...was a lucky day for the unknown customer in Maine who purchased the winning Mega Millions ticket that had a $1.35 billion jackpot.
I hope that the lucky winner will not follow the path of the majority of big jackpot lottery winners, where 70% lose all their lottery winnings in 5 years or less. It may seem, at first that winning a huge jackpot would solve the winner's money problems. But what actually happens is that if the person was poor at managing their money in the first place, winning an obscene amount of cash will just merely delay the inevitable.
It's always nice to dream about what one would do if they were to win the jackpot. How many of us have fantasized about saying, "Take this job and shove it!" to our bosses. I know I have (and still do). But seriously, to make the best of winning the lottery, one needs to be smart about what they're going to do once they learn that their ticket is the big winner.
Anyhow, I have given some thought about what I would do if I were to ever win a huge lottery jackpot.
First of all, I would keep quiet and not even tell those closest to me until I contacted a fiduciary financial planner and estate lawyer. I definitely do not want to throw myself to the wolves without some expert reinforcements.
I will wait until the money is actually in my bank account before quitting my job and making some major spending decisions, the first of which would be to pay off all outstanding loans. I would want to start off with a clean, debt-free slate.
There would be no need for me to buy fancy homes and fancy cars. I don't even have a need to move into an über wealthy neighborhood. In fact I would not want to. I prefer to live simply, and I would use my winnings to merely upgrade my lifestyle to the point where I am more comfortable and have greater freedom to explore my creativity.
Seriously, I don't see the point of owning multiple homes. Rather, I would prefer a modest, yet tasteful home in an area with a beautiful view that I could enjoy all year long. I would like to have more land than what I have now for the dogs to run around in. And I would like that area to be fenced in order to keep my dogs safe and to preserve my own privacy. Maybe I would have a monolithic home built.
As for cars, I really don't give a rusty crap over luxury and exotic models. But if I were to have a "statement car," the 1972 Citroën DS would be it. (I'll take it in red, please.) And for a knock around car, I would keep my 2013 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X. It's been a good and reliable car, and it's served me well. And it would be nice to be able to take much better care of it.
Of course I would like to travel and see different parts of the world. But I really have no desire to be a jetsetter.
I would make sure that loved ones are no longer struggling. There are some small charities and non-profit organizations that I would like to help out.
All in all, I still want to remain in touch with my own authenticity and continue being the same person that I am. The only major different thing that would change for me is that I will no longer have to leave my pets alone while I'm gone for long hours at a soul sucking job where I am just another cog in the machine.
My days would be spent doing the things I love: creating art, learning new things, enjoying the company of my dogs and cat, and exploring my surroundings. Maybe I've even have a social life!
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