After more than three months of increasing anticipation, one lucky Maine ticket holder won the US Mega Millions lottery and is now a billionaire.
The jackpot reached $1.35 billion (£1.1 billion), the second-largest Mega Millions reward in history after 25 draws with no winners.
What should the yet-unidentified winner do with their newly acquired fortune, then?
In his book, The Sudden Wealth Solution: 12 Rules to Transform Sudden Wealth Into Lasting Wealth, financial wealth counselor Robert Pagliarini gives money management guidance.
“Assets are simply investments that return money to you, rise in value, or pay you to own them,” says Mr. Pagliarini. So if you owned an apartment building, you would get rent every month.
Seeing a therapist, he believes, may also be good because many lottery winners face unexpected stress or worry if their relationships dissolve after winning.
After that, clear any bills, as one Indian winner did with his 10 million rupee prize money ($125,000; £106,000).
Stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, bonds, certificates of deposits, treasury bills, and real estate are more examples.
“Assets are fundamentally investments that pay you to own them, repay money to you, or appreciate in value,” says Mr. Pagliarini. If you owned an apartment complex, you would receive the monthly rent.
Examples include stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, CDs, Treasury Bills, & real estate.
In 2009, Neal Wanless, aged 23, won $230 million and purchased a 50,000-acre ranch outside Vale, South Dakota. Mr. Wanless recently sold the ranch to J-Six South Dakota Land Holdings for $37.5 million to spend more time in Canada.
Despite paying twice as much as Mr. Wanless, Mr. Pagliarini thought it was a bad investment.
Mr. Wanless could have gotten a much better return on his investment if he had instead invested in the stock market or an apartment building.
Although sometimes winning the lotto can change your life, it rarely provides enough money to retire. Multiple winners of lower awards might consider making a different form of investment.
After winning £1 million on a lottery scratch card, Andrew and Paula Hancock in the United Kingdom purchased a truck to open a fish and chip shop. They wanted to return to the sector after owning a catering company.
Mr. Pagliarini was interested in the concept since “they won, but not enough money to live off the income and retire,” he stated.
If they have the knowledge and experience, using some of these lotteries wins to essentially create a business for themselves that they will operate, I think it might be a tremendous concept, Mr. Pagliarini said.
Of course, he said, “room for enjoyment” exists. Once you have completed the necessary duties, your team can let you know how much they feel safe spending.
John Kutey and his wife Linda gave more than $200,000 to convert a 1940s New York park into a spray park in memory of their parents after receiving a lump of $19 million in 2011.
So you can purchase cars, assist relatives and friends, and take vacations, Mr. Pagliarini said.
“You can buy purses and anything else that we all wish we could buy if we won the jackpot. You can do it, and that is how you can do it safely.”