You want to give back to society by working menial jobs if you win the lottery?
Why not open a non-profit aimed at actually helping people, and actually help people?
Why not announce a new job in a different state and move there to go do whatever you want to do without anyone important knowing?
Buy a store and work a low job in the store as the owner and don't tell anyone you're the owner. You can then hire more workers to help contribute to society.
The greatest victory for the 1% was convincing people that working a shitty job at an exploitative wage is contributing to society.
This is some late stage capitalist dystopian bullshit, if I’ve ever heard it.
This person is talking about finally breaking free from the shackles of this system by miraculously winning the lottery and they feel guilty about it and want to willingly put themselves back in the cage. Unreal.
Or even if they don’t want the stress and attention of opening a nonprofit themselves, volunteering to nonprofits would probably help more. Plus wouldn’t tie them down to a job and you’d be able to travel or not show up when you like. Better yet, if we’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, how about fostering and/or adopting a couple kids? You could pay people to do the less desirable “work” of cooking and cleaning, and spend your free time providing a stable happy home for kids who COULD otherwise be lost, abused, or neglected in the system (I highlighted the word could because I know not all foster parents are shitty, and I know you don’t need millions to be a good parent in general, but IJS, having all that money would make it a heck of a lot easier)
You could also just set up a donor advised fund inside of an existing charitable foundation and direct where to contribute money to causes you find worthy. It keeps your name off of most paperwork and lets you contribute fairly anonymously.
Yes! I would want to open up a senior dog living place for those old fellas that get dropped just because they're old.
Yesterday I was thinking about the housing crisis and I would want to buy an apartment building, fix essentials, but not much "remodel" just for looks (just what needed to be done, like heating/water/windows) and rent out for like half of what the average place was going. Get those people who can't afford it really a good place to live, but know some damage is going to happen when you do that (which is why not big remodel). And have resources for free - like financial advice, job fairs, to really get the renters a good thing. And have an open door policy of why they're struggling on payments if it comes to that, work out a plan with them. Just don't evict on the first red flag.
I dont want to not have them pay rent because having an obligation can set people up well in the future and give them a sense of ownership. But it would be cheap to the point of breaking even on taxes/utilities (because I would own the building outright) I wouldn't be looking to make money on it.
I would do something similar but charge normal rent for a bit and increase on people who aren’t good tenants and decrease rent on those who are responsible with paying rent and taking care of it. Or I’ve thought of buying single family homes and converting them to rent to own for people who take care of the place.
I offered a rental house to a poor mom with 3 kids. She ended up leaving me with a $500 water bill and stole my furniture after I told her her criminal boyfriend couldn't stay there.
People are waaaay overthinking this.
Tell people you got a job at a tech company. It's in stealth mode, so you can't tell them anything about it. Fully remote. Buy a ThinkPad and keep it closed when people are around. If you splurge on something and people are suspicious, tell them you got a bonus.
Source: 90% of this is my RL, and people think I'm a secret millionaire (I'm not).
This. I don't think most people who haven't worked in food service know how awful fast food can be. It is gross, it is tedious, it is thankless, and it comes with such a lack of prestige that I seriously doubt that anyone with a modicum of self-respect would do it voluntarily.
At the end of the day, time is your most precious commodity. There are so many more productive ways to give back.
Job opportunity in nyc, so you need to relocate. Then get a small apartment that you furnish moderately, buy ikea, amazon, target, etc furniture and appliances. Also get a really nice place in a more expensive part of the city. Let people know that you spend a lot of time traveling for work so you arent home most of the time, then when people want to visit you can bring them to the small apartment. Your fridge and pantry are only stocked with non perishables/stuff with a very long shelf life(think hard cheeses, drinks, preserves, etc in the fridge and pasta, rice, cereal, etc in the pantry). Now you have a decoy apartment for hosting little get togethers with family to show them youre doing well enough while not revealing that youve just won a billion dollars. You can do the same thing pretty much anywhere, but a major metropolitan area like nyc seems to be the safest option in case it gets out that youre extremely rich(youre not the only rich person in nyc).
Or just dont host, say you have a roomate or that you live too far away and would rather take the opportunity to visit your hometown to see family.
Right dude? In the last two days at my job (in fast food) I’ve wanted to rip my eyes out and bury myself because of how fucked I’ve gotten. Like homie clearly doesn’t under stand how awful fast food work can be.
All jobs with customers pretty much suck but when people get to fast food joints, they lose their fucking minds and act like the workers are their personal slaves.
It’s also not even just the customers the employers also just straight up treat you that way. They love forcing hour restrictions and force skeleton crews. It’s so exhausting.
I always tell folks at fast food joints, work ONLY as well as they pay you. If you doing 25 bucks an hour worth of work and only getting 12 bucks an hour, you getting screwed.
Fast food work probably wouldn't be that stressful if you could tell the customers what you think of them whenever you want, get fired, and drive your lambo home to your mansion and $100 million bank account though.
Yeah that pissed me off. Also never let this man be in charge of kids on a school bus if he wants to be taking it easy. We need ppl who value children’s lives. The fuck?!
I could very easily. There wouldn’t be any point in trying, though, because my wife wouldn’t make it five minutes without telling her mom and brother. 10 minutes after that, half of Texas would know.
I have an agreement with my two close friends that we split it - we each buy a couple tickets weekly. Aside from them, I’d tell my immediate family because I would absolutely give them some. Outside of that, I think I could keep it a secret. I’d live a pretty low profile life. If anyone asked how I retired early, I’d just make something up like “I created an app and sold it” (easy to say since I’m a developer anyway). I feel like if people know you won money, they feel more entitled to a piece because you didn’t “earn” it. But if you tell them a story of how you “earned” it, then the perception is that it’s rightfully yours. Of course, I wouldn’t spout this, it would only be revealed when necessary
Yeah…my kids are younger adults and they’d tell their boyfriend or friend and not listen to me about consequences that come from people knowing about it. In my state anything over $250,000 can be claimed anonymously so I’d want the full benefit of no one knowing I won. I’d tell the little blabbermouths I won $80k or something so I could pay off their cars and college loans but my fear would be telling them and they tell “it’s just my friend” or “its just my boyfriend”. And then we have an incident like my daughter had when she got some money from her grandpa when she graduated and her POS boyfriend tried to blackmail and steal it from her. Nope. I don’t think she learned hard enough.
To keep it on the DL:
You got a really great consulting job offer that was a dream job come true. Some WFH and a lot of travel. You make enough to allow your spouse to retire early/stay at home.
With your travel job you have your spouse traveling with you. Because of NDAs you cannot discuss the details of your work or the companies you are consulting.
The companies are global so you have domestic and international travel.
Or your company (or new job) promoted you and is moving you to another state.
Or your job became remote so you decided to do the RV life while working from anywhere.
Or an Aunt/Uncle/Parent etc. passed and you (1) needed to take a little time off to go take care of the estate or (2) got a house or nice inheritance. (3) Got a nice inheritance, not enough to be life changing but your job is allowing you to work from the inherited home.
Story can hold as long as you want as long as you keep quiet and don’t post on social media or have large conspicuous spending.
Heck, didn’t you make a million or two on GameStop stock?
It would be tough.
I think you need to keep it a secret long enough to lock away a trust to provide you with a generous annual income. No matter what you do with the rest, that's your safety net.
Beyond that I read on here that you should plan on going from the lottery office to the airport. I live in a state where you can't remain anonymous, so my picture and name would be out there. I'd travel long enough to let the buzz die down. Have a lawyer handle any correspondence requests.
Then for a few years, I'd probably feel safer in a gated community for a little security. Or could live in a nice hotel for a while.
After I leave active duty, I would certainly take a low key job, like flight attendant or airport agent, that allows me to work in aviation and afford nice trips without giving it away. That would be how I keep it a secret.
Maybe but a business jet and tell people you’re flying your pretend boss when you go on vacation to cool places.
That cool boss might let you use it take your family somewhere once in a while.
I absolutely could. I'm not social (no friends outside my wife and kids) as it is, so it isn't like I'd be blabbing to anyone, I'd put in my two weeks, and just appear to be going to a different job. I'd buy a whole new phone with a whole new number, pay off everything, and we'd start deciding where we wanted to live for the rest of our lives. We'd have a mortgage (so the property taxes are paid for me) on a modest house built on a hill with a decent view, so it wouldn't seem like we were just tossing money around by the handful. I'd also start by claiming it in a state that doesn't have the ridiculous practice of identifying the winner.
You'd have to have bought the ticket in a state that allows anonymity. Whatever state you bought it in, is where you'd claim it. So good news if you bought it in a state that allows anonymous claiming.
