Weeeeee!!!! What? Wait!

Daily writing prompt

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

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People who receive windfalls like the Lottery or other sources of sudden wealth are well advised to get financial advice.

But further, In my own family, I saw blood sucking family members suck away my fathers hard hard-earned money while he was healthy, but deserted him when he became ill. They were conspicuously absent after they found out that there were no bequests for them in the tiny remaining estate.

Those experiences gave me an education in how not to do charity. Great grand uncle Charlie, who lives in California, and whom you have never heard from previously, is a thief. So is the needy niece from Florida who can’t find your address once a year for a Christmas card. I take no delight in dissing charity starting at home with the family. But, man, you have to have some guidelines.

I have been fortunate enough these past few years to be able to make charitable donations. I’ve picked carefully. They have to be well-established, not-for-profit corporations with solid reputations. One area I’ve concentrated on is Maritime museums. I utilize their services and have a vested interest in supporting their research and educational goals. In a way, it’s a form of enlightened self-interest ( even though it may be years between visits).

Next are the veterinary teaching hospitals and animal shelters, to which I make contributions. Several things stand out: poor people need services for their pets. I’ve been poor, and I’ve benefited from free or reduced rates from a Boston area veterinary hospital years ago. I had returned from Canada with my kitten Clancy ( soon to be the Grey Menace), and I was broke. They treated him for distemper and deferred the bill. Every year, there is a contribution in Clancy’s name to the hospital. I do the same for the animal shelters in my area.

I also give to some local cultural institutions, and am a softie for food banks, shelters, and other similar causes. If you’ve been a Pius Itinerant at any point in your life, you’ve used their services.

So, if I had hold of a cool million to distribute, I’d probably up the ante on my established pattern of giving. I might set up investment accounts that paid out the yield on an annual basis. Windfalls are nice, but I believe a steady budget is better.

That’s it, and don’t forget the financial advisor, and getting an unlisted telephone number to throw off the fifth and sixth cousins who desperately need ten grand.