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8 Tips To Help You Stay Rich After You Win The Lottery
Published by Mary | Filed under Loans
Find a way to turn your winnings into hard cash as quickly as possible. Get a wheelbarrow and wheel the money into your bedroom. Lift the mattress and pour the money under. It will be very heavy so you will need the help of someone you can trust. Once you have completed this first mission, wait. Okay, taking time is definitely important but the rest is highly unadvisable.
It is a sad but true story- many of the people who win the lottery, go from rags to riches, back to rags, because they have no idea how to handle such a large sum of money. And who can blame them, really? Winning the lottery is literally like a dream come true. People think with money, all their problems just disappear, but what they don’t realize is that without proper management and financial control, things can get out of hand all too quickly. They’ll quit their jobs; buy a new house; buy family members houses; get new cars; go on extravagant vacations… Estranged family members, financial advisers and charities will come after them with their hands out- and all of a sudden the financial freedom they thought they’d finally attained, turns into an insurmountable and disastrous realm of chaos. The lottery they had won becomes almost an elaborate set of government grants that disappear, drained away by greedy people and bad decisions.
Makes winning the lottery sound pretty scary, doesn’t it? Well, wealth is scary. That is, if you don’t understand how to cope with it wisely. If you or someone you know has recently won the lottery, here are some tips you should consider in order to get the most out of your money and ensure that when you become rich, you stay rich.
Change your phone number
1. Everyone you know and don’t know will be calling you so make sure you get a new unlisted number
Get Advice Before Taking The Lump Sum
2. If you are given the option to take the lump sum of money or the annual annuity payment, be aware that the lump sum will amount to less money after all the applicable taxes are removed. The lump sum is ideal if you have a particular investment in mind. If so, you should definitely speak with a financial adviser to see if this investment has a real potential for growth and revenue in the long term. In most cases though, the annual annuity payment is the most beneficial as it helps you control your spending, while still enabling you to live a more than comfortable lifestyle
Get The Taxes Out of The Way
3. Get an accountant so you can settle any tax issues ahead of time and avoid fines in the future
Pay Your Debts
4. If you have debts, make paying them off your first priority
Be Patient
5. Be patient and sensible with your winnings. Financial experts recommend that upon winning, you should immediately put your money into an interest-bearing bank account, so you can consult with professionals on how to maximize the interest income
Don’t Quit Your Job
6. Or at least, don’t quit your job right away. Think about you and your family’s security in the long term- retirement funds, trust funds, college funds, loans, not to mention a sense of purpose. If you really don’t like your job, consider taking a leave of absence so you can allow yourself some time to really think about what you could do with your new-found wealth. Is there a passion of yours you can finally realize?
Don’t Gamble Your Money Away
7. Don’t gamble. Just because you got lucky once, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen again. The incredible two time lottery winner Evelyn Adams, made the foolish mistake of gambling away almost all her money at the Atlantic City Casino and now lives in trailer park.
Prepare Yourself For Change
8. Be prepared for change. Winning the lottery is going to bring about big changes in dynamics with family, friends and career that you won’t see coming. It might be a good idea to seek some professional advice on how to cope with becoming rich and not letting it take over your life.
March 25th, 2009 at 1:47 pm
The only advantage of taking an annuity rather than the lump sum is stupidity. If you are too stupid to manage your money then take the annuity. But it’s not less money. It’s clearly MORE money if you manage it correctly.
You see, if you take the annuity, the state doesn’t pay you the annuity, an annuity company does. That annuity company gets that exact same lump sum from the state that you would have gotten, and uses that lump sum to pay your annuity. And they still have enough money left over after paying you the annuity for the company to make a hefty profit. But if you made similar investments to that annuity company, you could simply pay yourself a bigger annuity and cut out the middle man.
The question is, can you do that? If you don’t have the wherewithal to get that professional advice, and hold off on immediate gratification by awaiting those personally invested annuity payments, then by all means take the annuity and let someone else manage it. But don’t go away thinking you made out with a larger share of money, for you did not.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:34 am
I definitely think it’s either a Miata or a Del Sol.
