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How would you spend $1 million dollars and get no sellable value from it?

QuantumLeap

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Spending $1 million without anything to show for it is easy.
Just eat at Noma for a month. Or buy any Danish share.
 
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Andy Black

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I found ultimate solution to Bio's challenge!

Go to google
Buy million worth of Ads
And point them to Bing!
I worked for a company doing search engine arbitrage about 10 years ago. They spent €120k/day and made €150k/day.
 

Kid

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I worked for a company doing search engine arbitrage about 10 years ago. They spent €120k/day and made €150k/day.
Believe it or not, i still sometimes get arbitrage ads, mostly for some obscure search terms.
The strangest thing is that initial ads are on Google, and they point to another 10 results with Google Ads as monetization.

I don't know how it works, but i guess its not as profitable as it used to be.
 

Andy Black

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Believe it or not, i still sometimes get arbitrage ads, mostly for some obscure search terms.
The strangest thing is that initial ads are on Google, and they point to another 10 results with Google Ads as monetization.

I don't know how it works, but i guess its not as profitable as it used to be.
Yeah, they're sending people from Google Ads to Google Adsense.
Since Google got rid of the right hand ads I think that "business model" has struggled.
 
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BizyDad

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@biophase Hmmm.. donate it anonymously?
I was thinking the same thing. I did a quick scan of the comments and I don't think anyone else mentioned charity. And then crickets. :rofl:Personally, if I had a million dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I'd break it up into 4 or 5 shares and donate to a few deserving causes, and 1 theater troupe.
 

biophase

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I was thinking the same thing. I did a quick scan of the comments and I don't think anyone else mentioned charity. And then crickets. :rofl:Personally, if I had a million dollars burning a hole in my pocket, I'd break it up into 4 or 5 shares and donate to a few deserving causes, and 1 theater troupe.

Yes, donation is an obvious way to go about this. I don't like just donating money, so I'm probably never going to do it this way. I'll find some other way to contribute with my dollars.

One thing I believe that I will be able to do in the future is spend at least $25k-$50k a year on parties or getaways. After reading the Die with Zero book, I'm sort of planning a 50th birthday gathering with a $100k budget, but I don't know if I can wrap my head around spending that much. It will have to wait until covid is over. so maybe by that time I will be at peace with the budget. LOL
 
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BizyDad

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just donating money

What do you mean "just"? As opposed to, say, donating to the theater and having the atrium renamed after you? Or the bar...

It is interesting because I hear you saying there is no additional value to donating so why would I do it? Which is funny because the original question posed was for no sellable value. What other values do you value?

I'm sort of planning a 50th birthday gathering with a $100k budget, but I don't know if I can wrap my head around spending that much. It will have to wait until covid is over. so maybe by that time I will be at peace with the budget. LOL

Now just turn 50 9 more times and you'll have this thing licked. :hilarious:
 

biophase

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What do you mean "just"? As opposed to, say, donating to the theater and having the atrium renamed after you? Or the bar...

It is interesting because I hear you saying there is no additional value to donating so why would I do it? Which is funny because the original question posed was for no sellable value. What other values do you value?
I would rather find out what the charity needs and figure out a way to support them in a more efficient (dollar wise) and sustainable way vs. just giving them money.

For example, my current "charity" project is trying to lower the decibel levels at humane societies. When I visited one a few years ago, it was so loud and the sound was just reverberating within the concrete floors and walls. I could see how stressed the dogs were. They immediate solution would have been to donate $1000 in order for them to purchase acoustic panels to hang on their walls. However, these panels cost around $50 each. So instead I have been sourcing the materials to build these panels from China and developing a DIY kit that I can send to rescues for about $10 a panel. Once I get this process going, I can then "donate" these kits to many more places.

I just don't believe in giving the money away to be used inefficiently.
 

Kid

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I think that one could "spend" it
by burning it in a fireplace when
weather is cold.

But!
The energy released
by burning $1m in bills
can be measured.
Arguably energy is sellable value.
It costs AU$0.03 for one mega joule
in Australia, for example.