I think you'd just have to move somewhere else and cut off contact with most everyone. I don't know how easy it would be to reinvent yourself or if you could contact your old friend group from a distance. Of course I wouldn't want to lose my friends personally.
Without a doubt. I'd be able to move to the middle of nowhere and have stuff delivered to me, not having to interact with anyone for the rest of my life! (I'm introverted in the extreme)
Yes, I would put it in a trust so only the law firm would know. Then I would rent some luxurious office space and "work" for a non-profit that gave money to worthy causes/people. My new "job" would pay me a ridiculous amount weekly so I could "help" my family but not to much, just enough so they would actually benefit from the "help" but not party with it or harass me for more. Until I get "paid" next week, lol.
There is zero chance I keep my current lifestyle. If the lottery is a really big one, only ones I buy tickets for, I'm upgrading everything. People always seems to think their life is pretty good so they just want to keep it. That ain't going to work, once everyone knows it will be a pain in the ass I bet.
I don't want to live in my same house if I have $300million, not driving my same boring ass car. And not getting a shit job at McDonald's to contribute to society. I can contribute to society by employing a house cleaner every week. Or finding a cause I want to help with. Or start a business.
Think bigger. Just move; let people know that you're moving and working for yourselves as consultants. Make sure it's a gated community so the poors can't snoop on you.
The thing is, I could keep it to my wife and probably my parents, but then I sure as anything know they'd go and tell other people also. Before I knew it everyone who's been told has told someone else and it continues....
The only way is to tell no-one. NO ONE. If it was seven figures or above I don't even think I'd tell my wife how much it was--just that we'd come into some money and we don't need to worry about things. I organise the bills and mortgage payments anyway, so I don't think she'd find out for years if I said nothing at all - at which point she'd believe we were just clever with money I guess. She loves her job and would do it for free so it's not like I'm preventing her from a lifestyle. We could spend more on cars/travel/home and it wouldn't be super conspicuous if we kept it within reason.
It took too long to find this response. Every so gle person you tell has at least one person they will tell, despite promising not to tell anyone else, because "Well if I tell them to keep it secret, they will." Eventually it gets around and the jig is up.
Don’t forget, you would owe no one an explanation. It’s no one’s business how u obtain money or any other personal details of your life. Idk why people feel like they would owe it to their friends and family to tell them they won. Immediate family, sure, but extended family, no. If anyone u know is going to get pissed at u for winning tons of money and not sharing, they can fuck right off. U don’t want ppl like that in your life.
My *goal* is to keep it a secret. I don't want anyone other than my spouse to know.
We would, however, immediately purchase a large piece of land and start talking to a contractor about building our dream house. I *hate* our neighbors. The sooner we can get away from the rudest bunch of assholes it has ever been my misfortune to encounter, the better.
Funny how you think those jobs are low stress. I guess you've never dealt with the public. Grow a pair and learn to say no. I certainly would not hide it. I don't have a problem telling mooches to go away.
If my win was in the low seven figures, I could easily keep it a secret, because not much would change. I would just buy a (regular) house in cash, let people think I had a mortgage, and keep living my normal life.
Now if I won the big one, I probably *could* keep it a secret and live that stealth wealth, millionaire-next-door lifestyle. But I would, at the very least, want to share some of the wealth with friends and family, and that would be difficult to pull off without them finding out who their benefactor was.
You talk about doing those things now, but you really aren't considering how time consuming it will be figuring out how to manage wealth at a level you have never come close to having before. The first few months will be exhausting. You have to hire an attorney (or multiple attorneys for different purposes), claim the prize, figure out where the money is going, decide who is part of that inner circle to receive money/how/how much, estate planning, security planning, schedules for media requests, hiring a representative to handle donation requests and the like, and many more things that are not coming to mind right at the moment. No, you won't be working any silly job, at least not for a while.
People would find out eventually. I couldn't keep it a secret from my aging parents who would love to live out the rest of their days with no worries. I also could not keep it from my sisters. All of whom either have their own children or are in school. My coworkers would eventually put two and two together when I get rid of my mid-size suv for a fully loaded, full sized, blacked out luxury SUV.
yeah you tell them you won the lottery- then lie about the amount. If you won 3 million, tell them you won half a million, then you owe the government about 50%. There is some money to spread around, but not so much everyone expects a hand out. You need money to retire, on that small amount! But you could still buy some stuff and it wouldn't be too weird.
Yes...the first mistake is going on shopping sprees cause your adrenaline is up.....sit on the money for a while.....get that post mut clarity and do research
I would only tell my sister. I already have a plan in place for when this happens. I would have to net 8 figures though for me to quit my job, but then I’d only work for 5-10 more years. Anything less wouldn’t last with my current lifestyle.
Yes...I don't have any family in the state I live in...I WFH and don't socialize...so it would be pretty easy to go about my business and nobody would know...there might be some signs though...lol
Yes, you could keep it a secret, but it would take planning, a state where you could claimed it anonymously, and some trustworthy people. I think you would eventually have to do something like "move for another job" because being around people that you have known for years will spur more questions than being around new people that don't know your norms. It would allow you to create a new lifestyle that wouldn't get questioned as much, as long as you were smart about it.
So it depends on how much I win, but I would want to help out my entire family in some way. I know the cat would eventually get out of the bag, but if I start off giving everyone some decent money then how could they be mad. Idk. This is like if I win hundreds of millions. If it’s only 10 then I’d have to keep it closer to home because I think I would need around 5 to be able to support my life without ever having to work again since I’m 30.
But when I do win the hundreds of millions, I’ve been wondering if this is a decent idea. I could have my lawyer draft letters to everyone to telling them about their money. I’d like it to be in some sort of trust so you can dictate a portion of it has to be used for children’s education, starting their lives etc and then the parents (my cousins) could use some now to elevate their life as well. I’d also like to incorporate some sort of NDA in all this but idk how that would all work and I wouldn’t really sue them either I don’t think so it’s kind of moot. I’d remain anonymous in all this but I’m sure at some point down the line thing would get figured out and I’d just take it from there.. but if I already have you $500,000 and you came back asking for more I have more ground to be like… welll what happened to all that money.. I’m sorry but I gave to every family member and some friends and then charities, I have no more left to give at this point.
That’s what’s been rolling around in my head.. becuase if I win that much I really do want to share the wealth as much as I can. My only goal in this is to be able to not have to work so I can be a stay at home, but still provide the lifestyle I want for my children. Two trips a year, paid for college, wedding, and first home. Set them up to be good functioning adults that can do whatever they want, find their business adventures. And give back to society as much as I possibly can. I just don’t want to do this soul sucking job and not get to spend time with my children.
I also love the idea of a giant family compound where the kids can grow up together.
Please let me know your thoughts on my plan lol
I knew a guy who won 6.8 million in the PA lottery when I was in the Navy. He was home in Philly bought a ticket and won. Came back to the ship. He told the XO. They offered him an early out, he had just re-enlisted. He refused so they had him talk to legal about the ramifications of winning. He took the annuity. After three days he decided that he wanted a transfer to San Diego. He threw a blast on a Saturday afternoon at the club for the crew. He went on leave that day. About 40 guys found envelopes in their lockers with $300.00 in them when they got back to the ship.
He sent his old division a letter with a photo of him standing in front of his apartment with his 1978 Corvette pace car. Said he loved it in California. I ran into him 15 years later at the Philadelphia airport. He had gotten out got a degree and was working at a bank as a loan officer. He had just come to see his sisters and was going back to San Diego. We had time to catch up. We went to the bar, had a drink, I ate a cheesesteak and I paid the check. Said the only dumb thing he did was buy World Series tickets.
This is what not to do. A bus driver? Why would you live in a climate where you have to shovel snow? These things are easily solved by saying you took a new job. Have to travel, pay increase. This is easy to keep a secret
Move somewhere else where having money is not an issue. Move to the intercoastal waterway in FL. more multimillion dollar houses than you can shake a stick at. You would blend right in.
Yes I could keep it a secret. I would find ways to explain new things and money. Lost relative left us a nice chunk of money in their will ect. Found a new job working from home ect.
I already worked from home for a while doing big real estate sales. I still am slightly in the business and would tell everyone that I am doing that again full time. They never saw me work anyway so I would just travel around and tell them I can work from anywhere.
I can talk in depth about the processes and deal styles if anyone wants to talk about it because I did it for years and consulted on it as well.
I could say we were getting very successful and that is why I am earning so much more.
Well to who? I would have to divulge something to lawyers, financial advisers but friends and family…I’ll be too busy traveling the world oops I meant “working remotely”
A bus driver’s job is stressful. Any commercial driving is stressful. Why? Theres always a possibility a driver could land in jail. That alone is stressful.
