[Sohcahtoa82]

> Calhoun said he would not be quitting his job as a sales associate at the Reliable Office Superstore in Bloomington

Anyone that thought he could quit his job needs some math lessons and financial education. $1M isn't enough to retire if you're under 30, especially when taxes come out.

[kolpa]

"quitting your job" is not "retiring", and $1M in 1993 generates a decent enough amount of long term interest for a low cost of living area.

[MisterOctober]

^ it would also solidly cover educational expenses and income loss, etc, in the event one wanted to change careers. One could move to the industry of one's choosing with that kind of cushion.

[cobbzilla]

The prize was paid out at $50k/year for 20 years. After taxes, that could cover a modest living in many parts of the country, but I'd agree that is not "quit your job/retire" money, even in the 90's.

[andrewem]

The story calls him a "A $5-an-hour office supply store salesman", so at 2,000 hours a year it's $10,000. That makes the gross prize money five times his salary.

He could easily have paid for someone to attend Harvard on the prize money (https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1990/3/20/ivy-tuition-rat...).