You sat there watching the lottery numbers show up on the TV screen. One by one, you see your numbers. You rub your eyes in disbelief.

You are a big winner !

What now?

1 – Sign the back of the ticket. Make that signature is small. Leave room to add to it. Once signed, that ticket is now yours.

2 – make a photocopy of the winning ticket. Or create a digital scan of it.

3 – Do Not Tell anyone anything about your “Big Win”.

4 – Get a safety Deposit box at your bank and deposit your winning ticket in the box.

5 – Find a Law Firm which has had prior experience working with Big Lottery Winners. There are different ways to collect your winning. There are Tax Advantages to some.

6 – Set a date when you will pick up your winnings

7 – Work with a Real Estate Agent to buy a new property. Your Law Firm will advance you funds to purchase said property or even better they will purchase it under their name.

8 – Days before you are to pickup your Lottery Winning, move to your new property. At your old house, leave curtains and setup timers to turn lights on and off in the evening.

9 – Days before you are to pickup your Lottery Winning, get your Law Firm to rent you a car in their name.

10 – A day or two before you pickup your winnings get your Law Firm to rent a Hotel room for you.

11 – Pickup your Lottery Winning with your Lawyer. The Law Firm will handle depositing the money in the assorted accounts which were created with you days before.

12 – Take a cab from the Lottery Office to your Hotel room. You will live there for the next week. Inform people who might worry about you that you will taking a short holiday.

13 – The media will gather by your old home (which is still in your name). They want to interview such a “big Winner”. Media attention is the last thing that you want.

14 – About one week after you picked up your winnings, walk out of the Hotel and take public transit to your Lawyer’s Office. Your rental car will be waiting there.

15 – Have your Law Firm arrange to sell your old home.

16 – The media attention will go away. You have remained essentially unknown.

Do not do what one of the recent US Powerball Winners did. They appeared on National TV (with their Lawyer) and they did it prior to picking up their winnings. The truth can be stranger than fiction.

Putting a huge “Target” sign on you, might not be the best approach.

There is a Law Firm which has worked with prior Big Lottery Winners.

Their website is thelottyerlawyer.com Checking their site you will find something interesting on the right side widget panel. They worked with a 245 Million Powerball winner. Note that the funds were picked up by a “Trust” (Putnam Avenue Family Trust, winner of $254 million powerball jackpot) and so the actual winner’s name was protected.

Do you think that I have gone off the deep end with the advice above?

Then have a read of the NY Daily News article titled: “Curse of the lottery: Tragic stories of big jackpot winners“

 

Posted by: Vincent Banial
http://www.uniquelytoronto.com

Disclaimer: Any Trademarks mentioned in this post are owned by the respective Trademark owner. There could be unintentional errors or omissions in this post. Always refer to the official sites to confirm details and any ongoing changes or updates. This post is subject to change without notice. This post is not meant to be Legal nor Financial Advice. Always seek out the help and advice of your own Lawyer and Financial Advisor. Do your own Due Diligence.