March 26th, 2009 at 7:55 am
I totally agree with Mark, dont be a dummy, take the lump sum.
March 26th, 2009 at 11:44 am
Wow, some pretty strong opinions on this post already. Nice post…some very sound advice!
March 26th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
[…] What should you do if you really have a winning ticket in a lottery. If it is a big one, then you should read carefully 8 Tips To Help You Stay Rich After You Win The Lottery […]
April 6th, 2009 at 1:03 am
hmmm….I would just love the chance to prove I could do it - stay rich after winning the lotto that is!! lol
April 10th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Sound advice. But alas,nearly all of us will never have to worry about this. As for me, I would settle for just a nice £50,000. Well, er, no, maybe £100,000. Or perhaps even …[fades off into distance, muttering insanely]
April 17th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
lump sum is the WRONG way to go folk. youre going to pay a per diem fee of roughly 7.5 percent per quarter margin on this. plus the cost of the moderate lenders accounting fees, which in 2009 are around a gross 14.3 percent. so by taking the lump some on a 100 million dollar win, after taxes, youd have roughly 3,199.23 left to spend. im a financial expert in lincoln, ca. jordan horn. 916 412 1180
April 25th, 2009 at 10:11 am
thasmartone,
If you win 100 million dollars, who cares!
So you, as a financial expert, postulate that when you win 100 million dollars there is roughly 3,199.23 to spend. Is that per year, month, week, hour, or are the minutes just passing by. I do not see a whole lot of difference between ‘roughly 3,199.23′, ‘precisely 3,199.23′, and ‘3,199.23′. I certainly would not hire you to represent my future winnings.
And, please use capitals in the right places.
April 25th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
“thasmartone” is obviously not that smart. Why the hell would you pay a “per diem” fee on a lump sum payment? What would that even mean, in this context? Who would you be paying it to? And “per quarter margin”? You are speaking the financial equivalent of technobabble.
On a $100,000,000 win, you might end up with only $31,992,300, but certainly not $3,199.23. You’re off by a few decimal places there.
April 27th, 2009 at 7:04 am
I found this just in time, turns out I won some European lottery I don’t even remember entering. I just send them my bank account and their going to transfer me 10000000 euros! Finally, my luck is turning around. I’m lucky I read all the letters in my spam file, it finally paid off, don’t know why gmail puts some of this stuff in there, they should really work on their sorting, anything that says lottery should go to the top or something
April 28th, 2009 at 11:16 am
OMG I just wn that lottery too Matt… umh maybe you should of checked to see if it was a SCAM first.
Matt come back tommorrow when this blog will show you what to do after you have been scammed.
10 million dollars invested will generate 100,000 yearly.
So if i won 100 million even with over 75% of the earning going to taxes , which isn’t the case. I know people that have won a 25 million dollar lottery and they got 18 million of it after taxes, so not to sure where you getting your information.
April 28th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Want to hit the lottery? Buy some wampq.pk and some wamuq.pk right away.
Wamu is going to come out smelling like a rose after they win the lawsuits against the FDIC and JPMorgan.
April 28th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Annuity isn’t always best, Mark. There are a lot of variables (life expectancy, size of the payout, interest rates, tax bracket, etc.) To say that taking the lump sum is the right way to go is inaccurate.
Most experts recommend that you consult with a financial planner before cashing in.
April 29th, 2009 at 3:09 am
mark is an asshole
May 2nd, 2009 at 8:38 am
the problem is: the people who win the lottery are the same people who buy the tickets.
May 10th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
The problem with morons is that you all post comments on this site. That being the case, you’ve forced me become associated with you in order to correct all of your annuity vs. lump sum statements.
