.

 

[bp_psy]

Some cheap beer.

 

[turbo]

Since I live in california, after getting taxed, I would buy a small 2 bedroom house 3 miles from the beach and spend whatever I have left over on a used car.

What? No herring?

 

[DevilsAvocado]

I'd buy one of these and some track, wire, and a power substation to run it with:

[URL]http://web.presby.edu/~jtbell/transit/images/FtSmith/GarlandCrossing.jpg[/URL]

Hmm, I might also need a new place with a bigger yard.

You’re going to put electricity in 2010 PF Cosmo Award winner https://www.physicsforums.com/member.php?u=66"??

[PLAIN]https://www.physicsforums.com/customavatars/avatar66_8.gif

()

 

[DevilsAvocado]

Some cheap beer.

Go to Brazil, I figure you’ll get approx 6 million liter.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

A million dollars isn't much these days. Right now, if I had a $million to risk, I would invest in real estate.

...after I take a few flights on Migs and an SU-30.

 

[Monique]

Not if you banked it in the US. The Fed has made access to money so cheap for the banks that the banks pay almost nothing on your deposits.

Really, I can still get 3.0-4.5% interest, depending on how long the money is put away.
A bigger problem would be converting the dollars into euros, nothing would be left

 

[FredericGos]

I'd go to las vegas and put it all on red.

 

[Phrak]

You are all such optimists. I would use it to go to ground in Australia where kings big and small are far away. Does anyone here put their imagination to work on the coming decade. Either I am completely insane or the rest of you are. I'd be betting my 10^6 on the second.

 

[nismaratwork]

This is the best post yet this year on this section of the board :P I would pay to see the scene.

The scene would be me, weeping with some limb dislocated, and arildno looking surprised and disgusted. Just a guess, but I find it important to remember: Israeli = Superb Military Experience.

So DanP... are you saying I CAN'T own women like goats and land? You're telling me basically, that since I last checked on our slavery laws... the terrorists WON?! It certainly can't be that I'm not supposed to keep my dozen wives chained to a single radiator...

Hmmmm...

 

[nismaratwork]

Really, I can still get 3.0-4.5% interest, depending on how long the money is put away.
A bigger problem would be converting the dollars into euros, nothing would be left

Maybe someone can explain to me, why the Euro is so strong? I realize the dollar is relatively weak next to it, but hell, look at what's going on with EU economies! Greece and Ireland stand out for now, but we all know more is coming.

 

[f95toli]

A million dollars isn't much these days.

Indeed, it would be just enough to buy a regular 3 bedroom house in the part of London where I live (a house on of the more expensive street would be $1.5M or so; but that would still be a regular 3 bedroom house; "nice" houses start at about $3M).

So I guess that is what I would do...

 

[nismaratwork]

Come on people... haven't you learned ANYTHING from our lord and savior, Sir Glenn of Beck? BUY GOLD. Just... raw, unprocessed, gold ore. Buy it, and shove it your pants, then run around screaming, "I have million-dollar golden babies in my pants, want to SEE?!?!"

Then you spend the gold on legal fees.

 

[Phrak]

Come on people... haven't you learned ANYTHING from our lord and savior, Sir Glenn of Beck?

Have you learned nothing from history that you can apply to today, young man?

 

[nismaratwork]

Have you learned nothing from history that you can apply to today, young man?

Well, if I were to look at the history of commodities and other micro-economies, I'd say gold is probably going to keep rising in value forever. AFAIK, gold is the sure bet the TV-men say it is, and I think it has something to do with patriotism and jesus too...

So yeah, buy gold because magic doesn't have peaks and troughs... and this is magic. *jazz hands*

 

[jtbell]

You’re going to put electricity in 2010 PF Cosmo Award winner https://www.physicsforums.com/member.php?u=66"??

[PLAIN]https://www.physicsforums.com/customavatars/avatar66_8.gif

()

Oops, I forgot about my Web server's anti-hotlinking protection. But it looked OK at home right after I posted it. Maybe it's because I had just accessed the picture in the normal way, via its "containing" page, and it was in my browser cache. Anyway, I've re-done it as an attachment. It's my picture, so I'm not breaking any copyright restrictions.

 

[jtbell]

Really, I can still get 3.0-4.5% interest, depending on how long the money is put away.

Just a few days ago, I renewed a one-year certificate of deposit at one of my banks. The previous interest rate was 1.55%. The new interest rate is 0.65%. If I had renewed for a three-year term, I could have gotten about 1.5%, but I didn't want to lock up the money for that long.

 

[Phrak]

Well, if I were to look at the history of commodities and other micro-economies, I'd say gold is probably going to keep rising in value forever. AFAIK, gold is the sure bet the TV-men say it is, and I think it has something to do with patriotism and jesus too...

So yeah, buy gold because magic doesn't have peaks and troughs... and this is magic. *jazz hands*

Who is Sir Glenn of Beck, and what should I have learn from his high vantage?

 

[wolram]

I want to move to the highlands of Scotland, i keep getting letters from the tv license authority, telling me i have not got a licence, i know i don't, i don't have a tv, i have asked, pleaded and begged them to send a man around or a detector van but they haven't, this is like a year now, so if they are stupid enough to follow me i will set the rams on them

 

[DevilsAvocado]

Oops, ... I've re-done it as an attachment.

Okay! Looks great!

