My usual self-torturing thought about numbers like these is "Just give me 0.006% of that" [one of those 17,700 millions] "and I wouldn't have to worry about anything forever." A million invested in safe boring things at 3% (which didn't use to be that hard to achieve... not so sure now) yields a basic income of $30k/yr that could pay rent & food in many places. Take the whole $17.7B and do that for the entire population (~17,700) of one of these towns in 2010:
Arcata, CA
Orinda, CA
Central Point, OR
Monroe, WA
Tumwater, WA
Make it "only" $500K each ($15K/yr) and now you're talking more like
Arcata, CA
Orinda, CA
Central Point, OR
Monroe, WA
Tumwater, WA
Make it "only" $500K each ($15K/yr) and now you're talking more like
Hollister, CA
Martinez, CA
Los Baños, CA
Keizer, OR
Lake Oswego, OR
Longview, WA
Puyallup, WA
But life apparently doesn't work that way!