So, it would fail this topic's question
of having no sellable value.

P.S.Just for kicks ;)
 
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Sethamus

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For example, my current "charity" project is trying to lower the decibel levels at humane societies. When I visited one a few years ago, it was so loud and the sound was just reverberating within the concrete floors and walls. I could see how stressed the dogs were. They immediate solution would have been to donate $1000 in order for them to purchase acoustic panels to hang on their walls. However, these panels cost around $50 each. So instead I have been sourcing the materials to build these panels from China and developing a DIY kit that I can send to rescues for about $10 a panel. Once I get this process going, I can then "donate" these kits to many more places.
When you get this worked out make a post. My wife would love to buy some for the shelters around us.
 

Primeperiwinkle

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I would rather find out what the charity needs and figure out a way to support them in a more efficient (dollar wise) and sustainable way vs. just giving them money.

For example, my current "charity" project is trying to lower the decibel levels at humane societies. When I visited one a few years ago, it was so loud and the sound was just reverberating within the concrete floors and walls. I could see how stressed the dogs were. They immediate solution would have been to donate $1000 in order for them to purchase acoustic panels to hang on their walls. However, these panels cost around $50 each. So instead I have been sourcing the materials to build these panels from China and developing a DIY kit that I can send to rescues for about $10 a panel. Once I get this process going, I can then "donate" these kits to many more places.

I just don't believe in giving the money away to be used inefficiently.

This is a very cool example of giving. I’ve never considered hacking a gift like that by analyzing why a charity needs my money and then going further abd asking myself if I could meet their need more efficiently. Basically, I’d love to make sure that my money wasn’t being spent inefficiently but I hadn’t seen a way to do so until today when I read your post.

I’ve always though charities needed better education but the way you explained it... well its given me something to think about. It made me reassess how I could go about helping others and I wanted to say thanks.
 

The-J

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I mean you could literally set it on fire like Pablo Escobar did. Ironically enough, Escobar technically would have gotten sellable value out of it because he freed up space that was being taken up by the piles of cash.

You could donate it to a political cause that you don't support (you can lose much more than $1m this way if things go "correctly" lol)

You could donate $1m to some prisoner's commissary bank account and see what they do with it. It'll probably end up in the hands of corrupt guards and drug pushers on the outside.

You could invest in something that you know to be a scam.

You could hire a celebrity personal trainer who just tells you to do the same exercises that a regular PT would. Maybe they'll get you access to PEDs.

You could short GameStop stock.

There's a lot of things you COULD do to get rid of money, even without setting it on fire. Problem is, it's probably easier to invest it in something that will make you money than it is to purposely destroy it. People who blow $1m after a big windfall usually take a little bit of time to do so, and as stated before larger sums are often lost to bad business investments.
 
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Rabby

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What do you mean "just"? As opposed to, say, donating to the theater and having the atrium renamed after you? Or the bar...
Just to continue on this idea which is the opposite of the thread topic... I ALWAYS sponsor the bar if I sponsor something. It's the most efficient use of money at trade shows and such (when they're not shut down because of COVID). And if I were donating to a social club or something, I would 100% have the bar named after me.
 

BizyDad

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I would rather find out what the charity needs and figure out a way to support them in a more efficient (dollar wise) and sustainable way vs. just giving them money.

For example, my current "charity" project is trying to lower the decibel levels at humane societies. When I visited one a few years ago, it was so loud and the sound was just reverberating within the concrete floors and walls. I could see how stressed the dogs were. They immediate solution would have been to donate $1000 in order for them to purchase acoustic panels to hang on their walls. However, these panels cost around $50 each. So instead I have been sourcing the materials to build these panels from China and developing a DIY kit that I can send to rescues for about $10 a panel. Once I get this process going, I can then "donate" these kits to many more places.

I just don't believe in giving the money away to be used inefficiently.

This is great. You obviously know how needed it is. I can see this being something you can sell to kennels or vet hospitals, with a tagline that for every kit you sell, a kit gets donated to support local shelters.

That said, this is "just donating" of a slightly different flavor, isn't it? One in which you still have a good deal of control.

