7 Things Lottery Winners Should Not Do

You just won the lottery! So of course you want to celebrate. You want to show off your new fortune to your friends and family. So you book your dream holiday, give your car away, and engage a real estate agent to start the house hunt for your new million-dollar mansion.

You can too easily get caught up in the excitement while your rational, logical thinking self can get lost in it. Yes, you may have just hit the major jackpot from an overseas lottery draw and won an astronomical amount. But, there are a few mistakes to avoid after winning the lottery to ensure your fortune doesn’t leave as quickly as it arrived.

So, before you get too carried away with your spending, here are seven things NOT to do after winning the lottery.

SPEND IT ALL IN ONE PLACE OR ALL AT ONCE

Spending your entire winnings all at once could be a massive mistake. For example, say you win 10 million dollars and spend 9.8 million on a new home. Sure, you now have a lovely home, but how will you furnish it? How will you pay for the upkeep? What if the market goes south? These are all relevant questions to consider before making any big purchases. We recommend engaging a professional, which leads us to our next point.

ASSUME THAT YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON TO MANAGE YOUR FINANCES

Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’ve been living paycheck to paycheck and are well into your adult life with no assets and little savings to your name, do you honestly think you’re the best person to be put in charge of a small fortune?

Your future self will thank you for having a team in place to manage your money. A professional can help grow your assets and they will know precisely how to protect your estate in worst-case scenarios.

TELL EVERYONE

As a lottery winner, it’s hard to imagine that becoming an overnight millionaire could be a bad thing. But did you know that once you win the lottery, you can become a target? Not only will every charity under the sun contact you asking you to contribute, but people may start to come out of the woodwork in every aspect of your life. Some will pitch you business ideas, wanting you to invest, and others may shamelessly ask for handouts if their situation is less fortunate than yours.

It’s best to keep your win a secret and share it with your close friends and family only.  Then, you don’t need everyone’s input on how to spend your new found fortune.

While some overseas lotteries may require that jackpot winners reveal their identity before they can claim their prize, winners with The Lottery Office can stay anonymous, making it much easier to keep your win a secret.

INVEST IN MULTIPLE FAMILY BUSINES VENTURES

Becoming the financial backer in multiple family-run businesses can put you in a very awkward position. Instead of giving your money, we recommend offering loans. Make it official. Make it a formal business investment that will see your money return one way or another.

Consult with a professional and have them draw up a contract and very clearly communicate the obligations to your family and friends. Don’t feel bad about approaching the situation this way. If your friend or family member applied for a loan through a bank, they would have endless paperwork to fill out, along with a not so lenient interest rate to pay. Don’t forget, investing in their business is doing them a favour, not the other way around.

DISREGARD ANY MENTION OF BUDGET

The days of living paycheck to paycheck are now over, however, try not to live like a high-roller 24/7. Enjoy yourself initially but try not to get too carried away. We recommend creating a budget to ensure that your fortune stays safe and intact among your bank accounts and investments.

INVEST EVERYTHING

Now that you have money, you may be searching for ways to keep it and make it grow.

DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. Although very tempting, do not invest your money into day-trading unless an experienced professional has recommended it. Our advice is to engage a financial expert to assist you with all investments and keep records of exactly where your money is going.

LEAVE YOUR DEBTS UNPAID

As a lottery winner, one of the first things you should spend your new fortune on is paying off your debts. Or at least putting a plan into place to have it paid off over the next few years if waving goodbye to a lump sum of money is unappealing to you.

A lot of people carry debt well into the six figures. It could be university debt, mortgages, car loans, or even credit card debt. As a lottery winner, it can be a good idea to make sure you pay all of your debt off as soon as possible.

The last thing we want you to think is that becoming a multi-millionaire is a burden because it most definitely is not. On the contrary, winning the lottery gives you the potential to live the life of your dreams. However, there are mistakes to avoid to ensure you can continue to live a luxurious life well into the future.

For your chance to become a winner from overseas lottery draws and have the option to avoid all of the mistakes mentioned above, all you have to do is play for your chance to win! But, in the meantime, you can create your ultimate guide to spending your lottery winnings by following these steps:

STEP 1 – Visit our website and sign up for an account using your Facebook or Google account. Alternatively, you can sign up for an account using your email address. Share a few details and agree to our Privacy Policy and T&Cs.

STEP 2 – Time to play! Visit our website and choose the lottery and the numbers you’d like to play. If you’re time-poor, choose a Quick Play and the numbers will be chosen at random for you.

STEP 3 – Complete the transaction and pay securely using a debit or credit card, BPay, Pay ID, or Paysafecard. For your safety, our website is secured by 256-bit encryption technology.

Note: To sign up for an account with The Lottery Office you must be over 18 years and be an Australian or New Zealand resident.

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