First, congrats. I think your humility comes through in your comment, which is refreshing. The nice thing about money is that you can simply put it into an inv

First, congrats. I think your humility comes through in your comment, which is refreshing. The nice thing about money is that you can simply put it into an investment or savings and defer the decision about what to do with it. I recommend against pressuring yourself to make a quick decision. I recommend just finding a new job or taking some time off and thinking about life for a while. Based on the time it has taken people I know to adjust after retirement, I'd give it 6-8 months before you can trust yourself to really know what it's like not to be obligated to work and to have your self worth defined that way. So you may not want to retire, but I think an 8 month break would be a nice period of time during which to evaluate all of the options. One thing that I think about is that in many ways my life is about as comfortable and pleasant as it could possibly be, even though I have not had a major exit. In one sense this is a good thing, but many philosophers tell us that struggle is what makes life meaningful. So you might frame the question thus: Now that you no longer have to worry about basic financial security, what struggles might you choose to undertake that you could not undertake before because of your duties? It might be a personal struggle (learning, accomplishment) or an inter-personal one... maybe political, maybe athletic or philanthropic. The biggest thing to watch out for which you may or may not have encountered, is that people will flatter you extensively. While $8M isn't major wealth, it's enough that you will attract flatterers and your ideas will be given much more serious pondering. People will act toward you as though you are more attractive, smarter, and more insightful than you actually are. Beware of this because it is a reality distortion field. Getting rid of the money quickly to avoid this sort of thing is a mistake, because dealing with it is just an important life skill just like learning to avoid people who are overly negative or mean-spirited. Good luck to you!