Time for another "Would you rather" question! (a hard one)

So here it is. You're sitting in a room with all of your closest friends and family, and the mayor of your city singles you out and asks you to come up to the front. He/she tells you that the city has a proposal for you, and you MUST answer it no matter what. The question is:

"The city would like to offer you money, but the amount is up to you. We can give you $1 million dollars, but it can ONLY be dispersed between your friends and family - you cannot take any yourself, or use any bartering/trickery to get some back later after the "deal" has been completed. OR, we can give you $500,000, of which you can use all to yourself, but ONLY for yourself, no one else."

Which would you choose? Keep in mind that all your friends and family will hear both options and know the difference...HARD as hell, right? I mean, either way you or someone you love will be extremely better off so it's totally a GOOD thing, but do you have the heart (and balls) to give it ALL away? Half of me says yes, but the other half says nooooo way in hell! haha...I think I really got myself on this one as I can usually answer these would you rathers pretty confidently.

It wouldn't be fair though if I asked you what you'd pick w/out doing it myself though, so here goes...now keep in mind that it really depends on my mood at the time. Like many ADHD'ers, I get into spurts of excitement, sadness, craziness, hyper, sluggish, you name it on a flip of a switch (although I tend to be pretty positive). So if someone catches me in la la land right after I downed my morning hazelnut coffee - like right now for example - then i'm much more likely to sway one way over another.

But anyways, if i were to be asked that question RIGHT NOW, I'd have to go w/ giving $1 million dollars to my friends and family! I can't believe i just said that! haha...it's not like they really NEED the money all that much, well maybe my brother and sister and one of my friends do, but i think i'd sleep a lot better once things calmed down, ya know? I'm sure i'd second guess myself throughout my life, but at least i'd die knowing i've done a huge a$$ deed.

Now, ask me during a time like when my paycheck bounces and i'm freakin' out, and I'm 95% sure I'd take the $500k instead! I could always find non-financial ways to help my family, right? So yeah i kinda copped out on this answer a bit, but at least i'm honest!

What about you? Could you firmly answer one way or the other? I know we have some $500k takers out there ;)

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Here are some previous would you rathers:
- Would you rather default on ALL loans, or...
- George Bush gives you $2million, but...
- Would you rather take $500k now, or...

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Would you rather...take $500k now, or $1 million in ten years?

I know some of you can't sleep without a "would you rather" question every now and then (that someone being me), so figured i'd throw one out there to celebrate this glorious Friday. That, and I'm also trying to procrastinate here at work....only 12 more minutes to go ;)

I came up with it when i was commenting on Mrs Micha's "question and answer" post:

“Would you rather have $500k now (no taxes, fees, etc) OR would you rather get 1 million ten years from now (no fees again)?”

You're welcome.

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Would you rather...Default on all loans, OR...

I know i just did one of these last week (the George Bush deal), but they're so much fun! And plus it's Memorial Day - which means it's a holiday, and I can do whatever i want ;) That, and it's also my blog. haha...

Since I won't be up bright and early like usual on a Monday morning, I was sure to plop this one up at 1a.m., just for you!

Please to enjoy:

"Would you rather... Default on all loans, credit cards, mortgages, etc for 5 months straight (no payments allowed at all, no matter what even if you have the money) - OR would you rather give Uncle Sam a one time $20,000 check to avoid it all together?"

And you have to pick one. It'll suck either way, but which would be better? That's the tricky part. I'll post my answer later ;)

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George Bush offers to give you $2 million, BUT...

One of my favorite games EVER is playing "would you rather" - especially on long road trips with all of my friends. While most of the questions end up turning out pretty graphic and need censorship (sorry, can't post those here!), they always start out nice and thought-provoking like, "would you rather be super hot but smell horrible, OR would you rather be ugly but smell incredible 24/7?". Then there's the "If you had to lose a limb, which one would you choose?" type questions that ensue.

Fun, right? haha... while the majority of the questions center around good looks and/or just really really childish stuff, they almost inevitably go down the money route as well, like the famous, "What would you do with a million dollars?" one. Not EXACTLY a "would you rather" question, but nonetheless interesting ... and thus the reason for this post ;)

So the other day when i came across a questions and answer posting by Frugal Dad, I thought to my self - what better way to participate than by submitting my own wild question?

And here's what i came up with:

“George Bush offers to give you $2 Million in exactly 3 years from now (signed contract and all), BUT in order for you to get it, you have to give up EVERY PENNY you have right now - all savings, retirement, etc. Would you do it?”

Before you answer it yourself, keep in mind the following:

1. All savings, home equity, brokerage, 401(k), etc are all wiped out to a zero balance, both for you and your spouse/partner - so as of today, you'd have $0.00 to your name.
2. BUT, you'd also still have your current salary, part-time jobs, etc., so money would flow in.

Basically, you'd be somewhat screwed in an emergency (as your emergency fund would also have been wiped clear), BUT you'd be all set 3 years from now! If you're already in debt and don't have much saved anyway though, then the answer is easy. But what if you have a family to feed, or have amassed quit a bit over the years? Is it worth the sacrifice?

Well, here's how Frugal Dad answered it (w/out my further clarification) -

"Creative question! Well, you didn’t mention my income - would I have to give that up, too? If not, I suppose we could continue to live on my income and put off saving and investing for the future windfall. However, if I had to completely give up all forms of money and income, then my answer would be no deal. Maybe if I was a single guy I could just float though life for the next three years, but as a husband and father with mouths to feed I need to maintain a certain quality of life for my children. No amount of promised money in the future could cause me to sacrifice their well-being, even temporarily."!

Smart man ;) I can only *hope* to make the same money-related decisions if/when I become a dad! As it stand right now, i'd have to take the $2 mil in 3 years for sure. Even w/ my super savings plan , I still have 15 years or so to go until I reach the $1mil mark anyways, so it's an easy call. This, of course, is without running it by Mrs. Budgetsaresexy though! haha ... I'm not sure she'd want to start out married life flat broke ;)

Either way, I always enjoy hearing how others would handle such questions. It certainly makes life more interesting!

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