If you were in his shoes, what would you have done differently? (as they say, hindsight is 20/20 vision)
Lottery Nighmare

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As wonderful as wining the lottery sounds I'll never buy a ticket. When you have money like that it would be hard to trust people. Everyone will be trying to hit you up for something.

Oprah had this guy on a show once and gave a bunch of tips on what to do if you ever won a huge amount. One of the tips was waiting a few days before turning in the ticket. Another tip was to set up some sort of company, and claim the money through the company or something. That way you could remain anonymous. I know it would be hard to not tell people about it, but if it was coming to the point that it did with this guy, I think I would move right away. Maybe out of the country for a couple of years, just until things died down a bit.

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Frugal is being wise with your money and resources and cheap is forcing everyone else to.

Check out my blog, I'm starting to add more to it, as I can...vioburn.blogspot.com

I feel for theese people money isn't everything some it just ruins them tehy try to nice and help family and friends out and just get raked over the coals "beacuse they won the lottery" If I was to win Dh and I have tlaked about this we would stay as we are now day to day. pay off everything and loan NOTHING. It would be for college and things like that if anyone ever asked. The answer would we just have plans for it.

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I think the biggest mistake sudden riches creates is the feeling that you are untouchable. Why would anyone think that the booze, drugs, and ladies wouldn't create havoc in his life. Suddenly you have money and become naive?

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Christine
WAHM to James (10/00) & Caroline (4/03)
Surro Mommy to Jillian & Taylor (08/06)

This man lives only about an hour and half from us, he has truly been taken on a hard ride by the media and he has paid an extreme price for his indiscretions, he also has done more good with the money than bad. I really feel sorry for the guy and hope that one day he finds happiness and peace.

Michelle

It is called a blind trust and you need a lawyer who is experienced in this because if the i is not dotted or the t is not crossed, you are in trouble.

I agree. I saw the special on him and my heart nearly broke. He'd give it all back to get his granddaughter back again. I wish him only the best.

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I would NEVER go public if I won the lottery. I would quietly collect my winnings and leave the state. It would go into trust funds for the kids college and a medical trust for Tommy's future medical procedures. We would buy DH grandfather's farm and build a house. Everything else would go in the bank and we'd live off the interest. IF we ever decided to be generous with our money, it would have to be through a corporation that we would start and loans would be voted on and collected as such. Charities would be handled anonomously.

I also don't agree in giving kids all that money can buy at such a young age. I'd like to think we'd live with the values we have now, just in comfortable surroundings. I'd rather use the money to be able to spend more time as a family with my kids, going places and doing things, than buying them the latest toys, books, clothes, games or whatever. I'd rather buy them a house when they graduate college than waste it spoiling them with whatever they want growing up.

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There are more than 40 different types of congenital heart defects. Little is known about the cause of most of them. There is no known prevention or cure for any of them.
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I feel for all that this man is going through. But I don't think the lottery is the cause of his demise. He was wealthy before, and had problems . It seems like he has made a lot of poor choices. And once he won the lottery they were just brought to light. Very sad. I believe if you win a public lottery, you can't just choose to be anonymous, can you? Though that would be the best bet.

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"Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body." ~Anonymous