If I Won The Big One....

Inspired by a couple in the province who, along with another family, recently won $43 million, I got to thinking... what would I do if I won the "big one?"

I guess my very first reaction would be to keep the win secret. I have heard so much about people's lives being ruined by big lotto wins - NOT, mind you, by the money itself - but by the way family, friends and anyone you ever knew, no matter how fleetingly, come out of the woodwork with their hands out.

Now I know the whole secrecy thing would be very difficult if not impossible as the lotto people would be shouting your name (and your winnings!) from the rooftops, so complete confidence would never occur. But put it this way... I personally wouldn't volunteer the information to anyone - and I mean ANYONE.

From there, I would pay off my mortgage and, if at all possible, become a kind of Secret Santa by anonymously paying off the mortgages of all my family. (As they don't access my site or blog, I am safe to declare this without giving away my identity if and when this happens :)

Next, I would pick a couple of charities close to my heart and make a very healthy donation to each one.

From there, I think I would finally allow myself some fun money - setting aside a few hundred thousand for travel, clothing and other items that routinely get bumped to the bottom of my priority list.

Finding a reputable investor and investing well over half of my winnings would be the next step. They say that a person can live on the interest of a million dollars on a yearly basis - just think what you could do with five or ten or twenty times that amount? Obviously getting the ball rolling ASAP in that department would be part of the plan too.

But the one question that arises most frequently in regards to this topic is: would you keep working?

Well, as at at-home editor and writer, my answer, of course, would be "yes!" Why give up something I love doing in the comfort of my home just because I've suddenly become independently wealthy?

So now over to you...what would YOU do if you won the big one?