• Question: If you were given 1 billion pounds, and you had 10 minutes to choose what to do with it, what would you do? Would it be science related or would it be for you or those around you? Would it be for charities or for something that you would enjoy. Be completely honest!

    Asked by tone532yods52 on 17 Oct 2025.
    • Photo: Bethan Davies

      Bethan Davies answered on 17 Oct 2025:

      A new house then spreading the joy amongst family and close friends and then charities in that order!

    • Photo: Niamh Topping

      Niamh Topping answered on 20 Oct 2025: last edited 20 Oct 2025 10:38

      1 billion is a lot! I would definitely keep some aside for myself (I’d like to buy a house one day) and for my family, but I think I’d also really like to invest in local communities, either via science outreach or improving facilities (so this could include charities!). There are a few charities close to my heart as well that I’d donate to (Alzheimer’s research for example). I’d also keep some aside for travelling and adventuring

    • Photo: Carly Bingham

      Carly Bingham answered on 20 Oct 2025:

      A billion pounds is a huge amount of money – one of the best ways to picture how big a number a billion is is that a million seconds is about 11.5 days and a billion seconds is about 31.5 years!

      I’m not sure if I could sensibly do a lot in 10 mins with that much money – so maybe selfishly first, a house with a garden so I can get a dog. Then maybe a few more houses for my family and friends to live comfortably. Let’s say I’ve spent 10 million on houses – I’ve still got 990 million to go. I reckon I could live comfortably for the rest of my life with 90 million, so lets put that in the bank! After that, I like the idea of giving it to charities who could do so much more with it than I can – thinking of 900 charities to get 1 million each is probably tricky in 10 minutes, and even 90 charities to get 10 million would be hard work so I’m thinking 9 charities getting 100 million. I’d try and split them across as many fields as possible – so health (maybe cancer research), animals (RSPCA), children, education – whatever I can come up with in the remaining time!

    • Photo: Emily Walls

      Emily Walls answered on 22 Oct 2025:

      I would probably keep a nice chunk for myself, friends and family to give back to them for everything they have done for me across the years. Then I would maybe set up a charity fund for women in physics or donate to some charities close to my heart like Blesma which supported my family a lot growing up!

    • Photo: Erin Pallott

      Erin Pallott answered on 5 Nov 2025:

      I would quickly hire a very good accountant and financial adviser first and not tell anyone yet (You get similar advice if you win the lottery)! I would make sure I have enough to live (very) comfortably for the rest of my life, and then my immediate family and close friends would get the same. With £1billion I would definitely give a lot away to charity, but I’d want some time to make sure that money is being spent wisely.
      Hopefully my financial adviser could also help me invest a good amount so I can keep funding worthwhile charitable research my whole life!
      I’d also probably quit working, but I’d continue with passion projects like writing pop science books and science blogging!

Comments

  • Photo: Martin McMahon

    Martin McMahon commented on :

    Easy. Invest in water generation schemes that take water to the Sahara desert. Water is life, and that means the ability to sustain life by creating food and liveable environments. Then schemes to take pollution out of our rivers and seas. All very easy to achieve with just a bit of investment, but would massively improve the lives of countless millions of people. If there was money left over, then hospitals and schools in as many stable developing nations as possible.