r/AskReddit 15h ago

Would you accept $2 million today if the contract strictly prohibited you from ever holding a job again? Why or why not?

Upvotes

67 comments sorted by

u/cakebythejake 15h ago

I swear I’m going to hide AskReddit at this point with questions like this

u/Complete-Bumblebee-5 15h ago

Go have a slice of cake Jake

u/PistachiNO 15h ago

Jake, cake! Have a nice slice, have a nice  

slice the cake, Jake, wakey wake  

time to bake's been done it's already make  

u/WolfBV 15h ago

Do it fam

u/Elrondel 15h ago

Yep.

I can retire on $80K/year for life. It's that simple.

Not even counting existing savings.

u/gosuark 14h ago

If you invest it earning a very modest 3%/year, you could withdraw about 110-120k annually, reaching a balance close to zero 25 years from now.

u/christian_austin85 15h ago

Yes. I have other income (retirement/disability) and I can pay off all my debts/live off the interest of 2 million before I reach retirement age.

u/RoRo8o8o 15h ago

Absolutely, just invest it well and live off of it indefinitely.

u/No-Magician9440 15h ago

Yes because that's all I need.

u/PistachiNO 15h ago

It depends on the definition of job. I'm certainly still going to want to be helpful to my society whether or not I'm getting paid for it. 

u/KaiserFortinbras 15h ago

Yes, because I'm already retired.

u/Pencil161 15h ago

I'm 61 so, yeah, absolutely.

But if you're 21, that's a whole different math problem.

u/that1cooldude 15h ago

What about blow Jobs?

u/Icy-Inspection-2971 15h ago

Nope. Sorry, honey, I’ve been prohibited for life. Handjobs too. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Surely we can find an agreeable alternative for both of us.

u/that1cooldude 15h ago

Rim jobs too? Dayum!!! 

u/Icy-Inspection-2971 15h ago

But if I never work again, I have plenty of time to think of creative options.

u/activelyresting 15h ago

Yes.

I'm already on permanent disability.

u/crissthefrog 15h ago

Living off dividends and doing charity work sporadically for the rest of life? Sign me up.

u/FloaterFan 15h ago

62 in 5 days. He'll yeah.

u/AllAboutTheQueso 15h ago

Does it come with health insurance

u/tickss 15h ago

75% of UK would be millionaires already if that was the case lol

u/ThaCapten 15h ago

Sure. Where do I sign

u/tinyhorsesinmytea 15h ago

Yeah. That's more money than I'll make working the next 25 years... more than enough to live very comfortably and happily.

u/UltraCoolPimpDaddy 15h ago

No. 2 mil barely buys a house

u/Then_Particular1931 15h ago

Only for the cool pimps. Not a problem for us regular joes

u/Icy-Inspection-2971 15h ago edited 15h ago

Yes. Why? So I could stop working. I’d take what I needed to survive for a couple of months, then set up some investments to keep it growing. I’m not under the illusion that $2 mill would have me in a life of luxury, but I think I could maintain my current lifestyle with opportunities for upgrades if I play my cards right with the investments.

u/Suspicious-Weird-750 15h ago

Does that mean you can never work for profit again or just never have a full time position?

u/Existential_Chilean 15h ago

Yes, even at 32 I could take my salary out and invest the rest. Gonna be fine moving forward.

u/Hurricane_Shade 15h ago

Sure. I'm already retired

u/Prestigious-Bike-593 15h ago

Hell yes. I'd be set for the 30 years.

u/Narren_C 15h ago

That's $66k a year, which won't be increasing with inflation. And then what happens if you're still alive after 30 years?

u/Prestigious-Bike-593 13h ago

I won't be. I'm 64 now and have about $750,000 for retirement.

u/CCCmonster 15h ago

Sure, and then I would move to a legal jurisdiction that doesn’t honor where I was from and then continue working

u/Spugnacious 15h ago

I could invest 2 million and live off the interest alone with zero effort.

u/ReallySmartInEnglish 15h ago

If I lived at my general minimum goal of $75k/year, I’d run out in 26 years. I’m 38, so I might actually die by the time I hit 64.

That said; the contract says I can’t hold a job; it says nothing about hiring an investment advisor to help stretch that money out.

u/Automatic-Arm-532 15h ago

Depends. If the 2 million is upfront, I can just retire if I get tired of the job

u/Kittii_Kat 15h ago

100% yes.

Would be enough to pay off my debts, then I'd move to a 3rd world country where the remaining money would allow me to live very well for the rest of my life.

