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Can you imagine what you’d do with $965 million? That’s the estimated jackpot for the Mega Millions tonight. It’s the largest prize in almost a year and the eighth-largest in Mega Millions history.
The possibilities are endless. But before you get excited, know that you’ll have to pay Uncle Sam a hefty portion of your earnings — 24 percent in federal taxes off the top, to be exact. Also, you’ll need to decide between an annuity spread over 30 years and a lump sum of roughly $445.3 million before taxes.
Still, it’s fun to dream. Let’s explore what you could buy if you suddenly had $965 million in your bank account.
1 Jeff Bezos yacht
The Amazon founder owns a 417-foot schooner that cost an estimated $500 million. Koru has a 246-foot support ship, Abeona, which has a helipad, just in case you forgot to pick up a loaf of bread on the way back from Monaco. With $965 million, you could have a superyacht the size of Bezos’ and plenty of cash left over to outfit it to your taste.
2 of the world’s most valuable diamonds
Everybody knows about the Hope Diamond. The 45.5-carat rock was worth an estimated $350 million in 2024 (although removing the curse would probably cost extra). With your Mega Millions winnings, you could buy that big blue rock and the even more expensive Cullinan Diamond — a collection of gems cut from the largest rough diamond ever found and valued at $400 million.
9 F-35 fighter planes
Lots of rich folks have private planes. But do they have one that can wreak terror from the sky? You could, assuming any country in its right mind would sell you the most advanced U.S. warplane. In fact, you could have a fleet of nine of the roughly $101.5 1.5 million airplanes (airport storage not included).
Top 10 Mega Millions Jackpots So Far
- $1.6 billion — Aug. 8, 2023
- $1.53 billion — Oct. 23, 2018
- $1.34 billion — Jan. 13, 2023
- $1.33 billion — Jul. 29, 2022
- $1.26 billion — Dec. 27, 2024
- $ 1.12 billion — March 26, 2024
- $1.05 billion — Jan. 22, 2021
- $810 million — Sept. 10, 2024
- $656 million — March 30, 2012
- $648 million — Dec. 17, 2013
Source: megamillions.com
23 SpaceX Tourist Trips
Fancy a trip to outer space? You could get your chance to see the world in three days in a 13-foot-wide SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. To boot, you’ll go around the globe every 90 minutes. And, because the trip costs $55 million per seat, you could make that voyage 17 times.
76 Mickey Mantle rookie cards
Collectors argue about which baseball card is worth the most, but the 1952 Mickey Mantle rookie card is hard to beat. It fetched $12.6 million at auction in 2022.
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