Sunshine2,
I don't have millions either!! You don't have to start out with millions to end up with serious money--at least, what seems to me like serious money.
I know you've seen those online calculators. Here's one:
Advanced Complex Savings Compound Interest Calculator
You've probably already done this, because I can tell from your posts that you are much further along in your thinking than I am. But if you haven't, plug in:
your starting figure,
8% interest (or whatever rate you think is reasonable to assume),
compounding period frequency (ex: monthly), and
total number of compounding periods (ex for monthly: 12 mos x 25 years = 300 compounding periods)
Of course, with inflation over 25 years, maybe that wouldn't seem like so much money after all. And if he gets it all at once and blows it--hey, I'm dead and will never know it.
Thank you, everybody. I know I just need to make the best decision I can with the information I have right now and then let it go. I will reread all your posts, think some more, talk to my lawyer, and then post again when I figure out what I want to do.