[oldchuck]

I'm serious. I'd really like to hear some opinions on what to do with a million bucks. Not how to spend it wildly on yourself but how would you use it or safeguard it into a rather uncertain future for yourself and an extended family.

[davep]

I'd put about 10% in long-term oil option calls (say five years), put another 20% in various commodities (gold, silver, iron etc) and maybe use another 20% to increase my acreage (I could get nearly 200 acres for 200k).

I'd invest some in improving fencing and adding some outbuildings. Maybe I'd build a passive solar house (~100k). The rest I'd leave and use as a buffer as I transition to becoming a farmer.

[vision-master]

Buy a big piece of quality wooded land and build a large garage on a slab. What about the other $700,000? I'd spend it wisely.

[watercut]

1). Pay off any revolving debt (exclude home mortgage if interest rate is less then %5). 2). Based on your risk tolerence begin accumulating physical gold and silver and mining stocks 3). Begin accumulating oil and natural gas related stocks. 4). If you are happy with current home install deep well, genearor, additional freezers, food storage, etc. Remaining amount in cash. If current home is not satisfactory buy a home with tillable land.

[dinopello]

I'd pay off my house and buy my parents a condo in this nearby independent/assisted living building. Thay are 90's and still living alone in a house about a 4 hour drive from me, but it is too much for them and I think if I had a nice place I could convince them to move here.

[rangerone314]

Pay off the mortgage, buy a good chunk of more land around me, put walls up, security system, solar panels now, water catchment & filtration system now, buy some equipment and boost agri beds to full half-acre of raised beds (about 200 beds)

[crude_intentions]

Convert it into something that is not dollars as quickly as possible.

Actually, I would buy/build a home within walking distance to my job and make it as energy effiencent and self sustaining as possible. With whats leftover i'd invest in something that i felt was safe.

[efarmer]

Buy a ramen noodle factory and set up to become a food baron
in the coming era. I would make sure that I had foil packets that
tasted like cheeseburgers, tacos, and french fries so my customers
would shun the regular noodles for Efarmer's Taste of Yesteryear Ramen.

I would consider a stripped down version used to barter for safe passage
called Zombie Ramen.

[dinopello]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('efarmer', 'B')uy a ramen noodle factory and set up to become a food baron
in the coming era. I would make sure that I had foil packets that
tasted like cheeseburgers, tacos, and french fries so my customers
would shun the regular noodles for Efarmer's Taste of Yesteryear Ramen.

[smallpoxgirl]

If I had a million dollars

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dinopello', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('efarmer', 'B')uy a ramen noodle factory and set up to become a food baron
in the coming era. I would make sure that I had foil packets that
tasted like cheeseburgers, tacos, and french fries so my customers
would shun the regular noodles for Efarmer's Taste of Yesteryear Ramen.

[Newfie]

Well, a million bucks is enough for me, at my age anyway.

Not sure what I would do with it. Next spring I will be able to take out my 401K money and while it is not a million it is enough that this question is not entirely academic to me.

It all comes down to your outlook on life and your predictions on how the future will unwind and what your interests are.

A caveat: I am terrible at predictions so don't do what I would do, in no particular order.

Personally I still think the economy is pretty damn shaky and it would be a good thing to not "invest" in the stock/bond market. I have some decent land but no dwelling on it so that would be one thing.

Next I want to travel some more so I would get a bit bigger sailboat that my wife would be more comfortable on, I like her to come with me and that is a challenge.

I would quit work, yesterday!

But then I would need health insurance so that would be high on my list.

That's about it.

[The_Toecutter]

1) I'd build a doomstead. It would be an underground passive solar heating/cooling 1,500 sq ft lair with a 3,000 sq ft underground machine shop and vehicle storage area, with three possible exits about 1/4 mile apart from each other and well hidden on a 200 acre thin stretch of land. It would have all of its energy provided by photovoltaics and wind turbines(with a sizable enough flooded NiCd battery bank to fully charge an electric vehicle in a hurry and still have 7 days backup), with a diesel generator as backup modified to run on plant oils. There would be sensors and cameras around the property to detect intruders, with some homemade gatling guns controlled by remote to decimate any threats. Above ground would be various fruit trees and a well-hidden vegetable garden, along with a plantation for unmentioned commodities.