A. An annuity is not usually equal to the lump sum. The lump sum is usually smaller.
B. The lump sum is calculated based on a time value of money formula (theories that assume a dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow because of inflation.) Therefore, if inflation is 2%, but the lump sum is calculated at 1%, you’ve just taken a loss.
C. Forget about any money an annuity company is making by investing the annuity dollars, you wouldn’t get that money either way.
D. Even if you make seemingly wise investing decisions with the lump sum, there is unavoidable market risk (i.e. a market crash or depression), which could make you take serious losses in the event that you are the average investor and don’t know how to whether the storm. Conversely, the annuity is guaranteed, regardless of market conditions.
What’s the moral of the story?
Every situation is different and you should do the math to figure out what the value of the total annuity is in today’s dollars and compare it to the lump sum payment. If the present value of the annuity is than the lump sum payment, take the lump sum and vice versa.
Also, to anyone who tries to reply to this post with something along the lines of “If the present value of the annuity is greater, but you could invest the lump….” in general that is a stupid statement because you would theoretically make the same investment choices because the only investment strategy you probably know is ‘buy low, sell high.’ (Which by the way, almost no one does.) If you want to argue that you would make different choices as time would go by based one decision or another, then the discussion has moved from finance to quantum physics and I’m not qualified to debate on that subject.
P.S. sorry for the rant, but most of you are dumb.
May 10th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
Thank you for this explanation. It’s a pity it’s such a discourteous reply.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
It’s okay, Prodnose. Leeroy up there is a college undergrad with a few more years to go before he figures out how to be intelligent *and* bearable. I’m about to graduate myself, and sometimes us upperclassmen have to just remember to keep our hands down, let them keep their teeth, and they’ll grow out of it.
Fortunately I won’t have to put up with guys like this much longer.
On a more positive note, great post!
May 18th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Thanks, Kairos! Your reply really made me laugh. One of the difficult things about getting older is the difficulty of keeping your big fat mouth shut when you see all these young things doing things wrong all over the place, and the temptation to put in your tuppence worth can sometimes get to be too much, even if you do it through clenched teeth without the obscenities. Other times its like watching a box of kittens learning to put their legs up so they can wahs and falling over because they can’t quite do it yet.
May 21st, 2009 at 6:20 am
I think there is one thing to do that has not been mentioned so far. It’s a quite important thing to do and oh-so-simple. The first thing you should do is simply shut up. Don’t tell anyone. No one needs to know that you won, or at the very least how much you won. I expect you would get all sorts of long lost cousins coming out of the wood work once word got out. Set up a blind trust to collect the winnings anomalously. And for god sakes don’t get your pictures taken with the oversized check at lottery HQ and then get it splashed all over their website. LOL
May 27th, 2009 at 11:48 am
If you won a 100 million dollars and decided to take the lum sum and place it in a interest bearing account how much of that money is protected by FDIC in case the bank folds? Are do you think you shouldn’t store all the money in one bank?
June 17th, 2009 at 6:58 pm
I know from experience. I won $100,000 at a casino. No annuity option. I banked $60,000 after taxes and other fees. Now on the other hand, some lotteries that are in the millions often carry a luxury tax which comes out to about 1M for every 10M won, THEN all fed. and state tax. I don’t know what would actually be better, but I want ALL the winnings, after taxes and fees, in a bank to draw interest. Nothing fancy here either, I just live comfortably. Still pay the mortgage, still drive the same old truck. But I don’t have any other debt, and my family has no need or want that goes unanswered.
June 22nd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I’m a private financial expert. If you guys are having any problems with money, just send it over and I’ll take a real quick look at it.
June 22nd, 2009 at 10:08 pm
What I have learned by sad experience over the last few years: if approached by a private financial expert assuring you that he will do you good, RUN LIKE HELL.
October 11th, 2009 at 6:06 am
a beggar is a beggar, regardless of how he’s dressed.
March 8th, 2010 at 9:01 am
#1, 5, and 8 are probably the best advice. Many lottery winners get too caught up in the winning and spend before they think. There are also people who regularly call lottery winners with SOB stories hoping to get $50,000 here or there.
