Investing
What to Do (and Not Do) If You Win the $400 Million Powerball Lottery
Published:
Last Updated:
Update: A single winning ticket worth $425 million was sold at a Dixon Landing Road Chevron station in California.
Another huge Powerball lottery is on the way to making someone a sudden master of a new empire. The Powerball drawing for Wednesday, February 19, is now up to massive sum of $400 million in annuity value. An all-cash payout value is listed as $227.8 million.
The Powerball jackpot starts at $40 million, and it keeps rising until someone hits the jackpot. The question to ask, outside of whether you should really be playing, is what you should do if you win the lotto.
24/7 Wall St. has created a 12-step lottery winner program that is a bit more extreme than other lists of things to do if you win. Technically, it is a list of what not to do. The items covered include protecting yourself immediately, getting the proper advice in planning and in taxes, some things like what not go splurge on, and many more items.
Coming into vast sums of money this size is instant dynasty money, which should last for multiple generations ahead. Believe it or not, many lottery winners have ended up broke within just a few years of winning. We would not wish that on you, but without proper planning lotto winners put themselves in a serious predicament.
Here were the statistics from the February 15 Powerball lottery:
Choosing the right (or wrong) time to claim Social Security can dramatically change your retirement. So, before making one of the biggest decisions of your financial life, it’s a smart idea to get an extra set of eyes on your complete financial situation.
A financial advisor can help you decide the right Social Security option for you and your family. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you optimize your Social Security outcomes.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.