Ten years ago I would buy lots of books and make a huge donation to PBS nova for unique sciences documentaries for Physics, chemistry math and tech.

Now I would pay my rent 50 years in advance and have make sure that I have enough good food and basic needs for the rest of my life before having any extravagant spending. Like starting my own Science foundation and televison station.

My goals and aspirations about what I would do with a huge sum have not changed at all in terms of the big picture, only in the details. For instance, I’d still want a place in the mountains, just that I’d would be in Colorado now, instead of Lake Tahoe.

Yes, I would still want to spend a big financial gain on the same things I wanted at least 5 years ago.

I would still have it because I would have established a charity to distribute the interest earned from careful investments, and I would still be giving it away.

First, show me the money. I’ll get back to you when I find out.

I am in my early 50s—and even thirty years ago, I wanted to build a Christian Retreat Center with an emphasis on folk music and traditional rural home crafts (such as making candles and lye soap or maple syrup)— I already have suitable, sufficient land and many of the necessary credentials. I wanted to do childrens and youth camps, retreats, marriage seminars, etc etc.

I still would like to do a retreat center after all these years, but I don’t think I’d go with the same buildings, layout, or location I wanted back then.. I might rather have a more scenic and interetsing location than where my property is, although where I have land now is close to many churches and organizations I am close to.

I have also wanted to take on several civic projects in my home town and surrounding towns that have not had sufficient funding, including the building of a school for the Shelby Forest community (its students have to ride busses over fifteen miles to a bad part of Memphis since its nearby town of Millington had to have its own municipal system). I have also uncovered a need for decent homeless shelters especially for women, and animal shelters. there are organizations who already do these things and would thrive with the funding.

But as @RedDeerGuy1 said, I think it would be wise to hold onto money rather than invest in any major projects, and as @YARNLADY said, invest in a charity that carefully invests so that money to good causes would keep flowing. I don’t think it is wise to invest in projects that you might not like or might not be needed in 5–20 years.

Some people do really stupid things with money. When I was 14, I wanted to buy a really creepy castellated mansion (built in 1902) at 1313 Lamar Ave in my city and turn it into a Museum of the Addams Family and the Munsters. There’s a Freds Dollar Store there now. Had that dream come to pass it would have had zero visitors and zero investors. I’ve had other dumb ideas but I’ll admit that was the dumbest

The Retreat Center, even, might be a kinda dull way of life by now,

I’d probably be dead. I love fast cars, and motorcycles. I am unsure how happy I would have been.