How Long Will $50 Million Last?
Spend up to $2,000,000 a year and $50 million lasts forever. Spend $3,000,000 a year and it lasts about 28 years.
Assumes the money is invested and earns 4.0% a year after inflation, with all figures in today's dollars. Change any of it below.
In today's dollars. It rises with inflation each year.
$50,000,000 spending $3,000,000 a year lasts
about 28 years
To make it last forever, keep spending under $2,000,000 a year.
$50 million at different spending levels
How long the money lasts if you spend the same amount every year, rising with inflation.
| Spending a year | Lasts | Runs out in |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $2,000,000 | Forever | Never |
| $3,000,000 | 28 years | 2054 |
| $5,000,000 | 13 years | 2039 |
| $10,000,000 | 5 years | 2031 |
| $20,000,000 | 2 years | 2028 |
Generational money
At $50 million the question changes from "can I afford it" to "how much do I want to give away". It pays about $2 million a year forever, enough to fund your own life, your children's and a serious charity at the same time.
Buying sprees barely register. A $10 million estate, a $1 million car collection and $5 million for family still leave $34 million paying about $1.4 million a year.
The state you buy the ticket in matters more at this level than any other. The gap between a no-tax state and the most expensive one is millions of dollars of after-tax money, and the jackpot you need to get here moves accordingly.
What jackpot gets you $50 million?
Lottery prizes are taxed as income, so you need to win a lot more than $50 million to keep it. Taking the cash option, it takes a prize of about $79.3 million in a state with no lottery tax like Florida, and about $95.9 million in New York, the most expensive state.
The cash value is only part of the advertised jackpot. At today's Powerball ratio ($326 million cash for a $760 million jackpot), that is roughly a $184.8 million jackpot.
Got a jackpot in mind?
Pick a real jackpot, see what it pays after tax, spend it on everything you want, and see what the rest pays you for life.
Spend the jackpotCommon questions
How long will other amounts last?
Estimates for planning and entertainment, not financial advice. Real returns vary year to year, and a bad run early on shortens how long money lasts. Talk to a financial planner before relying on any of this.