It would be foolish to say that my lifestyle wouldn't be raised, but I'd probably not raise it too much. Being tight is my nature, so I doubt I'd blow through the money. For instance, we'd travel more... but it would still be budget traveling.
My wife works full time between two jobs. So she would probably quit one, and keep the one on campus, and go back to school to finish her degree. Me? I like my work, so I'd still work.
So, 2.5 Million after taxes? I would:
Pay off our house and remodel/add a bathroom.
Buy the house behind us (to control who rents it).
Rebuild my Mustang.
Give 5K to the college funds of the kids of our close friends and family.
Take 100K to trade with.
I figure after that, I'd have about 2 Million left over to really consider:
Buying a building in our downtown for a club/musical venue.
Buying a radio station.
Starting my own non-profit.
André