Take Your Pick

[Devil]

Simple really, two options, option A & option B. 

You have to pick one and give your reason why, once I've read enough responses I will post another Take your pick question.

For the purpose of this question you have to answer it as if you were either younger than 30 if you are or 30 years of age if you are older. 

Option A - You're given the chance to be a billionaire due to inheritance but in order to accept the billions of pounds you know your death date and you can't change fate. Unfortunately for you, you only get 20 years of extreme wealth and pleasure. 

Option B - You get to retire right from now with a modest financial budget, you're mortgage/rent free in the property you live in currently but it's an average lifestyle most people would be happy with. You don't get a death date and you could potentially live as long as your health will take you. 

[nudge]

My answer to this depends heavily on what exactly is "a modest financial budget"...

[Cicero]

10 minutes ago, nudge said:

My answer to this depends heavily on what exactly is "a modest financial budget"...

Essentially a good way a living should you keep your costs low. And judging Option B allows you to be rent/mortgage free, its a no brainer for me. 

B. 

[nudge]

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

Essentially a good way a living should you keep your costs low. And judging Option B allows you to be rent/mortgage free, its a no brainer for me. 

B. 

I need numbers!  

[Devil]

13 minutes ago, nudge said:

My answer to this depends heavily on what exactly is "a modest financial budget"...

The average U.K wage is around 30k. 

I'm not giving you 30k a year I'm afraid, I'm giving you 20k a year. 

Without doing a calculator that would be around £1300/1400 a month after tax. 

That's your lot I'm afraid, make do. 

[Cicero]

So essentially £1300/1400 of income, removing rent/mortgage payments. 

Easily doable. 

[Devil]

3 minutes ago, Cicero said:

So essentially £1300/1400 of income, removing rent/mortgage payments. 

Easily doable. 

Yes but consider you are 30 years of age or slightly less not sure of your age. 

Twenty years of extreme wealth takes you to 50. 

You could die before that in your modest life or you could live to 65. Is 15 years of your life worth the billionaires lifestyle?

Or you could live to 100... who knows. 

[Machado]

Easily A.

If I was a billionaire I wouldn't last 20 years anyway.

[Rucksackfranzose]

4 minutes ago, Devil said:

Yes but consider you are 30 years of age or slightly less not sure of your age. 

Twenty years of extreme wealth takes you to 50. 

You could die before that in your modest life or you could live to 65. Is 15 years of your life worth the billionaires lifestyle?

Or you could live to 100... who knows. 

Of which the last 40 years could be tainted by dementia and  other chronic diseases. I'll take the 20 years as a billionaire.

[Cicero]

8 minutes ago, Devil said:

Yes but consider you are 30 years of age or slightly less not sure of your age. 

Twenty years of extreme wealth takes you to 50. 

You could die before that in your modest life or you could live to 65. Is 15 years of your life worth the billionaires lifestyle?

Or you could live to 100... who knows. 

I think knowing when you will die will, particularly at a fairly young age, is just having the door wide open for chronic depression. As if money will cure that. 

Family is more to me than money. Want to see my children and grandchildren grow up. 

[Devil]

1 minute ago, Rucksackfranzose said:

Of which the last 40 years could be tainted by dementia and  other chronic diseases. I'll take the 20 years as a billionaire.

You and me both mate, I'd rather ride the wave myself. 

Besides I'm sure my kids would appreciate the billions once I'm gone.

See if you think about the question you have to think about what difference you could make with the decision you've made. 

[nudge]

9 minutes ago, Devil said:

The average U.K wage is around 30k. 

I'm not giving you 30k a year I'm afraid, I'm giving you 20k a year. 

Without doing a calculator that would be around £1300/1400 a month after tax. 

That's your lot I'm afraid, make do. 

I can live very comfortably on that in Southeast Asia with no mortgage/rent payments. Do some side gigs for extra money, and travel around most of the time, doing things that I like. In fact that is pretty much what I have been doing for years (except I have to work full time though, obviously) and it's also pretty much what I would do if I was a billionaire, so I'll take option B and take my chances of not dying before I turn 50...

[Cicero]

2 minutes ago, nudge said:

I can live very comfortably on that in Southeast Asia with no mortgage/rent payments. Do some side gigs for extra money, and travel around most of the time, doing things that I like. In fact that is pretty much what I have been doing for years (except I have to work full time though, obviously) and it's also pretty much what I would do if I was a billionaire, so I'll take option B and take my chances of not dying before I turn 50...

I'd go back to Italy or even Turkey. The latter you could live a glorious life with 1400 a month considering the cost of living there and the sheer beauty of it. 

[Rucksackfranzose]

5 minutes ago, nudge said:

I can live very comfortably on that in Southeast Asia with no mortgage/rent payments. Do some side gigs for extra money, and travel around most of the time, doing things that I like. In fact that is pretty much what I have been doing for years (except I have to work full time though, obviously) and it's also pretty much what I would do if I was a billionaire, so I'll take option B and take my chances of not dying before I turn 50...

