Every year, many winners have walked away with millions and billions of dollars from winning the lottery. If you happen to find yourself in the shoes of one of these lucky winners one day, here are the actual things you should do after a lottery win.
Don’t Tell Anyone You Won
As soon as you hear the winning numbers on TV, there’s going to be an urge to jump onto a table and scream, dance, and inform everyone you won the jackpot. Realistically, you shouldn’t do this, mainly because anyone in your location could take advantage and try to steal your ticket.
If you’re in a public place, keep it to yourself; slide the ticket into your wallet or jacket pocket until you can take it to the lottery headquarters in your state. The only people you should report your winnings are a legal team of lawyers, attorneys, and financial advisors who help set up an investment plan and keep your money flowing.
Contact the Right People
You should contact an attorney at least 24 hours after your win. The 24 hours are a grace period, allowing you to double-check and verify winning numbers. Even if it’s not the entire jackpot, you should have an attorney, financial planner, and lawyer involved for any significant amount won. These professionals can help you create a financial plan going forward.
Start Planning for the Future
The future’s brighter and more exciting with your newfound wealth. While winning the lottery is exciting, sometimes that money runs out fast if you’re not careful. Along with your attorney team, you’re going to plan out the future—those potential plans vary from planning your estate to finding top-earning stocks to keep your net worth growing.
When you pass, you want to ensure your estate’s divided fairly and that each heir gets their inheritance quickly without needing to go through court to get the will probated. Having an estate attorney on your side has benefits. The benefit of an estate attorney ensures everything goes your way in the end.
Stay Humble and Open Yourself to New Adventures
The biggest things to do when you win the lottery are to stay humble and open yourself to new adventures. Humbleness keeps you healthy and aware that money’s more than materialistic; it affords you the opportunity to travel, go back to school and study a passion, or pursue a hobby.
Winning the lottery is a great feeling, but don’t let it go to your head. Start thinking about the different things you’d like to do with your money as you and learn how to live with more money than you’d ever imagined.