2) I'd build 4 vehicles:

a) an upgrade to my in-progress electric sports car but instead using a 70 kWh lithium polymer battery pack, an AC150 drivetrain, and a custom fiberglass body designed for cutting wind resistance(goal: Cx < 0.18, area < 12 sq ft). The windows would be replaced with a bullet proof lexan. Tweels would replace the wheel/tire combination to guard against punctures. About $100,000 would be dumped into it. The goal would be 700 miles range per charge at 70 mph, a top speed of 200 mph, 0-60 mph under 4 seconds, and a curb weight of under 2,200 lbs.

b) a bug-out vehicle, which would entail a 20 year old school bus with a Duramax shoved in it tuned to 1,500 horsepower. The body would be streamlined with the goal of reducing the Cx value to around 0.35. It would be converted into a camper complete with a lavatory, living quarters, and kitchen. The kitchen would also contain a water purifier and an expeller(for crushing oils from feral hemp seed). The exterior would contain retractable surface to air missiles, front, side, and rear mounted machine guns, body armor capable of withstanding .50 rounds, and a reinforced frame designed not to deform when colliding with other vehicles. A 2.5 kW photovoltaic array would adorn the roof, with three deployable wind generators of 750W each at 30 mph winds when the vehicle is stationary. The vehicle would be lifted for a ground clearance of 3 ft for offroad capability, with farings around the exposed axles to keep the Cx down. The tires would have a Kevlar wrapping and chains to help deflect bullets, but four spares would be kept inside the vehicle. It might only get 12 mpg on the highway, but with a 150 gallon tank, it would be able to go places. It would also have a 150 kWh pack of surplus NiCd batteries to not only power the living quarters, but also power an AC150 drivetrain as a backup in case fuel cannot be obtained. The goal would be 0-60 mph in 15 seconds using the diesel engine, a top speed of 120 mph using the diesel engine, and a curb weight of 40,000 lbs. Operating in electric-only mode, the goal would be a top speed of 70 mph, a range of 40 miles at 70 mph, and a range of 100 miles at 25 mph. A small storage area would be kept to store a biodiesel powered motorcycle.

c) another bugout vehicle, used for going long distances. It would entail a dune-buggy chassis with a custom streamlined body(< .35 Cx, < 15 sq ft area), Duramax diesel tuned for 800 horsepower, seating for two, capability to store 4 days worth of food and water, storage space for about 50 lbs of cargo, tweels replacing the wheels/tires, 2 ft of ground clearance, bulletproof armor and glass, and a 60 gallon fuel tank. The goal would be 0-60 mph < 4 seconds, a top speed > 180 mph, a curb weight of 3,000 lbs, capability to go through wooded areas and swamps, 50 mpg at 70 mph, ability to drive coast to coast on one tank of fuel at 70 mph, and ability to still go 600 miles at top speed on one tank of fuel. This vehicle would be used for shipping valuable items across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico in a SHTF scenario.

d) A stock VW Rabbit diesel pickup truck for hauling trailers and doing farm work.

I'd spend the remainder on firearms, ammunition, tools, cigarettes(for trade), liquor(for trade), gold, and silver.

[vision-master]

$1,000,000 in a savings account earning 5% a year would yield $50,000. How about $50,000 year. I could you live on that!

[Pops]

I'd buy land, they aren't making any more.

.

well, technically, they are making more in Qutar..



.

but you know what I mean.

[SeaGypsy]

Buy a small province (people not real estate) in a 3rd world country; the whole world will soon be that way anyhow.

[Maddog78]

I'd probably buy some land with a creek or lake on or fronting it and then build a cabin.
I've actually already started looking around B.C. for just such a piece of land.

This is a valid question for me cause once my kids are done school and move out of the house I do plan on selling my home in the city and start looking at a more rural lifestyle.
It will depend on when they move out which is a pretty open question this day and age with kids tending to live with their parents much longer than they used to. My youngest is in his last year of High School and my oldest is in 3rd yr. university.
If I sell my home and including my R.S.P. (like a 401K only the Canadian version) I'll have over a million. I still have about 10 or so good years of work left in me so I guess we'll see how it all shakes out in the next decade or so.

[TreeFarmer]

I would build a comfortable doomstead within 5 miles of my workplace. The perfect doomstead would be extrememly well insulated and have about 2500 sq ft of living space with another 2500 sq ft of storage space. Connected to that would be the equivalent of a 6 or 8 car garage. Part of the garage would be for vehicles/tractors and the rest would be workshop. Most of this complex would be built into a hillside with only the south facing walls exposed.

Ideally I'd have a small stream I could use a waterwheel on in conjunction with some solar panels.

Wishful thinking but most great things start as dreams...

TF

[vision-master]

Gotta have one of these.

[cipi604]

Farming land near a water source, pretty far away from a big city. Buy livestock, tools, and start working.