 

1 minute ago, Cicero said:

I'd go back to Italy or even Turkey. The latter you could live a glorious life with 1400 a month considering the cost of living there and the sheer beauty of it. 

Why're so sure, you can enjoy and aren't attached at an iron lung e.g.? Asking because everyone who became older than 63 in my family was suffering with at least one mayor chronic disease?

[nudge]

5 minutes ago, Cicero said:

I'd go back to Italy or even Turkey. The latter you could live a glorious life with 1400 a month considering the cost of living there and the sheer beauty of it. 

Exactly, it's about how much value you can get for your money. I barely ever spend more than a 1000 a month in Cambodia, Thailand, or Vietnam, despite loving good food, good beer and good whisky, traveling around quite a bit, staying at good hotels and having quite a few fairly expensive hobbies. 

That said, I wouldn't want to live on that in Western Europe and most of other developed countries.

[Cicero]

great thread @Devil

4 minutes ago, Rucksackfranzose said:

 

Why're so sure, you can enjoy and aren't attached at an iron lung e.g.? Asking because everyone who became older than 63 in my family was suffering with at least one mayor chronic disease?

I'm fortunate enough to not have any hereditary illnesses that are passed down through my side of the family. I also live a pretty health lifestyle (knock on wood) so ill take my chances. 

[nudge]

12 minutes ago, Rucksackfranzose said:

Why're so sure, you can enjoy and aren't attached at an iron lung e.g.? Asking because everyone who became older than 63 in my family was suffering with at least one mayor chronic disease?

There's no way to be sure, but considering that my lifestyle wouldn't be much different either way, I'd rather take my chances for staying around a little longer... If that doesn't work out, I can always blow my head off later on when I'm old, too sick, and not enjoying life anymore. 

[Pyfish+]

Option B for me. I'm earning less than that as it is with rent payments so I'll take that and live a more comfortable life than I am now.

[Azeem]

A-beeish for me

[Stan]

One of those where at first you think it's A because it's a lot of money and you know how long you have left to spend that money in. You're financially safe and secure and you could do the same for others whilst literally living life at 100% full pelt doing what you might have wanted to. But then if you know your death date, how would you start to feel with potentially millions left in the bank and knowing you have to spend it, if you want so as not to waste it, before that date. The extreme wealth and pleasure is limited as well.

 

On the other hand, B you could easily make a case of having that rent-/mortgage-free life and use the monthly earnings to save a bit, spend a bit and still enjoy life, but for much longer. You have a freedom and you're not restricted or anxious about knowing when it could all be over. The downside is the retirement - would I want to retire so early in life and miss out on the working relationships with people, getting to know different people or groups or that social side of life?

 

I think for me it's Option B when I weigh it up. B is pretty much what is life right now (apart from the mortgage-free bit ) so I know what I can do with what I have - not rich but comfortable enough to enjoy life and make the most of what I have with the people I know. You could have all the money in the world but it might not make you happy. 

[Devil]

20 years is a lot of time to fill your time with everything life has to offer you, the world's your oyster with them billions. 

Also you get to change the lives of all your family members. 

I'd be happy to live 20 years to know my children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will live an extremely wealthy lifestyle. 

[Devil]

1 hour ago, nudge said:

I can live very comfortably on that in Southeast Asia with no mortgage/rent payments. Do some side gigs for extra money, and travel around most of the time, doing things that I like. In fact that is pretty much what I have been doing for years (except I have to work full time though, obviously) and it's also pretty much what I would do if I was a billionaire, so I'll take option B and take my chances of not dying before I turn 50...

I might need to restructure the rules for you

I bet your living a great life on 1400 month in paradise. 

[nudge]

6 minutes ago, Devil said:

I might need to restructure the rules for you

I bet your living a great life on 1400 month in paradise. 

Unfortunately, I chose the worst possible time for my holiday back in Europe so have been stuck here ever since the lockdowns started, therefore no paradise for me for quite a while, it seems... 

[Stan]

12 minutes ago, Devil said:

20 years is a lot of time to fill your time with everything life has to offer you, the world's your oyster with them billions. 

Also you get to change the lives of all your family members. 

I'd be happy to live 20 years to know my children and grandchildren and their grandchildren will live an extremely wealthy lifestyle. 

Yeah you're not wrong. Family means more to me than money does so it was a double-edged sword thinking about giving them money to get them secure, but then felt conflicted having said what I did after about money not being the root of happiness! 

I think on a personal note I wasn't satisfied with knowing an end date to my life. Regardless of how much money I had in the bank. 

[Devil]

8 minutes ago, Stan said:

Yeah you're not wrong. Family means more to me than money does so it was a double-edged sword thinking about giving them money to get them secure, but then felt conflicted having said what I did after about money not being the root of happiness! 

I think on a personal note I wasn't satisfied with knowing an end date to my life. Regardless of how much money I had in the bank. 

I think I could live with the fact I had a date as long as I know I'm changing the lives of others in the process. 

You've got to remember with option B there is nothing to say you won't be in an accident or die before the 20 years are up anyway.