The booming announcement of a Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot winner sets off a group fantasy: what if? These stories tell of common people thrown into remarkable events, not just statistics. What then occurs when the checks are cashed and the confetti settles?
Life After the Jackpot
The First Whirlwind: Decisions and Adjustments
Smart winners build a team of advisers — attorneys, accountants, and financial planners – to negotiate the complexity of their newly acquired fortune as winners often face difficult decisions regarding money, privacy, and lifestyle and combination of elation and overwhelm.
Realities and Challenges After the Jackpot
Maintaining anonymity becomes a top concern as winners negotiate demands for money and possible security concerns; family, friends, even complete strangers may have expectations that cause emotional difficulties and broken relationships. Many winners feel obliged to use their wealth for good, whether that is via charity or for local benefit.
Endnote
The stories of the Powerball lottery and Mega Millions lottery winners are a fascinating blend of dreams fulfilled with the hard realities of instantaneous wealth. They remind us that although the lottery presents an opportunity for sudden wealth, actual success comes from how that riches is handled—not only financially but also with regard for wisdom and responsibility.
