My going rate is ten percent given to charity of all money earned above and beyond my two and a half full time jobs. So if I had one and a half million dollars given to me I would donate one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to a well thought out, lesser known, charity. All current family debt would be paid off and the rest would be put into a conservative investment earning five to six percent which, after taxes, would keep pace with the cost of living increase every year. I would then ear mark the money, in a trust, for my two kids-to be released over a thirty year period upon my death. A trip would be nice but I would prefer to earn a trip rather then using the proceeds of a windfall. I think that hard earned money makes the appreciation deeper.