* At first, I was terrified this was some really weird "snuff movie project"... *

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Come on people... haven't you learned ANYTHING from our lord and savior, Sir Glenn of Beck? BUY GOLD. Just... raw, unprocessed, gold ore. Buy it, and shove it your pants, then run around screaming, "I have million-dollar golden babies in my pants, want to SEE?!?!"

Then you spend the gold on legal fees.

Back around 2000, I was listening to the Art Bell show. Given that Bell was about as nutty as they come, I pain no attention to his incessant rantings about buying gold.

http://www.goldprice.org/gold-price-history.html

 

[DevilsAvocado]

BUY GOLD.

Just found out that the Zimbabwean dollar is dead... so now I’m in your team. Banks are basically mad-off-rip-off:

– Welcome Mr. Loser! We are going to blow your head off, and of course we are obligated to charge you a small fee. Please sit down...

[PLAIN]http://www.dickipedia.org/images/Madoff2.jpg[/INDENT]​

 

[cobalt124]

Flush is down the toilet, money is the root of all evil

In my single days I could have burned it, but not now. Farmhouse in the country for my family, any left put towards any means to quit work as soon as possible.

I'd have to check my bible, but I believe it's the love of money that is the root of all evil.

 

[arildno]

Back around 2000, I was listening to the Art Bell show. Given that Bell was about as nutty as they come, I pain no attention to his incessant rantings about buying gold.

Nutcasery should never be profitable.
Thus, I applaud that you haven't bought gold, so that Art Bell can't make a profit by selling his to you.

 

[╔(σ_σ)╝]

In my single days I could have burned it, but not now. Farmhouse in the country for my family, any left put towards any means to quit work as soon as possible.

I'd have to check my bible, but I believe it's the love of money that is the root of all evil.

 

[nismaratwork]

Nutcasery should never be profitable.
Thus, I applaud that you haven't bought gold, so that Art Bell can't make a profit by selling his to you.

This is ALSO why I'd hide with you...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Nutcasery should never be profitable.
Thus, I applaud that you haven't bought gold, so that Art Bell can't make a profit by selling his to you.

Bell was just plugging a gold company, but he was relentless. It did seem to be personal. While you may applaud me, my bank account certainly doesn't. I could have made about 600% profit.

Now is certainly not when I would buy gold. To me, that only makes sense if one is betting on economic collapse. Buy low sell high. In 2000, it made sense to buy gold, but it wasn't obviously the best choice for investment [or nearly so].

 

[nismaratwork]

Bell was just plugging a gold company, but he was relentless. It did seem to be personal. While you may applaud me, my bank account certainly doesn't. I could have made about 600% profit.

Now is certainly not when I would buy gold. To me, that only makes sense if one is betting on economic collapse. Buy low sell high. In 2000, it made sense to buy gold, but it wasn't obviously the best choice for investment [or nearly so].

If you had the foresight to buy tons of gold in 2000, you probably had the foresight to get out of the damned market too. There are always people telling you to sell gold and get cash, and always people telling you to buy gold. Obviously there are bound to be periods during which they're correct, but if their guidance can't be trusted... oh well.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I would buy MIH a green dress.

I'm don't know why green, but I'm not going to turn down a new dress!

 

[nismaratwork]

The soul of a child, bottled by an old Roma lady. Yep... I'm that guy who still does Borat-esque material at parties! Oh behave!

*sound of self-inflicted slap*

Sorry. I'd buy a pony.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If you had the foresight to buy tons of gold in 2000, you probably had the foresight to get out of the damned market too. There are always people telling you to sell gold and get cash, and always people telling you to buy gold. Obviously there are bound to be periods during which they're correct, but if their guidance can't be trusted... oh well.

True. I guess it bothers me a bit because I did keep looking at the price and thinking it might be a good investment. With Bell pounding the issue night after night, it was verrrrrrrry tempting.

I did pull my money out of the market in time. We still have mutual funds in a retirement account, but that should work out in the long run. We also saw the housing collapse coming but decided to stay put and ride it out.

This was a heartbreaker. Back around 1980, after herpes came along but before AIDS was a big issue, I recognized the opportunity to invest in Trojan condoms, but simply didn't have the money. I knew it was all but a sure thing but couldn't do anything about it less going to a loan shark. Years later I met a man who retired on that same investment!

Our younger members probably wouldn't know that back in the 70s, after the pill became popular, there was nothing to worry about that a shot couldn't cure. Condom use was often unecessary. Most men probably didn't use them. I know I sure didn't.

 

[nismaratwork]

True. I guess it bothers me a bit because I did keep looking at the price and thinking it might be a good investment. With Bell pounding the issue night after night, it was verrrrrrrry tempting.

I did pull my money out of the market in time. We still have mutual funds in a retirement account, but that should work out in the long run. We also saw the housing collapse coming but decided to stay put and ride it out.

This was a heartbreaker. Back around 1980, after herpes came along but before AIDS was a big issue, I recognized the opportunity to invest in Trojan condoms, but simply didn't have the money. I knew it was all but a sure thing but couldn't do anything about it less going to a loan shark. Years later I met a man who retired on that same investment!

Our younger members probably wouldn't know that back in the 70s, after the pill became popular, there was nothing to worry about that a shot couldn't cure. Condom use was often unecessary. Most men probably didn't use them. I know I sure didn't.

I feel your pain... I had a chance to get in on Genentech, but didn't have the money, but I did see the quick Red Hat linux boom, so that was fun! I'm glad that you got out in time btw, even if you're not a condom impresario.