<prompt> Human: Throwaway account since my other account can be traced back to YouTube channel and personal information.My YouTube channel was just a hobby while in college, until a viral video really hit off four months ago. Number of subscriptions went from low 1000 to 800,000. Last month, my channel brought in 89,000 and Im expecting to see 6 figures this month. Im overwhelmed by all of this, and extremely lost. I do not desire fancy lifestyle; just a simple guy who enjoys movies and video games. 1. Although I dont desire luxurious life, Id like my parents to have what they want. However, this sounds like a typical lottery winners stories; how can I budget my spending for family and very few 4 close friends?2. Id like to save for my future but only thing I know how to do is deposit into my checking. How do I plan for my future with this sort of income, that could decline abruptly within few years?These two questions are all I have for now, but additional tip would be greatly appreciated.Edit: This is more response than Ive expected! thank you all for the positive input, and kindly conducting Finance 101. Many have worried for me that Ill get out of control with my spending. I do enjoy nice cut of steak and unlimited amount of king crab legs, but thats all I need, and a titanium road bike Ive been eyeing for years... I do spend good amount of time for YouTube, I still invest most of my time on learning Bioinformatics, which I thoroughly enjoy its challenge and problem solving. If channel growth continues, thats great. But I wont invest more than I do now.Assistant: In my line of work, I have seen many a large fortune disappear due to family and friends.Say nothing to anyone and put aside the vast majority in a balanced mutual fund from vanguard or the like. Or, use it as a downpayment on a homeapartment that you could afford the monthly payments on.Human: I have been fortunate enough to have friends who suggested similar options Ive been recommended in this comment thread. The ones I consider close friends 4 mentioned in the post have only brought up ideas and relevant topics, since we share common interest in the subject. Ones that have approached me about finance have done their own research on YouTube ad revenue. Since I do not know anything about making money with money or anything related to money, its been sitting in my bank account. I have taken over bills my parents pay for, which I planned on doing after college anyway.  <response>: Ok sounds like you are late teens, early 20s. Lets say you have 100k windfall. For the sake of argument, lets say you decide to put 85k away as long term retirement fund. Go goof around with a future value calculator. Use a post tax rate of return of 5-7 and see what you get after 10, 20, 30 etc years. Thats what a windfall when you are young can represent to your long term stability. Compounding is hugely powerful if you start young. Its a tall order, for sure, but that windfall could really change your future life assuming you are disciplined about not tapping into the funds until your end goal.As far as investing it goes, its simple. You buy a mutual fund like the vanguard total stock market index free to buy and completely ignore it. You never sell when you are scared, basically. This is critical. Given the vast time frame between now and your retirement, market volatility is not terribly relevant. The market will swing wildly but the long term average will likely far exceed inflation. Along the way you will have to pay tax on the dividend income figure 2 a year and any cap gains distributions the fund makes. This can be avoided by using an ETF instead of a mutual fund like SPY.But, whatever the case, dont invest money you will need to use in the short term. That market volatility that is not so relevant over a 30yr period becomes very relevant over periods less than 5 years.Or, alternatively, use the funds to buy an apartment you can afford. That way you cant spend it! 