June 16th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
thasmartone is a dick head i fit’s a 5 Million dollar winner take the Lump sum all you can get is a new house maybe an Escalade and save the rest to eat off.
anything over 100 Mil you annuitize that shit so you can live comfortable the rest of your life…and you heard it from Rick James you Bitches.
Anybody that has something smart to say about my post your Momma shou;d have swallowed you during sex and then she wouldn’t have to deal with your ass
August 15th, 2010 at 10:28 am
We have an interesting discussion going on this topic at:
http://www.surveymagnet.com/2010/07/what-to-do-with-your-lottery-winnings/
Come join the discussion.
November 17th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
Mark,
With all due respect, you don’t seem to understand the concept of an annuity. All an annuity means is that you receive equal payments annually instead of a lump sum . The determinant of which is a better option is not “stupidity,” as you claim, but is actually the discount rate (opportunity cost) that you face. You must discount the future cash flows that the annuity will pay out to their present value, accounting for the fact that by waiting for your cash flow, you are losing whatever interest it might have earned.
If the present value of the annuity is higher than the lump sum, you take the annuity…
December 3rd, 2010 at 7:22 pm
What about the problem of putting millions of dollars in an interest-bearing savings account that is FDIC-insured for only $250,000?
March 18th, 2011 at 10:00 am
I wonder who guarantees the annuity
June 17th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
I don’t know where Mark is from but in Texas in the United States you only get half of the winning amount if you take the lump sum. If the lotter has a prize of $50 million and you choose the lump sum then you will get $25 million. If you choose the annuity you would receive the $50 million over a twenty year period but twice as much.
July 20th, 2011 at 2:55 pm
Ok, in Texas, it is NOT a ’straight 50%’, it is usually around 60%-70%, depending on how many buy into that drawing. The more that buy tickets for that particular drawing, the higher the percentage (which is really sweet when the pots start growing). Anyway, since Texas does not have a state income tax, there would only be the Federal income tax, which caps out at 35% in 2011. So, say $100m, approx $60m lump sum, leaves $39m after taxes. You’d probably actually get somewhere a little over $40m, but what’s a few million at that level?
August 3rd, 2011 at 11:11 pm
Hi !
My name is Grace Ruskin. While searching for good financial article i found your website http://www.cosmoloan.com/ . I read some of the articles of your site and I really found them worth reading. The quality of your content is excellent. Well, i am a professional writer as well as I am a member of some financial communities. I would like to contribute something for your site if you’ll give me the permission. I can give you an original guest post and I assure you that it will be published only in your site. I would be glad to come up with something unique and interesting to contribute to your site or write about any ideas you may have for a guest post.
Waiting for your positive reply.
August 4th, 2011 at 9:50 am
I am gad that you came up with the most boring “glad to come up with something unique and interesting to contribute to your site” contribution.
How to say nothing with so many words: well, Grace has the talent to do so.
