A sudden fortune can feel like freedom. It can also feel like standing in unfamiliar territory.<\/p>\n
That is where Jonathan, a 36-year-old father in Fort Myers, Florida, found himself. He told <\/a>“The Ramsey Show” he inherited about $3.6 million after a devastating family tragedy and invested $220,000 into a tiki boat tour business.<\/p>\n Jonathan said the tragedy happened a few years ago when his mother was killed by her new husband. Both were in their late 70s. The loss was followed by the inheritance<\/a>, leaving Jonathan suddenly responsible for millions of dollars.<\/p>\n “I had never made more than about 85 grand a year and then was left with a couple million dollars,” he said.<\/p>\n Trending: Most founders obsess over the wrong hires. See the 5 startup roles that actually determine whether a company scales or stalls.<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Jonathan told hosts Dave Ramsey<\/strong><\/a> and John Delony<\/strong> the first year after the tragedy was difficult. Over time, he focused on rebuilding stability for his two children. “I got a couple kids and I tried to get myself together and be better for my kids,” he said.<\/p>\n Before the inheritance, Jonathan worked in restaurants as a bartender, sommelier and server. The work involved frequent conversation with customers, and he said he no longer felt comfortable talking about his life after his mother’s death.<\/p>\n Jonathan said he stopped working around that time and has not returned to a traditional job, saying his assets total roughly $3.5 million between property and other investments.<\/p>\n “You\u2019re going to have to get a job,” Delony said. “You\u2019re going to have to get a purpose, a thing to do.”<\/p>\n Jonathan said he plans to run a tiki tour boat business.<\/p>\n “At 36 doing nothing is not a plan,” Ramsey said. He encouraged Jonathan to stay engaged in meaningful work as he manages the inheritance.<\/p>\n See Also: Think you’re saving enough for your kids? You might be dangerously off \u2014 see why<\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Delony agreed and warned jumping from one business idea to another can quietly drain money.<\/p>\n “Buy a boat for a quarter million dollars and then six months go and be like, \u2018Well I\u2019m going to do this and I\u2019m going to buy a snow cone stand,’ and then you\u2019re going to small business yourself broke,” he said.<\/p>\n