I certainly don't want to take away or diminish what you are doing. It's awesome. And so needed.

But is this the best use of those funds for that shelter? For your consideration....

What most charities need is what most businesses need... Stable predictable revenue so that they can attract top talent. As far as charities go, the humane society is better than most at creating revenue streams.

The big problem charities face is most grants that are written offer little in terms of funding for supporting staff or salaries. Often larger donations get earmarked for project work, not the people working in the project.

And most people (donaters) have a bias as well. They feel like charities are naturally inefficient, so they don't want to donate too much, just have it get spent on salary.

As a result, charities have difficulty competing for talented individuals. Someone working there generally accepts 30% less than they can make in other positions of similar skill sets. (Don't quote me on the exact figure, I read that stat like 7 years ago). And there's often a stigma/expectation attached, not unlike what teachers face, where they should accept less money because, you know, charity, and on top of that they often put some of their own less than standard salary back into their endeavor.

Going back to my example of donating portions of the million to different charities that didn't truly cut it either. If that is a donation of an unusual size for them, the charity is likely to just put that in a savings account. They'll want to hire, but they know they'll have to get rid of them at some point when the money runs out. Better to have a cushion for their existing staff. Of course they also can't keep too much of a cushion, because they'll be accused of being inefficient with the money.

A million dollars could go a long way towards creating stable predictable revenue streams for one or a few charities. But it would have to be managed properly...

This is a problem that I've always had in the back of my mind to solve. Most every charity faces it. I share it here for any enterprising entrepreneurs who happen to have a few charities they support. Food for thought.

Just to continue on this idea which is the opposite of the thread topic... I ALWAYS sponsor the bar if I sponsor something. It's the most efficient use of money at trade shows and such (when they're not shut down because of COVID). And if I were donating to a social club or something, I would 100% have the bar named after me.
Great minds think alike, and fools rarely differ.

While we're at it, we should name a drink after you too. Bartender - two Rabbys please. :peace: It rolls off the tongue.

I'm picturing some kind of rum cocktail in a tall glass. :beer::party:
 

Rabby

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Great minds think alike, and fools rarely differ.

While we're at it, we should name a drink after you too. Bartender - two Rabbys please. :peace: It rolls off the tongue.

I'm picturing some kind of rum cocktail in a tall glass. :beer:
Look up the "Robert Burns." The Rabby is a nickname for that drink ;)
 
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G

Guest-5ty5s4

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Paying for courses would do this.

You can learn something sellable from a course but then just keep paying more and more for the same knowledge or information that’s available free online.

You could also just rent something really expensive that doesn’t help you earn anything - basically burning money.

The most common way to spend money with no sellable value?

Go into debt for a college degree you don’t need :)

it would be hard to get that to $1 million, but a few sad souls have done it.
 

Johnny boy

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Charter a big a$$ jet from seattle to London 5E937D11-00AA-40A9-B4A0-029B77C2426E.jpeg

Then just spend your money on what poor people would spend their money on if they won the lottery

Hotel penthouses + super expensive meals + go to the nicest club and get bottle service and throw bands at strippers

That’s a million in a weekend
 
G

Guest-5ty5s4

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Buy skins, loot boxes, digital currency, and pretty much anything video game or meta-verse related...

Digital purchases can be such a scam.

Buy some of the latest new crypto pump and dumps too - you can easily see $1 million vanish overnight.
 
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FastNAwesome

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Simples - ecology.

To fulfill requirements of your challenge, it would need to be in such a way that your or your company's name don't get credited for it, as that could create goodwill, which in accounting context is an asset, and as such could be (re)sold. Or making your own name a valuable brand.

I am not an accountant, this is not advice :)
 

Ing

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I would buy land and ride Dirtbike there. You could spend billions without real purpose. The only advantage of buying the land is, that no owner or police can piss on you.
 

Johnny boy

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I found the best answer guys

 
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Chapas

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I would ask my Danish government for advise. Or one of the other Western governments. They seem to be bosses at spending money on useless shit. 1 million USD on masks for kids and PCR tests
 

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