August 6th, 2011 at 3:32 pm
im going to win and then i be back with more comment anyway i will get the ful sum what about if i die then who get it the lottery office, taxess and so on BUT NOT MY LOVE ONES AND ESPECIALLY NOT ME
August 6th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
I MEAN IF I GET A YEARLY SUM ? WHAT ABOUT IF I DONT LIVE THE 20 YEARS AH GABRIEL THAN WHO GETS IT , IS LIKE MY MOM ALWAYS SAID GET WHAT YOU CAN NOW BECAUSE YOU DONT KNOW WHATS GOING TO HAPPEN TOMNMORROW NOBODY KNOWS SO BE GREEDY , BECAUSE YOU WANT IT ALL IN ONE SHOT DEAL LIKE I SAID NOBODY KNOWS OH AND ANOTHER THING I INVEST IN SOME BUISNESS THAT I COULD ENJOY EVERYDAY AND YES I DONT COME OUT IN T.V AND I CHANGED MY PHONE, ADRESS AND SO ON , IM NOT GOING TO GO CRAZY IN GIVING EVERYONE 1 MILLION DOLLARS OR ANY THING ELSE I BUY A BUISNESS AND MY FAMILY WANTS SOMETHING THEY GOT TO HELP ME OR LET PUT IT RIGHT WORK BECAUSE IMAGINE I GET 10 MILLION AND I GOT 3 KIDS AND MY SPOUSE GOT 3 KIDS AND A GRANDCHILD YOU THINK I WOULD GIVE ANY OF THEM 1 MILLION OR ONE THOUSAND EACH I MAKE SURE THEY KNOW THE VALUE OF A DOLLAR LIKE THAT WHEN IM GONE AND MY SPOUSE AS WELL THE MONEY WILL GROW AND FOR MORE GERNARATIONS TO COME OUR MONEY WILL GROW YES WHERE THERES IS ALLOWANCES AND GIFTS TO THOSE WHO EARNS AND R E S P E C T S IT!!!!!!~~~~~~~~~~~~ JUST BECAUSE I WON IT DOESNT MEAN I SHOULD SPEND IT LIKE I GOT IT YES A GOOD RIDE IS GOOD AND A GOOD HOUSE BUT EVERYYTHING ELSE IS H I S T O R Y TO B E C O M E K N O W N OH CAHRITY I WILL GIVE BEFORE I GIVE OUT CRAZZZZY I LL GIVE CHARITYIES LIKE FOR ONE ST JUDES““““““ CHILDREN HOSPITAL
August 12th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
Best thing you can do when confronted with sudden wealth? Read a book published in the 80’s called “The Challenges of Wealth,” by Ami Domini.
August 29th, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Welp, got staying rich out of the way
Now time to work on new tips
Let’s call them
8 tips on how to stay ALIVE after winning the lottery.
October 18th, 2011 at 8:39 pm
there are things other than FDIC that insures money in a bank. its called CDARS. i dont feel like explaining it to everyone so just use google
October 18th, 2011 at 8:54 pm
you pay 25% fed tax, and in michigan 4.35% state tax.
so lets say the powerball is at $124 million, if you take the cash option(lump sum) you would get $75.7 million before taxes.
after taxes you would end up with $58,035,457 which is much more than i have right now, so yea i would go with the lump sum. and say you set yourself a budget (after you buy a house and a car) of $10,000 per month (not saying thats what i would do, just hypothetical) thats $120,000 per year, and after 40 years thats only $4,800,000.. still not bad. you really dont have to do a lot of investments that experts say you do. is it wise? definitely. a necessity? no, not if you spend your money wisely and dont go off buying yachts and lambos and ferraris.. plus you would still have some money to help out close family members, ie, mom, dad, the grandparents, set up siblings college fund (im only 21, no kids yet), stuff like that. you’ll still be left with a nice chunk of change, and if you know how to invest or get really good help with it that money can stay in your family for years after your gone.. im not saying my way is right or that its the best way im just saying think about whats best for you and your family.
October 25th, 2011 at 6:14 pm
If you’re worrying about dying and not receiving all your money because you went for the full amount, couldn’t you just claim the ticket in your name and your spouse or family members name too?
October 26th, 2011 at 2:39 am
I’m glad I didn’t listen to that idiot stckbrokr who posted on april 28 2009 to buy wamu its not even around anymore!
November 2nd, 2011 at 1:37 pm
Well cmonie if you actually looked up wamuq.pk you would see that it is washington mutual. If you are getting your stock tips from the comments section on winning the lottery its probably best you didn’t figure it out.
In my opinion I believe the lump sum is the smartest idea simply because you then have the money to invest in whatever venture you see fit. It is definitely not the smartest choice for everyone. Most people who play the lottery don’t think of money as a way to make more money. The people who play the lottery often usually look at money as a way to buy things, which will make you broke if you’re not extremely careful.
Great post and for the most part a great discussion.