Ask HN: What to do after $8M (all cash, post tax) exit?

> Depending on your living cost around 1% guaranteed return should be enough to not work again for quita a while, possibly for ever

Just a nitpick but even the "official" inflation rate is somewhere around 2%, is it not? The real one is probably 3% or higher.

My advice is to head on over to Reddit. /r/personal finance

They have a very well maintained FAQ, and are super helpful. The best thing to do is nothing, until you have asked there.

"Start a business."

Um, he has no need to work. Why would starting a business be the most important thing to do?

Basically, he can find out what sensible or quirky thing he likes and do that - just as long as it does not cost more than a middle class income can support. If he's entrepreneurial then sure, business.

But I see nothing wrong in spending ones life painting, sculpting, doing maths or science or volunteering and charity or whatnot. Or just spending time with the family (if that's something he enjoys). Just as long as it's something he enjoys and finds worthwhile.

First of all, you don't have to do anything immediately. Don't rush. Take your time, study different options to invest the money. Personally I would put most of it in an index fund with low cost.

Retire. I'd buy myself a hundred acres or so here in Indiana (probably not for you, but I like quiet), make a lazy 3-fund portfolio ( https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Three-fund_portfolio ) with a million in each fund, throw another million in a robo advisor and leave whatever was left as cash. I'd never have to work again, I'd have many times my FIRE number.

Then schedule a physical, an optometrist appointment if you wear glasses/contacts and a dental checkup. You now have time to be mindful of your health.

Then I'd just take a few months off. Do absolutely nothing. Just relax, think, recharge.

Then I've always got a bazillion ideas I want to pursue, I"m sure you have some too. I'd probably start working on the idea I'm currently waiting to hear back from YC for the winter 2019 batch. I could spend 20-30k of my own money collecting a lot of data and quietly looking for a key person or two to help me with the project and I might actually pivot and go more of a non-profit route with the idea.

You do you though, just be sensible about it.

Read about the Trinity study https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Trinity_study_update

Basically, if you put some money into a lazy three fund, or just a broad market/whole market fund you can likely retire and withdrawal 3-4% of the initial amount for the rest of your life depending on your risk tolerance. If you just did 3 million like I suggested above if I were in your situation, you have 90-120k a year to live off of relatively safely.

If you move somewhere with sane housing prices, pretty much anywhere in the midwest, you can live fantastically wealthy off that as the median household income in the country is 59k.

What I'd also do is take a small percentage of the money, maybe 50-100k and go Brewster's Million(s). Go spend it on something fun or goofy, something you've always wanted or wanted to do but could never justify. Get it out of your system. Something like these vacation experiences (secret agent for a day, vomit comet, shark diving) or buy that car you always wanted, or take a 700-702 AD French drunken pottery spinning while standing on one leg while singing Won't You Be My Neighbor class that you thought would be fun.