The Powerball choice is actually a pretty fun finance problem: $450.5M today vs $1.04B paid over 29 years.
If you take the $450M and put it in the S&P 500, the break even return is only around 5% a year. At 8%, it becomes roughly $4B after 29 years.
But there’s also just a massive preference for the present. $450M today is infinitely more useful than money I may receive 20 or 30 years from now. I can invest it, give it away, build things with it, whatever. And, slightly morbid point, I might not even be alive in 29 years (who knows?!)
Give me the $450M today and an S&P 500 ETF and I will manage 😂
Somebody won $1.04 billion in the Powerball jackpot on Wednesday, August 12, in the US.
The winner has two options for collecting the money:
• Annuity: $1.04 billion paid over 29 years
• Cash option: $450.5 million paid instantly
Note: Both options are before taxes.
If you were the winner, which would you take?
Option A: $450.5 million today
Option B: $1.04 billion over 29 years