$5,000 or $500 Million — Which would you rather?

We have a Jersey Cash Code game going on right now in April on NJ 101.5. You can tune into Dennis and Judi at 10:15am and 1:15pm, and Deminski and Doyle at 4:15pm. Get the code, and maybe win up to $5,000. If you download the NJ1015 app, we'll send you a 10-minute heads up when to listen every day. It got me thinking about the fun of winning a few thousand dollars. It's not life changing, but wouldn't it be great and helpful if you have a project you've been saving for, a vacation or just want to have some extra cash to spend on clothes?

We know a patron of a local Jersey gas station just bought a winning lottery ticket worth more than $500 million. Now that's life changing. Your friends and family would likely look at you in a different way. It would be really hard to spend all that money, how many houses, boats, cars and planes do you need? Then there are the people who would expect to share in your winnings. The potential of someone stealing your money. And the whole issue of going from a wage earner to a person that has nearly unlimited funds.

It's not uncommon for people to win lots of money and then go broke, or end up with substance abuse issues. Some people are simply not ready to handle a huge fortune and the changes that it brings to your life.

You may have guessed from knowing me on the air that I'm the type of person that will always stay busy. Even winning a ton of money wouldn't change my personality and drive to make our state better for average middle and working class families. That said, your perspective and decision making would likely change if you had no concern about your next paycheck. I'd like to think that as frugal as I am, I'd be great with $500 million. Either way, I'd love to face that challenge.

But make no mistake, it's a challenge. You don't become a strong, responsible money manager overnight. People who struggle week to week because they have trouble prioritizing limited resources will potentially be wrecked by a windfall of cash. The biggest problems facing the nation's poor isn't always money. That's how they are defined of course, so naturally the only solution seems to be more money. Money can be an incredible resource and a positive life changing tool for sure. It can also be a wrecker of homes, families and lifestyles. It's a tool like anything else, and you gotta use it properly. So lemme ask you, are you up to the challenge? OR would you rather just enjoy the fun that comes with winning five grand?

Bill Spadea is on the air weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., talkin’ Jersey, taking your calls at 1-800-283-1015. Tweet him @NJ1015 or @BillSpadea. The opinions expressed here are solely those of Bill Spadea.

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