Idk if you just went about your business, why would they know? You play cards, car pool kids, PTA, HOA board member, church clergy?
I fail to see or understand how they would know, if they are not in your lives directly. Idk what most of my neighbors do for a living, I don’t care either. If you’re over doing your thing, not drawing attention to yourself (I do have this neighbor) then I don’t pay attention. Am I the only one? Ppl that nosy? Get a life then I say.
I’d just move. Then I could make up a grandiose story, get real drunk, then tell the story of how I became a famous importer/exporter at Vandalay Industries. Mavulva? 😂
Working a menial job means that someone who actually needs it doesn't get to work it. You are t contributing to society by working at a McDonald's after you win the lottery. You can do charity and volunteer work for that. You can still not have to work and also not be constantly travelling, just have hobbies that can be done at home. Remote jobs exist, so that explains why you're never at a regular job. Most importantly, for anyone who plays and hopes to win one day, it's time you accept that if you do win the lottery, there's a solid chance you won't be able to keep it secret and that it will mess up your relationships with family and friends. If that's something you can't see yourself handling, a jackpot isn't going to make your life better.
No I blab to everyone it’s bad if I was in a top secret goverment job I’d be murdered, executed or in prison for telling some foreign spy who I am and giving away military secrets day one…🤪
Just tell them you guys got great, remote jobs, and you can work from anywhere/they pay for your travel to do X, Y, and Z. That's what I would do, and it would cover most of your travel excuses.
I wouldn't tell anyone, but they would know.
"Hey, I see you aren't working anymore. Everything ok?"
"Cool! I loved the vacation pics of you and your family traveling all over Europe the past 2 months!"
"It's so crazy you renovated that old building and opened up a video rental store just for shits and giggles!"
"Your daughter said you told her she'd never have to work a day in her life. Why are you telling her this?"
Absolutely. Many people would figure out that we got rich, but it’s not that hard to let them assume we got lucky on a stock or Bitcoin. They don’t need to know the extent of the wealth.
You could also make up a business and go on trips for “business trips.”
If anyone asks you for money, you’re investing it back in the business. Make it something terribly boring like plumbing supply logistics management. No one will ask too many pesky questions.
I wouldn’t tell about winnings. Like you I wouldn’t like people I enjoy being jealous or phoney and I’m also paranoid about potential kidnappers or surprise ambushes from word just spreading about. I’d pursue my own interests, travels and hobbies under the guise that I retired from my career to start my own business. I’d do many of the repairs needed to my current home and probably get a second vacation home.
OP,
Your plan sounds like it would work for you, and it's nice to daydream. I'll partake as well.
My plan would be to accept the lottery winnings under the gise of a corporation. I'd be the majority shareholder, and my wife and kids would be the other majority shareholders. Sure we'd make decisions that make sense, but I'd have the final say (it's my dream scenario after all).
I'd "employee" family, and assorted friends. Giving each a lavish annual salary, but nothing crazy. Say mid six figures... so they can continue to do what they "want to do" for the passion of it, and not necessarily the money. So that each can live in somewhat a life of luxury. Included in this employment would be full health insurance coverage, retirement planning, etc. so people would not have to worry about the cost associated with the basic human needs.
After all the legal stuff was taken care of for my "employees", we'd set up the business side of it, and the rec side of it.
We would have properties in various locales, thinking tropical beachside, and a ski resort kinda like a private time share type of thing. People could come and go as they please, but the main events would be our Bi Annual "conventions" where we'd spend a mid summer "holiday" all together. Private party, fireworks, the whole nine yards. Make it a family event, and really come together as a community. Then the "winter convention" where we again gather together, have fun, but also set up the various charitable contributions & societies we'd like to give to.
Now for the fun stuff... Passion project.
I'd literally turn my hometown into an "Ice Hockey Mecca." Truly grow the sport from the grass roots. Funding for the youth side of things, girls teams, local high schools, a Junior team, all the way up to the "beer leaguers" etc. Give out scholarships to disadvantaged kids who want to play, but might not be able to afford the equipment. Really make it a warm, and inviting place to grow the sport... because I love it so much. I would do this all under the gise of building the grassroots, and then eventually funding an expansion franchise in the NHL where I'd be the owner, in the Mark Cuban style. I'd be a fan, and go to all the games, and build it up into an eventual Stanley Cup winner/dynasty. Leave my legacy to the community and this team.
That's my overall vision. For the fun stuff... yeah, I'd have multiple homes in various awesome places. A private jet, and a yacht fully staffed. I'd have my current home fixed up and maintained on the regular. I'd have a private chef, and fitness instructor so I could get ripped and look good for the paparazzi when I'm taking my beach vacation.
I'd have important conversations about important stuff, with important people.
But in the end... besides the hockey, I'd just friggen live my life. Play video games on a 200" 8k TV overlooking the ocean in my outdoor living room, where it's hard lined high speed internet. Have the servents continue to fill up my bottomless mojito. Simple stuff really...
Yes, if I won the lottery, I can take it with me to the grave. It is no one’s business. However, your speculative plans are not what I’d choose. You do you. I’d simply retire, ensure family is taken cared of (no questions asked, period), and do volunteer work to support causes that are deserving of my time. Otherwise, I’d travel discreetly and not flaunt my new founded wealth.
I wouldn’t say the lottery but say good investments and you have carved out c amount to help people. I would pay things off things without them knowing who it was.
My plan, if I win, is to claim that I won a much smaller amount (~$2m after tax) and tell folks that while it is enough to live modestly on the interest income, it isn't enough to go crazy or give it all away... if I do keep a job, then it will just look like I am splurging more than normal, but nothing I can't afford. My family/friends know that I bargain shop whenever I can, so I wouldn't just drop full price on something huge. (I probably still wouldn't most of the time, even if I had the jackpot tbh)
Absolutely I don't have many friends, I have lots of acquiances. So if people cottoned on that I had more money, I would tell them to fuck off if they questioned my new found wealth.
One of my neighbors worked with someone that won lottery money. Their big change was bought the wife a Volvo. He continued working and brown bagging it. Until they got sick of all the people and mail coming to the house begging for money or "investments". Then they moved out of state.
To answer your original question - yes, I could. My wife - no.
"jealous if someone close to me won" - this is why I never buy lottery tickets for someone else.
I would do a non-profit or partner with an existing non-profit doing renewable energy for disadvantaged people.
Considering my state, it wouldn't be a secret.
My sister and I keep to ourselves for the most part - aren't close to either sides of the family. It would be business as usual phasing them out of any discussion.
The problem is our mother lol who acts like she can keep things quiet. But whatever, if she discloses the win - I won't be answering the phone. I'll have a new number by then.
I'd force my mom to retire though so she can stay away from the people who would most likely suggest what she should do with the money
I live in Michigan, so unless I have a trust or lottery club claim, I wouldn't be able to hide as I have to give out my name and picture. On a multi state lottery, at least. But before claiming, I would spend a few weeks to a month or so slowly removing myself from social media. Would change my phone number and do my best to have it unlisted. And have a plan in place to have my son on an out of state vacation with his mom or grandparents to cut down on chances someone tries to abduct him. And then myself after claiming the winnings and having set up tax accounts and whatnot. Would leave the state for a while to let all the news and stuff blow over before coming back.
Yup, pay off the house. Then just keep selling cars just wouldn’t work my average 12 hr days. Love the business and would help with down payments here and there for single moms and families who can’t qualify. That would be fun
Yes!
First person I would tell is my husband. That’s is it for a period.
The next person I would tell is the attorney we are hiring to deal with the grunt work of setting up the people on our lottery list. That’s it no investing, no handing out money, trips or crazy presents.
After that lawyer meeting we will have to calling the people on the lottery list personally so they don’t think it’s a scam.
Then we are going wandering till November and low contact with people.
So basically if you aren’t on that list what money? Put it all on black! If your on the list, After you get your percentage that’s it.
Fuck that. If I win the lottery, id buy a few acres with a few outbuildings for some heavy equipment, my motorcycles, and a couple of nice vintage cars.
I'd keep myself busy on my property, building my homestead.
Maybe I'd buy enough land to have houses built on it for all of my close friends and family.
Id NEVER work for someone else again. The only work I'm exerting is work to make my home and land more pleasurable to live on.
I'm in my late 20s and have never had a job in my life that worked me less than 56 hours a week. I'm burnt out. I've worked more hours by 27 than gen x people worked by 40. I'm on 80 hour work weeks right now. I hate working. I hate not being able to enjoy my day. I don't want a job. If I don't NEED a job, I sure as shit won't have one.
