12 Track 12

Unit 4

big money

Chapter 2

lottery winners: Rich… but happy?

Page 73

lottery winners: rich… but happy?

Every week, millions of dollars are spent, and won, on lottery tickets. With jackpots hitting hundreds of millions of dollars, many lottery winners suddenly find themselves with much more money than they’re used to.

Many will have enough to purchase a new car, by a luxury house, take a holiday and quit working − all within a short space of time. These “lucky” few, however, may end up with more problems than they had before they struck it rich.

According to financial planner Stephen Goldbart, two out of three winners spend all their winnings within five years.

Newly affluent lottery winners are actually in quite a tricky situation, so much so that lottery organizers employ counselors to help them. These counselors encourage winners to get advice from financial experts, such as accountants, about how best to invest their earnings.

The counselors also help winners to understand how their lives may change for the better − and possibly for the worse. Many lottery winners are sensible when managing their new wealth; some, however, do not use their money wisely and end up getting into various unforeseen difficulties.

Take a look at the fortunes of two very different lottery winners.

Michael Carol is an example of what can happen to lottery winners if they don’t manage their money carefully. When Carol was 19 years old, he won £10 million in England’s national lottery.

At the time, Carol was working as a garbage collector, and the money changed his life. Three months after winning the lottery, he bought a home in a small town and turned the backyard into a 24-hour race track.

The constant noise and dust upset his neighbors. He also purchased several luxury vehicles but was stopped for driving a brand-new BMW without license plates or insurance.

He was banned from driving for six months. This wasn’t Carol’s first encounter with the law − he was frequently arrested for drug possession and other crimes, and was jailed for nine months in 2006 for violent behavior.

Upon his release from prison, Carroll applied for loans to make the payments on properties he had bought and to continue funding his extravagant lifestyle.

In just eight years, Carroll had spent all his winnings. It was reported in 2010 that he was trying to get his old job as a garbage collector back.

After winning almost $29 million in a North Carolina lottery in 2009, Billy and Jeff Wilson say they have learned a lot about managing money. When people found out that the father and son had won so much money, the family had to leave their hometown to avoid people asking them for financial help.

Billy, the elder Wilson, stopped working, but likes to believe that winning the lottery hasn’t really changed them as people.

He said: “We live around a bunch of millionaires and some of them are the most miserable people on Earth.

Just because you have money doesn’t make you any better than anyone else and sometimes it seems like they forgot that. “His son Jeff says he just enjoys hanging out with friends and fishing.

Thanks to the sensible way in which they handled their lottery money, the Wilson’s are set to enjoy their winnings for a long, long time.

If you should happen to be lucky enough to win the lottery, here are a few simple rules that financial advisors recommend following.

Meet with an accountant or other financial advisor.

Pay all debts, such as home mortgages, car loans, and credit card bills.

Calculate how much money will be needed to live on every year and then invest the extra money.

Hand in your resignation only when you know you really don’t need the job anymore.