(Likely just from the interest I'd get from it)

u/UKS1977 15h ago

I'm fairly old with a fairly paid off house so this is a no brainer. It wouldn't be super easy but easier than working. This was the sum I set myself to be able to retire early*

*spoiler, I was completely unable to achieve it.

u/Cultural_Praline_499 15h ago

Tax free? I’d have to do the math but maybe. If I made my net worth liquid and stacked it on top, a perpetual 4% draw might work if it could then also keep up with inflation.

Taxed? Nope.

u/tomispie 15h ago

Yes immediately 

u/sowhat4 15h ago

Damn right. Been retired for almost 30 years now, and, if I do say so myself, I'm getting fucking good at it. Have learned to sleep in, procrastinate, relax, and not give a fuck. I can and will be successfully retired for the rest of my life.

(PS- I would eat cat food under a bridge before I'd ever go back into a classroom again - my former occupation)

u/Then_Particular1931 15h ago

People bitch about Trump and our economy but can’t live off 2 million. You got bigger problems than Trump and the economy.

u/Old_Fart_on_pogie 15h ago

Yup.
I’m 4 years (and 12 days) from retirement. So 2million would hold me over until i’m ready to collect my pension.

u/Then_Particular1931 15h ago

Another question.
How many people would take 2 million to actually get a job.

u/IcyConsideration7062 15h ago

In a heartbeat. I'm retired and don't have that much in savings. That might be enough to take me to death.

u/Penis_Bees 15h ago

Assuming I magically am prevented from breaking the prohibition, then I think no. It's not an easy no, but I think that's where I land.

I wouldn't want to retire right away. I like my career and I want to continue experiencing it for a bit.

Plus I want to take care of my mom in her old age soon and I don't think the 80k from 4% interest is going to be very comfortable three people until I hit retirement age and can start pulling from the principle. We would have to pretty frugally towards the end and what's the point in all the extra free time if I can't afford to do much with it?

I'll earn 2 million several years before retirement then after retirement I'll get a pension, social security, and a few retirement accounts.

This seems to make continuing to work feel like the better choice. If I was 15 years from retirement then it would be a very hard choice.

u/lametown_poopypants 14h ago

No. Not enough to retire.

u/Hairywhitedog 14h ago

Yes , because I don’t believe I’m going to live for a lot longer

u/Complete-Bumblebee-5 15h ago

No

u/donkey_OT 15h ago

Bullshit

u/Complete-Bumblebee-5 15h ago

2 mil may sound like a lot but can dissappear awfully fast. If that's gone and I can never work again, I'm up shit creek without a paddle eh?

u/wjdoyle88 15h ago

Brother 80k per year does not cover as much as you think. Car payments, health care, dental, vision, food , house etc.

u/Then_Particular1931 15h ago

You have 2 million and still have a house payment?

u/egnards 15h ago

$2,000,000 just really isn't even that much money if you're thinking about it being a lifetime thing.

I'm 39, at the average male life expectancy that means I'd be take home about $54,000/yr to use towards bills - I'm assuming my wife can still work, which is nice, but in order to just live our middle class life I'd be drawing down that money way faster than I could possibly make money on that investment.

That doesn't even include the fact that our health insurance costs will go significantly up [my job has amazing insurance at a very cheap rate, whereas my wife's is like 10x the cost of mine with far more restrictions and coverage limitations],

Even if I made it to "retirement age" and my wife retired. . .We'd have limited savings from having to subsist on 1 income + savings for all of that time.

If someone just handed me $2,000,000 no strings attached? That's life changing money - Just being able to work for 10 more years would nearly double that [modestly at 7%] and reduce the draw down I'd need to worry about pretty significantly - It would allow for so damn much to be done in my life.

But with a work based string attached? It would be a curse unless I were already terminally ill or much older.

u/Narren_C 15h ago

I absolutely would not. I make over $100k a year, and that number is only going to go up. I'll also retire with a pension. $2 million is not nearly enough for the rest of my life.

u/njhbookcase 15h ago

Would that job be paid or unpaid? Is volunteering considered a job?

u/Anustart15 15h ago

Didn't read the post too closely, did you?

u/BlotMutt 15h ago

Not a chance, I need a million to retire at 65, and even then I'll be bored as hell. I'm in my early 30s, if I save one million just to last me till retirement, I'd have less than what I make now. No deal.

u/myfrozeneggos 15h ago

no bc i'll make way more than that working

u/Difficult-Gas6196 15h ago

Nah, the tax man is gonna eat that alive.

u/Jorgecurioso7 15h ago edited 15h ago

Hell yeah screw work 

u/TepidTangelo 15h ago

Yes. That would free up my time to scale what were formerly side businesses.

u/[deleted] 15h ago

[deleted]

u/CrimeFightingScience 15h ago

Mine too. But Im and African prince that needs help accessing it.