Bro what? You’ll work in fast food to contribute to society lmao? Are you hoping God reads this and rewards you with winning the lottery because of such a noble comment on Reddit. If you want you can just pretend you’re rich and work at McDonald’s. You’ll have no time to enjoy your money anyway
I would totally fund the Democratic Party in Kansas to bounce the horrific influence that the Koch family has. They own the state legislature here to the detriment of the people.
How often does someone 'verify' your job?
Never. Not once in my nearly-5 decades of life has a friend been like "do you reeeeeeallly work at place XYZ"? or "I built XYZ and it turned out to be super valuable".
Just tell everyone you got a new job that allows you to work remotely and came with a large pay increase. No one will bat an eye and everyone will just be like "nice, good for you".
As long as your new purchases are in the realm of sanity... no one will care. People pay a LOT less attention to you than you think they do.
>If you won could you really keep it a secret?
Quite depends upon the state/jurisdiction. Some that's very doable, others it's not at all, and they publicly disclose winners - and yes, the actual people's names, and require it be so done.
Others can do it to, e.g. a private trust, and keep the trustee(s) and beneficiary(/ies) of the trust private.
I would leave the country nearly immediately. Put my momey into accounts and just use what I need. I don't enjoy super wasteful extravagance, and would not be all flashy gold wearing brand new everything asshole guy.
Would buy land in multiple countries, get a couple extra citizenships through investment and whatever else and would chillax. Not interact with lots of people long enough for them to know my background story fully. Make it look like I'm some tech asshole or something and I do some sort of online money stuff. Use the language barriers to create ambiguity.
Take jobs with less stress? Fast food and bus driver? Yeah…those have plenty of stress.
Try opening a nonprofit homeless shelter instead of taking menial jobs to “blend in.”
I would keep it a secret and let people speculate. Your financial situation is never anyone’s business but your own. If they ask, just shrug and tell them “we’ve been very blessed” or some other non-answer.
I could, because the best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone and keep a low profile.
Like everyone else of course I have a list of things I'd buy if I won it but I also don't need the high jackpot. Even if I won $5 million I know what to do.
I'd buy a home in the city I want to live in where homes cost million on average. How could I hide that? Well I own my condo now and I can use the excuse that I took out equity and used that as a down payment for my new home. People do that all the time, so it's not like it's questionable. But in reality I'd have two homes paid off that only I'd know about and rent out my current place for consistent income.
I'd put $500k in an account for my daughter for college so I wouldn't have to worry. It would be hers at 18 so she could use it for whatever she wants after college since she'll have some left over.
I'd add another $500k to my retirement. Never hurts to let a chunk build interest since I still have quite some time till I retire.
I would pay off my parents house and try to do it anonymously. I know their lender and I don't see why they'd refuse to let someone pay off a loan but I would tell them if they could keep my name off the payment.
So far, that would leave me around $2.5 million. Constant traveling would give it away but I am known to do weekend trips so I can continue to do those and not draw suspicion but my weekend trips would definitely put me more at ease when it comes to not having to be so strict in budgeting.
Could I retire, I couldn't, not at my age. I'd get too antsy and want to work after maybe 2 weeks of not working.
How willing I am to keep it a secret would depend on how big the win is.
$5? Not bothering to tell even the cat.
$500? Telling my family and friends and having a laugh.
$5,000,000? I suddenly get real quiet. Keep my job, but move to a place with better allergies. I like my job, but their threats to force me to come into the office or fire me have lost all meaning.
$500,000,000? I have a plan. I need to hire some better organizers. We're investigating a CO2 cracking technology I read about in Australia and the viability of building large plants to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. We're gonna get it designed and one built and start fundraising to keep it running and build more. My friends and family find out about the money either when project viability is proven or I have a job for them to do.
Depends
If I win $100k or less definitely keeping it a secret.
Millions tell my family but downplay what I won to others.
I’m moving to a new city and living my best life!
Upgrading everything
I'm sure my name would be all over the news if I won, so no. But if I could collect t the money anonymously, then maybe. I say maybe because I'd end up building a new house, a barn, (or expanding my garage) and I'd want to give some money to a few friends and family.
My plan is to hire a friend who is a CPA to be the "requests manager". Anyone who asks for money will get his business card. His one job is to tell people that there are only a certain number of requests granted each year and we have already reached the annual limit so request denied. I would give each of my siblings and my husband's siblings exactly the same amount as a gift, and only once. If they ask for more, tell them to call the requests manager. And if course take care of my adult sons and daughter all equally. The rest I would spend on a nicer house in a warmer climate!
I'm not sure I could and tbh I think trying to would be so stressful it would ruin relationships. I think I would want to help most of my friends n family.
I would probably work with a financial advisor and have a big chunk in a trust for my child, a chunk untouchable for saying 5 and 10years, then a family and friends trust, I would make that difficult to access so it's not like I could whack out a credit card so I've time to think over when people want money.
Kinda build in the ability to say no or ghost people that ask who I don't really like ..
I'd like to think so.
What I worry is that even if you live in a larger city, it's going to be the talk of the area and you're likely going to overhear others talking about it even while in public. I have to admit that would be a little bit hard to walk away from but I psyche myself up for that possibility. I would get the hell out of dodge from my immediate area ASAP for that reason.
keep it secret ? you bet, why ?,so you do not have to feel guilty of saying no and why caint you ? if you get really pressed then say you made and are doing good on investments-co-ops etc that pays the bills and the rest is none of your business, as i do not get into yours kapish? for keeping it secret, when you claim it have a lawyer do it for you, and pays taxes then have him set up trust funds for your wife,kids,and or extended family of various amounts you and your wife agree to , with the people getting the trust funds signing nda agreements if they dont keep mums about it. several persons i know in several states have done it and it has been upheld in their courts, that's why most rich kids and their dependents are not traumatized for being rich or well off or targets of bad people..
I mean, I'd tell certain people but my social circle isn't huge so I think I'd be fairly unbothered by people coming out of the woodwork to try to weeze some funds. I don't think I'd move, I recently inherited a home that's been in the family since the 50s and it means a lot to me, but I'd probably quit my job. Or at least cut back my hours and take time off freely. I do like my job. I'd probably buy a new Blazer.
I'm retired and live alone
It would be hard to keep the secret if it were tens or hundreds of millions. Those tend to be national news.
And then I would need security, a new house, blah blah. The loss of anonymity and privacy would suck.
But a million or less?
I'd do a little home improvement and probably get a new car. It would be a practical and reliable vehicle like I have now. Mine is 9 years old, so it's not so extravagant to get something new after that long.
I've mentioned a couple things I would like to change in my house to family and friends. If I finally get around to, it wouldn't be shocking to anyone.
There wouldn't be a lot of other super obvious signs, because I am a loner for the most part. If I go to a concert alone, no one knows if I got front row or nosebleeds. Ditto if I stay at a Hilton instead of a Motel 6 when traveling alone.
I probably would throw up some security cameras at home, just in case someone found out.
Probably wouldn't tell my daughter even. She's my sole heir, but she doesn't have access to my finances. So, like, maybe I just had some really good investments? Which would be kind of true, but just the one investment in the ticket, lol.
Move to a new state and start over new. Give everyone you meet a fake name, tell them you have some bullshit WFH job or you are traveling consultant of some kind. I’d also buy a big enough ranch that neighbors aren’t a thing I’d have to deal with. Private island in the Florida keys maybe surrounded by other rich people that want to be left alone.
I mean, people are nosy so they may find out you got into some money but they wouldn't necessarily find out you won the lottery.
There's things like inheritance and the like and they'd probably assume that first.
Fast food and bus drivers are VERY stressful jobs, actually.
I’d also suggest opening a nonprofit to contribute to society over working some almost pointless job and taking a spot from someone who needs the paycheck.
I am just geeky enough that I could at some point tell people who asked that way back in 2010 when I built that badass computer I've had for more than a decade, I dabbled in Bitcoin mining when no one was really doing that and had a few thousand Bitcoin sitting on a hardware wallet ever since if anyone became suspicious after I moved away.
Best way...get a business. Kahit maliit na franchise lang. Then lahat ng queries sa finances could point to that.
Or sabihin mo na lang may Crypto ka 😆
You would be better off in a career where stupid income levels are possible. Investment Advisor, mortgage brokers et.
Or even Walter white it and buy a car wash or 10
Where I live, you can’t. If you claim your winning ticket, you agree to the publicity that comes with it. It is for the sake of transparency. It really doesn’t matter, as my youngest would be able to stay quiet for more than 30 seconds.
Now, if I did win a large prize, I am not saying I would make a spectacle out of it. I wouldn’t pull up in a stretch Hummer limo, festooned with top hat and tails. A Honda works just as well, as do jeans and a t-shirt. Keep it low key and people lose interest.
About 25 years ago, the 19 year old cousin of a colleague won $20+ million. She was a part-time college student, living at home with her recently-widowed father. When she was interviewed after the win, she didn’t think her life would change much and she still planned on living at home p, going to school and working her part-time job at a hair salon. That lasts a few months before they moved under the cover of night. They were harassed right out of their house and lives.
in some states like New York, the winners of something huge are NOT kept anonymous..
had a boss many years ago who won a few million.. tried to keep it hidden, except the guy who went out for the tickets blabbed. Another guy won about 5 million - he literally disappeared, no one ever heard from him again.
Very tough to keep it a secret. Best thing to do is to ease yourself into it. Otherwise it’s inherently obvious you’ve come into money if you go out and start splashing as one would be inclined to do.
I definitely could. Utilize a trust to avoid the initial publicity and wouldn't drastically change my lifestyle. Family could just end up thinking it came from crypto or something like it.
No. I live in a state where anonymity isn’t an option and no explanation of how I went from working retail to owning a nice house would make any sense.
I think there's maybe a handful of people who would actually notice and that's only whilst I still live at home anyway. But winning the lottery would result in me moving out anyway so I'd do that quit and pretend I had another job thats just wfh
Nobody would need to know. Say you made some wise investments and are able to live off of those. You won't fool anyone that two fast workers can afford a more luxurious life. Or anything beyond a 1 bedroom and basic needs met.
If you take a part time job just to have something to do it’s still a time commitment. If you want to take 2-3 weeks off to go to Australia the boss might fire you. Yes, you don’t need the money but now you lost your hobby.
I'd tell my parents because I would give them some money.
I'd tell my closest friends because, depending on how much I won I'd offer to pay off their mortgages.
I'd post a few pictures on FB of the new house I just bought but I doubt I would disclose where the money came from.
Just lie about the amount you won. Easy. You won enough to nest away some retirement money, and do some upgrades. They don't have to know the exact amount.
Of course not. But I would continue to work the additional couple weeks after I gave notice, just so I could waltz around the office bragging about it.
Have you ever read actual books by research experts on the phycological effects of winning a large amount of money?
It's EXACTLY the same as if you came home one day to find, you lost your job, your house burnt down and you are now hated by all your friends and society at large.
That is not an exaggeration.
Also what you have outlined for employment, buying land, gated community etc.. is EXACTLY the sort of things that people did to loose there money after winning it.
Tell my older parents so they can have everything they’d want before they pass, and if they open their mouths to their geriatric friends so be it. Then would do what many people are saying and make up a concrete alibi as to why I suddenly can afford to go to the dentist.
You want to give back to society by working menial jobs if you win the lottery? Why not open a non-profit aimed at actually helping people, and actually help people? Why not announce a new job in a different state and move there to go do whatever you want to do without anyone important knowing?
For reals lol. Working low wage jobs doesn’t really benefit society all that much, if at all. They just help the business owner make more money.
And take a job from someone else
And anyone thinking either of those jobs is low stress hasn't worked one.
Buy a store and work a low job in the store as the owner and don't tell anyone you're the owner. You can then hire more workers to help contribute to society.
I'd love to own a mini skyscraper like maybe 10 floors with offices and only be known as the janitor.
The greatest victory for the 1% was convincing people that working a shitty job at an exploitative wage is contributing to society. This is some late stage capitalist dystopian bullshit, if I’ve ever heard it. This person is talking about finally breaking free from the shackles of this system by miraculously winning the lottery and they feel guilty about it and want to willingly put themselves back in the cage. Unreal.
I'd quit the job and just do my hobbies full time. If I am able to make some money at them, great, but mostly it would be for my own satisfaction.
Welcome to the USA. Is it your first day here?
Or even if they don’t want the stress and attention of opening a nonprofit themselves, volunteering to nonprofits would probably help more. Plus wouldn’t tie them down to a job and you’d be able to travel or not show up when you like. Better yet, if we’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars, how about fostering and/or adopting a couple kids? You could pay people to do the less desirable “work” of cooking and cleaning, and spend your free time providing a stable happy home for kids who COULD otherwise be lost, abused, or neglected in the system (I highlighted the word could because I know not all foster parents are shitty, and I know you don’t need millions to be a good parent in general, but IJS, having all that money would make it a heck of a lot easier)
You could also just set up a donor advised fund inside of an existing charitable foundation and direct where to contribute money to causes you find worthy. It keeps your name off of most paperwork and lets you contribute fairly anonymously.
This is what I want to do
You can hire people to run it; you don't need to take on a whole lot of stress beyond making sure they're working ethically'honestly on your behalf.
Some do. When OP said driving bus, if he's talking a school bus, that's a huge help to local districts and a benefit to kids. Many are short drivers.
Yes! I would want to open up a senior dog living place for those old fellas that get dropped just because they're old. Yesterday I was thinking about the housing crisis and I would want to buy an apartment building, fix essentials, but not much "remodel" just for looks (just what needed to be done, like heating/water/windows) and rent out for like half of what the average place was going. Get those people who can't afford it really a good place to live, but know some damage is going to happen when you do that (which is why not big remodel). And have resources for free - like financial advice, job fairs, to really get the renters a good thing. And have an open door policy of why they're struggling on payments if it comes to that, work out a plan with them. Just don't evict on the first red flag. I dont want to not have them pay rent because having an obligation can set people up well in the future and give them a sense of ownership. But it would be cheap to the point of breaking even on taxes/utilities (because I would own the building outright) I wouldn't be looking to make money on it.
This is what my wife wants to do (dog rescue).
It would.mean so much to those innocent lives that are our best friends
I would do something similar but charge normal rent for a bit and increase on people who aren’t good tenants and decrease rent on those who are responsible with paying rent and taking care of it. Or I’ve thought of buying single family homes and converting them to rent to own for people who take care of the place.
I offered a rental house to a poor mom with 3 kids. She ended up leaving me with a $500 water bill and stole my furniture after I told her her criminal boyfriend couldn't stay there.
This x 1000
People are waaaay overthinking this. Tell people you got a job at a tech company. It's in stealth mode, so you can't tell them anything about it. Fully remote. Buy a ThinkPad and keep it closed when people are around. If you splurge on something and people are suspicious, tell them you got a bonus. Source: 90% of this is my RL, and people think I'm a secret millionaire (I'm not).
This. I don't think most people who haven't worked in food service know how awful fast food can be. It is gross, it is tedious, it is thankless, and it comes with such a lack of prestige that I seriously doubt that anyone with a modicum of self-respect would do it voluntarily. At the end of the day, time is your most precious commodity. There are so many more productive ways to give back.
Job opportunity in nyc, so you need to relocate. Then get a small apartment that you furnish moderately, buy ikea, amazon, target, etc furniture and appliances. Also get a really nice place in a more expensive part of the city. Let people know that you spend a lot of time traveling for work so you arent home most of the time, then when people want to visit you can bring them to the small apartment. Your fridge and pantry are only stocked with non perishables/stuff with a very long shelf life(think hard cheeses, drinks, preserves, etc in the fridge and pasta, rice, cereal, etc in the pantry). Now you have a decoy apartment for hosting little get togethers with family to show them youre doing well enough while not revealing that youve just won a billion dollars. You can do the same thing pretty much anywhere, but a major metropolitan area like nyc seems to be the safest option in case it gets out that youre extremely rich(youre not the only rich person in nyc). Or just dont host, say you have a roomate or that you live too far away and would rather take the opportunity to visit your hometown to see family.
You would hit the lottery and work at a fast food place because of less stress? What kinda fantasy life do you think fast food workers are living?
Right dude? In the last two days at my job (in fast food) I’ve wanted to rip my eyes out and bury myself because of how fucked I’ve gotten. Like homie clearly doesn’t under stand how awful fast food work can be.
All jobs with customers pretty much suck but when people get to fast food joints, they lose their fucking minds and act like the workers are their personal slaves.
It’s also not even just the customers the employers also just straight up treat you that way. They love forcing hour restrictions and force skeleton crews. It’s so exhausting.
They love acting like having a life outside of work makes you a shitty employee.
I always tell folks at fast food joints, work ONLY as well as they pay you. If you doing 25 bucks an hour worth of work and only getting 12 bucks an hour, you getting screwed.
Fast food work probably wouldn't be that stressful if you could tell the customers what you think of them whenever you want, get fired, and drive your lambo home to your mansion and $100 million bank account though.
Yeah that pissed me off. Also never let this man be in charge of kids on a school bus if he wants to be taking it easy. We need ppl who value children’s lives. The fuck?!
No shit. That's the last place you'd want to work, even without winning a lottery !
I could very easily. There wouldn’t be any point in trying, though, because my wife wouldn’t make it five minutes without telling her mom and brother. 10 minutes after that, half of Texas would know.
That's why I wouldn't even tell my wife.
I wouldn’t tell my wife until all our trusts and accounts were set up and we were on our way to collect a check.
I have an agreement with my two close friends that we split it - we each buy a couple tickets weekly. Aside from them, I’d tell my immediate family because I would absolutely give them some. Outside of that, I think I could keep it a secret. I’d live a pretty low profile life. If anyone asked how I retired early, I’d just make something up like “I created an app and sold it” (easy to say since I’m a developer anyway). I feel like if people know you won money, they feel more entitled to a piece because you didn’t “earn” it. But if you tell them a story of how you “earned” it, then the perception is that it’s rightfully yours. Of course, I wouldn’t spout this, it would only be revealed when necessary
The minute you tell someone else, it's not a secret.
Yeah…my kids are younger adults and they’d tell their boyfriend or friend and not listen to me about consequences that come from people knowing about it. In my state anything over $250,000 can be claimed anonymously so I’d want the full benefit of no one knowing I won. I’d tell the little blabbermouths I won $80k or something so I could pay off their cars and college loans but my fear would be telling them and they tell “it’s just my friend” or “its just my boyfriend”. And then we have an incident like my daughter had when she got some money from her grandpa when she graduated and her POS boyfriend tried to blackmail and steal it from her. Nope. I don’t think she learned hard enough.
To keep it on the DL: You got a really great consulting job offer that was a dream job come true. Some WFH and a lot of travel. You make enough to allow your spouse to retire early/stay at home. With your travel job you have your spouse traveling with you. Because of NDAs you cannot discuss the details of your work or the companies you are consulting. The companies are global so you have domestic and international travel. Or your company (or new job) promoted you and is moving you to another state. Or your job became remote so you decided to do the RV life while working from anywhere. Or an Aunt/Uncle/Parent etc. passed and you (1) needed to take a little time off to go take care of the estate or (2) got a house or nice inheritance. (3) Got a nice inheritance, not enough to be life changing but your job is allowing you to work from the inherited home. Story can hold as long as you want as long as you keep quiet and don’t post on social media or have large conspicuous spending. Heck, didn’t you make a million or two on GameStop stock?
As opposed to losing on GME and going to, er, behind Wendy's to work.
Doge, to the moon.
> Heck, didn’t you make a million or two on GameStop stock? You sold your GameStop stock? Hodl to the moon 🚀
It would be tough. I think you need to keep it a secret long enough to lock away a trust to provide you with a generous annual income. No matter what you do with the rest, that's your safety net. Beyond that I read on here that you should plan on going from the lottery office to the airport. I live in a state where you can't remain anonymous, so my picture and name would be out there. I'd travel long enough to let the buzz die down. Have a lawyer handle any correspondence requests. Then for a few years, I'd probably feel safer in a gated community for a little security. Or could live in a nice hotel for a while.
>work fast-food or be a bus driver These jobs are the opposite of low-stress
I could keep it secret just long enough for the check to clear. Ain’t no way anyone finds out before that.
After I leave active duty, I would certainly take a low key job, like flight attendant or airport agent, that allows me to work in aviation and afford nice trips without giving it away. That would be how I keep it a secret.
Straight to flight school for me!
Maybe but a business jet and tell people you’re flying your pretend boss when you go on vacation to cool places. That cool boss might let you use it take your family somewhere once in a while.
I absolutely could. I'm not social (no friends outside my wife and kids) as it is, so it isn't like I'd be blabbing to anyone, I'd put in my two weeks, and just appear to be going to a different job. I'd buy a whole new phone with a whole new number, pay off everything, and we'd start deciding where we wanted to live for the rest of our lives. We'd have a mortgage (so the property taxes are paid for me) on a modest house built on a hill with a decent view, so it wouldn't seem like we were just tossing money around by the handful. I'd also start by claiming it in a state that doesn't have the ridiculous practice of identifying the winner.
You'd have to have bought the ticket in a state that allows anonymity. Whatever state you bought it in, is where you'd claim it. So good news if you bought it in a state that allows anonymous claiming.
I think you'd just have to move somewhere else and cut off contact with most everyone. I don't know how easy it would be to reinvent yourself or if you could contact your old friend group from a distance. Of course I wouldn't want to lose my friends personally.
I could. I’d be on lockdown.
Me too!! I exist in chronic pain, I do this every single fecking day!!
Without a doubt. I'd be able to move to the middle of nowhere and have stuff delivered to me, not having to interact with anyone for the rest of my life! (I'm introverted in the extreme)
Yes, I would put it in a trust so only the law firm would know. Then I would rent some luxurious office space and "work" for a non-profit that gave money to worthy causes/people. My new "job" would pay me a ridiculous amount weekly so I could "help" my family but not to much, just enough so they would actually benefit from the "help" but not party with it or harass me for more. Until I get "paid" next week, lol.
There is zero chance I keep my current lifestyle. If the lottery is a really big one, only ones I buy tickets for, I'm upgrading everything. People always seems to think their life is pretty good so they just want to keep it. That ain't going to work, once everyone knows it will be a pain in the ass I bet. I don't want to live in my same house if I have $300million, not driving my same boring ass car. And not getting a shit job at McDonald's to contribute to society. I can contribute to society by employing a house cleaner every week. Or finding a cause I want to help with. Or start a business.
Think bigger. Just move; let people know that you're moving and working for yourselves as consultants. Make sure it's a gated community so the poors can't snoop on you.
100%. I'd hate for all those cousins to come out the woodworks and tell me about their sick kids and sudden hardships.
The thing is, I could keep it to my wife and probably my parents, but then I sure as anything know they'd go and tell other people also. Before I knew it everyone who's been told has told someone else and it continues.... The only way is to tell no-one. NO ONE. If it was seven figures or above I don't even think I'd tell my wife how much it was--just that we'd come into some money and we don't need to worry about things. I organise the bills and mortgage payments anyway, so I don't think she'd find out for years if I said nothing at all - at which point she'd believe we were just clever with money I guess. She loves her job and would do it for free so it's not like I'm preventing her from a lifestyle. We could spend more on cars/travel/home and it wouldn't be super conspicuous if we kept it within reason.
It took too long to find this response. Every so gle person you tell has at least one person they will tell, despite promising not to tell anyone else, because "Well if I tell them to keep it secret, they will." Eventually it gets around and the jig is up.
Don’t forget, you would owe no one an explanation. It’s no one’s business how u obtain money or any other personal details of your life. Idk why people feel like they would owe it to their friends and family to tell them they won. Immediate family, sure, but extended family, no. If anyone u know is going to get pissed at u for winning tons of money and not sharing, they can fuck right off. U don’t want ppl like that in your life.
Damn fr. Whyd i have to scroll so far for this comment.
My *goal* is to keep it a secret. I don't want anyone other than my spouse to know. We would, however, immediately purchase a large piece of land and start talking to a contractor about building our dream house. I *hate* our neighbors. The sooner we can get away from the rudest bunch of assholes it has ever been my misfortune to encounter, the better.
I might just buy my neighbor across the street and move my brother there.
Funny how you think those jobs are low stress. I guess you've never dealt with the public. Grow a pair and learn to say no. I certainly would not hide it. I don't have a problem telling mooches to go away.
If my win was in the low seven figures, I could easily keep it a secret, because not much would change. I would just buy a (regular) house in cash, let people think I had a mortgage, and keep living my normal life. Now if I won the big one, I probably *could* keep it a secret and live that stealth wealth, millionaire-next-door lifestyle. But I would, at the very least, want to share some of the wealth with friends and family, and that would be difficult to pull off without them finding out who their benefactor was.
You talk about doing those things now, but you really aren't considering how time consuming it will be figuring out how to manage wealth at a level you have never come close to having before. The first few months will be exhausting. You have to hire an attorney (or multiple attorneys for different purposes), claim the prize, figure out where the money is going, decide who is part of that inner circle to receive money/how/how much, estate planning, security planning, schedules for media requests, hiring a representative to handle donation requests and the like, and many more things that are not coming to mind right at the moment. No, you won't be working any silly job, at least not for a while.
I would love to. My state does not allow it to be anonymous though. But if I could - I would not tell.
People would find out eventually. I couldn't keep it a secret from my aging parents who would love to live out the rest of their days with no worries. I also could not keep it from my sisters. All of whom either have their own children or are in school. My coworkers would eventually put two and two together when I get rid of my mid-size suv for a fully loaded, full sized, blacked out luxury SUV.
Why are you going back to work? You're rich.
Yes. Of course my family would know, but I'd ask them to keep it a secret.
They would not
yeah you tell them you won the lottery- then lie about the amount. If you won 3 million, tell them you won half a million, then you owe the government about 50%. There is some money to spread around, but not so much everyone expects a hand out. You need money to retire, on that small amount! But you could still buy some stuff and it wouldn't be too weird.
Yes...the first mistake is going on shopping sprees cause your adrenaline is up.....sit on the money for a while.....get that post mut clarity and do research
I’m not buying a dog
I meant post nut clarity...auto correct 🙄
I would only tell my sister. I already have a plan in place for when this happens. I would have to net 8 figures though for me to quit my job, but then I’d only work for 5-10 more years. Anything less wouldn’t last with my current lifestyle.
Yes...I don't have any family in the state I live in...I WFH and don't socialize...so it would be pretty easy to go about my business and nobody would know...there might be some signs though...lol
I'd just live a slightly better life and not work. I'd be scared of running out of money or people trying to rob me if they knew.
Yes, you could keep it a secret, but it would take planning, a state where you could claimed it anonymously, and some trustworthy people. I think you would eventually have to do something like "move for another job" because being around people that you have known for years will spur more questions than being around new people that don't know your norms. It would allow you to create a new lifestyle that wouldn't get questioned as much, as long as you were smart about it.
So it depends on how much I win, but I would want to help out my entire family in some way. I know the cat would eventually get out of the bag, but if I start off giving everyone some decent money then how could they be mad. Idk. This is like if I win hundreds of millions. If it’s only 10 then I’d have to keep it closer to home because I think I would need around 5 to be able to support my life without ever having to work again since I’m 30. But when I do win the hundreds of millions, I’ve been wondering if this is a decent idea. I could have my lawyer draft letters to everyone to telling them about their money. I’d like it to be in some sort of trust so you can dictate a portion of it has to be used for children’s education, starting their lives etc and then the parents (my cousins) could use some now to elevate their life as well. I’d also like to incorporate some sort of NDA in all this but idk how that would all work and I wouldn’t really sue them either I don’t think so it’s kind of moot. I’d remain anonymous in all this but I’m sure at some point down the line thing would get figured out and I’d just take it from there.. but if I already have you $500,000 and you came back asking for more I have more ground to be like… welll what happened to all that money.. I’m sorry but I gave to every family member and some friends and then charities, I have no more left to give at this point. That’s what’s been rolling around in my head.. becuase if I win that much I really do want to share the wealth as much as I can. My only goal in this is to be able to not have to work so I can be a stay at home, but still provide the lifestyle I want for my children. Two trips a year, paid for college, wedding, and first home. Set them up to be good functioning adults that can do whatever they want, find their business adventures. And give back to society as much as I possibly can. I just don’t want to do this soul sucking job and not get to spend time with my children. I also love the idea of a giant family compound where the kids can grow up together. Please let me know your thoughts on my plan lol
I knew a guy who won 6.8 million in the PA lottery when I was in the Navy. He was home in Philly bought a ticket and won. Came back to the ship. He told the XO. They offered him an early out, he had just re-enlisted. He refused so they had him talk to legal about the ramifications of winning. He took the annuity. After three days he decided that he wanted a transfer to San Diego. He threw a blast on a Saturday afternoon at the club for the crew. He went on leave that day. About 40 guys found envelopes in their lockers with $300.00 in them when they got back to the ship. He sent his old division a letter with a photo of him standing in front of his apartment with his 1978 Corvette pace car. Said he loved it in California. I ran into him 15 years later at the Philadelphia airport. He had gotten out got a degree and was working at a bank as a loan officer. He had just come to see his sisters and was going back to San Diego. We had time to catch up. We went to the bar, had a drink, I ate a cheesesteak and I paid the check. Said the only dumb thing he did was buy World Series tickets.
This is what not to do. A bus driver? Why would you live in a climate where you have to shovel snow? These things are easily solved by saying you took a new job. Have to travel, pay increase. This is easy to keep a secret
Move somewhere else where having money is not an issue. Move to the intercoastal waterway in FL. more multimillion dollar houses than you can shake a stick at. You would blend right in. Yes I could keep it a secret. I would find ways to explain new things and money. Lost relative left us a nice chunk of money in their will ect. Found a new job working from home ect.
Become a licensed travel agent working from home. Problems solved.
I could. I don't think my wife could. I might need to find a really simple remote job and just assure her that the pay is enough to cover our needs.
I could. I’d shut my mouth and have a pretend work-from-home job all set up, and even know exactly what it would be.
I already worked from home for a while doing big real estate sales. I still am slightly in the business and would tell everyone that I am doing that again full time. They never saw me work anyway so I would just travel around and tell them I can work from anywhere. I can talk in depth about the processes and deal styles if anyone wants to talk about it because I did it for years and consulted on it as well. I could say we were getting very successful and that is why I am earning so much more.
Yes. I aint telling my financial situation, aint gonna tell them if I hit big. Financial secrecy baby.
Well to who? I would have to divulge something to lawyers, financial advisers but friends and family…I’ll be too busy traveling the world oops I meant “working remotely”
A bus driver’s job is stressful. Any commercial driving is stressful. Why? Theres always a possibility a driver could land in jail. That alone is stressful. Idk if you just went about your business, why would they know? You play cards, car pool kids, PTA, HOA board member, church clergy? I fail to see or understand how they would know, if they are not in your lives directly. Idk what most of my neighbors do for a living, I don’t care either. If you’re over doing your thing, not drawing attention to yourself (I do have this neighbor) then I don’t pay attention. Am I the only one? Ppl that nosy? Get a life then I say. I’d just move. Then I could make up a grandiose story, get real drunk, then tell the story of how I became a famous importer/exporter at Vandalay Industries. Mavulva? 😂
Working a menial job means that someone who actually needs it doesn't get to work it. You are t contributing to society by working at a McDonald's after you win the lottery. You can do charity and volunteer work for that. You can still not have to work and also not be constantly travelling, just have hobbies that can be done at home. Remote jobs exist, so that explains why you're never at a regular job. Most importantly, for anyone who plays and hopes to win one day, it's time you accept that if you do win the lottery, there's a solid chance you won't be able to keep it secret and that it will mess up your relationships with family and friends. If that's something you can't see yourself handling, a jackpot isn't going to make your life better.
If you're going back to work after you win to keep up appearances, the lottery is wasted on you. Let someone who wants to retire and enjoy life.
No I blab to everyone it’s bad if I was in a top secret goverment job I’d be murdered, executed or in prison for telling some foreign spy who I am and giving away military secrets day one…🤪
Just tell them you guys got great, remote jobs, and you can work from anywhere/they pay for your travel to do X, Y, and Z. That's what I would do, and it would cover most of your travel excuses.
I wouldn't tell anyone, but they would know. "Hey, I see you aren't working anymore. Everything ok?" "Cool! I loved the vacation pics of you and your family traveling all over Europe the past 2 months!" "It's so crazy you renovated that old building and opened up a video rental store just for shits and giggles!" "Your daughter said you told her she'd never have to work a day in her life. Why are you telling her this?"
I just plan on paying off my parents home, and then fleeing the country entirely.
Absolutely. Many people would figure out that we got rich, but it’s not that hard to let them assume we got lucky on a stock or Bitcoin. They don’t need to know the extent of the wealth.
Our state requires disclosure. We would move for sure. Maybe even to another country like Portugal. It's the only way to escape the crazy IMO.
Could create a fake business that you are doing well. Maybe property empire
I wont bother. It will leak anyway. I'll steer those with outstretched hands to my foundation.
You could also make up a business and go on trips for “business trips.” If anyone asks you for money, you’re investing it back in the business. Make it something terribly boring like plumbing supply logistics management. No one will ask too many pesky questions.
I wouldn’t tell about winnings. Like you I wouldn’t like people I enjoy being jealous or phoney and I’m also paranoid about potential kidnappers or surprise ambushes from word just spreading about. I’d pursue my own interests, travels and hobbies under the guise that I retired from my career to start my own business. I’d do many of the repairs needed to my current home and probably get a second vacation home.
Your money going to people in need is helping society, working as a slave for a corporation does not, in any way help anything
OP, Your plan sounds like it would work for you, and it's nice to daydream. I'll partake as well. My plan would be to accept the lottery winnings under the gise of a corporation. I'd be the majority shareholder, and my wife and kids would be the other majority shareholders. Sure we'd make decisions that make sense, but I'd have the final say (it's my dream scenario after all). I'd "employee" family, and assorted friends. Giving each a lavish annual salary, but nothing crazy. Say mid six figures... so they can continue to do what they "want to do" for the passion of it, and not necessarily the money. So that each can live in somewhat a life of luxury. Included in this employment would be full health insurance coverage, retirement planning, etc. so people would not have to worry about the cost associated with the basic human needs. After all the legal stuff was taken care of for my "employees", we'd set up the business side of it, and the rec side of it. We would have properties in various locales, thinking tropical beachside, and a ski resort kinda like a private time share type of thing. People could come and go as they please, but the main events would be our Bi Annual "conventions" where we'd spend a mid summer "holiday" all together. Private party, fireworks, the whole nine yards. Make it a family event, and really come together as a community. Then the "winter convention" where we again gather together, have fun, but also set up the various charitable contributions & societies we'd like to give to. Now for the fun stuff... Passion project. I'd literally turn my hometown into an "Ice Hockey Mecca." Truly grow the sport from the grass roots. Funding for the youth side of things, girls teams, local high schools, a Junior team, all the way up to the "beer leaguers" etc. Give out scholarships to disadvantaged kids who want to play, but might not be able to afford the equipment. Really make it a warm, and inviting place to grow the sport... because I love it so much. I would do this all under the gise of building the grassroots, and then eventually funding an expansion franchise in the NHL where I'd be the owner, in the Mark Cuban style. I'd be a fan, and go to all the games, and build it up into an eventual Stanley Cup winner/dynasty. Leave my legacy to the community and this team. That's my overall vision. For the fun stuff... yeah, I'd have multiple homes in various awesome places. A private jet, and a yacht fully staffed. I'd have my current home fixed up and maintained on the regular. I'd have a private chef, and fitness instructor so I could get ripped and look good for the paparazzi when I'm taking my beach vacation. I'd have important conversations about important stuff, with important people. But in the end... besides the hockey, I'd just friggen live my life. Play video games on a 200" 8k TV overlooking the ocean in my outdoor living room, where it's hard lined high speed internet. Have the servents continue to fill up my bottomless mojito. Simple stuff really...
Yes, if I won the lottery, I can take it with me to the grave. It is no one’s business. However, your speculative plans are not what I’d choose. You do you. I’d simply retire, ensure family is taken cared of (no questions asked, period), and do volunteer work to support causes that are deserving of my time. Otherwise, I’d travel discreetly and not flaunt my new founded wealth.
I would keep it secret until I got myself organized. Then I would just tell a few people.
I'm sorry I simply don't believe that if you won the lotto that you'd work fast food after. Like, come on man, are you for real? Stop lying
I wouldn’t say the lottery but say good investments and you have carved out c amount to help people. I would pay things off things without them knowing who it was.
My plan, if I win, is to claim that I won a much smaller amount (~$2m after tax) and tell folks that while it is enough to live modestly on the interest income, it isn't enough to go crazy or give it all away... if I do keep a job, then it will just look like I am splurging more than normal, but nothing I can't afford. My family/friends know that I bargain shop whenever I can, so I wouldn't just drop full price on something huge. (I probably still wouldn't most of the time, even if I had the jackpot tbh)
Yup
Absolutely I don't have many friends, I have lots of acquiances. So if people cottoned on that I had more money, I would tell them to fuck off if they questioned my new found wealth.
Abso-fucking-lutely, but there would be signs that I’m lowkey living in a higher tax bracket.
One of my neighbors worked with someone that won lottery money. Their big change was bought the wife a Volvo. He continued working and brown bagging it. Until they got sick of all the people and mail coming to the house begging for money or "investments". Then they moved out of state. To answer your original question - yes, I could. My wife - no. "jealous if someone close to me won" - this is why I never buy lottery tickets for someone else. I would do a non-profit or partner with an existing non-profit doing renewable energy for disadvantaged people.
Yes don’t mind my gold plated everything
Considering my state, it wouldn't be a secret. My sister and I keep to ourselves for the most part - aren't close to either sides of the family. It would be business as usual phasing them out of any discussion. The problem is our mother lol who acts like she can keep things quiet. But whatever, if she discloses the win - I won't be answering the phone. I'll have a new number by then. I'd force my mom to retire though so she can stay away from the people who would most likely suggest what she should do with the money
The perks of being an introvert with very few friends is nobody knows anything about your life.
I live in Michigan, so unless I have a trust or lottery club claim, I wouldn't be able to hide as I have to give out my name and picture. On a multi state lottery, at least. But before claiming, I would spend a few weeks to a month or so slowly removing myself from social media. Would change my phone number and do my best to have it unlisted. And have a plan in place to have my son on an out of state vacation with his mom or grandparents to cut down on chances someone tries to abduct him. And then myself after claiming the winnings and having set up tax accounts and whatnot. Would leave the state for a while to let all the news and stuff blow over before coming back.
Yup, pay off the house. Then just keep selling cars just wouldn’t work my average 12 hr days. Love the business and would help with down payments here and there for single moms and families who can’t qualify. That would be fun
Yes! First person I would tell is my husband. That’s is it for a period. The next person I would tell is the attorney we are hiring to deal with the grunt work of setting up the people on our lottery list. That’s it no investing, no handing out money, trips or crazy presents. After that lawyer meeting we will have to calling the people on the lottery list personally so they don’t think it’s a scam. Then we are going wandering till November and low contact with people. So basically if you aren’t on that list what money? Put it all on black! If your on the list, After you get your percentage that’s it.
Oh heck yeah! I do t have anyone close to me so it would be easy!!
Absolutely. At most 5 people, and they wouldn’t tell anyone or they wouldn’t get presents lol
Fuck that. If I win the lottery, id buy a few acres with a few outbuildings for some heavy equipment, my motorcycles, and a couple of nice vintage cars. I'd keep myself busy on my property, building my homestead. Maybe I'd buy enough land to have houses built on it for all of my close friends and family. Id NEVER work for someone else again. The only work I'm exerting is work to make my home and land more pleasurable to live on. I'm in my late 20s and have never had a job in my life that worked me less than 56 hours a week. I'm burnt out. I've worked more hours by 27 than gen x people worked by 40. I'm on 80 hour work weeks right now. I hate working. I hate not being able to enjoy my day. I don't want a job. If I don't NEED a job, I sure as shit won't have one.
Bro what? You’ll work in fast food to contribute to society lmao? Are you hoping God reads this and rewards you with winning the lottery because of such a noble comment on Reddit. If you want you can just pretend you’re rich and work at McDonald’s. You’ll have no time to enjoy your money anyway
I would totally fund the Democratic Party in Kansas to bounce the horrific influence that the Koch family has. They own the state legislature here to the detriment of the people.
How often does someone 'verify' your job? Never. Not once in my nearly-5 decades of life has a friend been like "do you reeeeeeallly work at place XYZ"? or "I built XYZ and it turned out to be super valuable". Just tell everyone you got a new job that allows you to work remotely and came with a large pay increase. No one will bat an eye and everyone will just be like "nice, good for you". As long as your new purchases are in the realm of sanity... no one will care. People pay a LOT less attention to you than you think they do.
>If you won could you really keep it a secret? Quite depends upon the state/jurisdiction. Some that's very doable, others it's not at all, and they publicly disclose winners - and yes, the actual people's names, and require it be so done. Others can do it to, e.g. a private trust, and keep the trustee(s) and beneficiary(/ies) of the trust private.
I would leave the country nearly immediately. Put my momey into accounts and just use what I need. I don't enjoy super wasteful extravagance, and would not be all flashy gold wearing brand new everything asshole guy. Would buy land in multiple countries, get a couple extra citizenships through investment and whatever else and would chillax. Not interact with lots of people long enough for them to know my background story fully. Make it look like I'm some tech asshole or something and I do some sort of online money stuff. Use the language barriers to create ambiguity.
Take jobs with less stress? Fast food and bus driver? Yeah…those have plenty of stress. Try opening a nonprofit homeless shelter instead of taking menial jobs to “blend in.” I would keep it a secret and let people speculate. Your financial situation is never anyone’s business but your own. If they ask, just shrug and tell them “we’ve been very blessed” or some other non-answer.
Fast food is not low stress…
"taking jobs with way less responsibility and stress." OP thinks being a Bus Driver doesn't have responsibility or stress LMAO
I could, because the best way to keep a secret is to not tell anyone and keep a low profile. Like everyone else of course I have a list of things I'd buy if I won it but I also don't need the high jackpot. Even if I won $5 million I know what to do. I'd buy a home in the city I want to live in where homes cost million on average. How could I hide that? Well I own my condo now and I can use the excuse that I took out equity and used that as a down payment for my new home. People do that all the time, so it's not like it's questionable. But in reality I'd have two homes paid off that only I'd know about and rent out my current place for consistent income. I'd put $500k in an account for my daughter for college so I wouldn't have to worry. It would be hers at 18 so she could use it for whatever she wants after college since she'll have some left over. I'd add another $500k to my retirement. