Having been in your shoes, and having had many friends in a similar place, I can only share what did and didn't work for us. Diversifying was a positive for ev

Having been in your shoes, and having had many friends in a similar place, I can only share what did and didn't work for us. Diversifying was a positive for everyone who did it. John Doerr's advice to a friend was 'sell half' and diversify that. Because of the dot com crash (which may have been an anomaly) the folks who diversified completely (sold it all and moved into a balanced portfolio) did better. Not changing your lifestyle. You have a 'burn rate' just like everything else (car payments, house payments, tuition bills etc). Leave that alone and your life will continue as it has, only more securely. One of the folks I know switched over to the lifestyle of the 'rich and famous', lots of parties, upgraded house, new cars, vacation trips all around the world. Burned through all their wealth and when it became obvious they had to go back to work, was in the place of going to people who had known them as the rich playboy type, and really impressing upon them how much they needed a job. It wasn't fun for them. I would recommend you work with a financial adviser, or take a class at a community college on the basics of finance, or both. Back in the dot com days when I thought I was going to be a zillionaire I took the Forbes Wealth Management home study course. It was like 30 cassette tape lectures and a workbook. It did a good job of covering the foundations so that I could understand what people were talking about when they were comparing various options. Put some aside for your kids college, giving them a debt free college education has a strong positive impact on their future success. Sleep better and take care of your health. EDIT: And talk to a tax accountant. Seriously. Moving around money in the "wrong" way can expose you to serious tax liability that might be surprising to you come April.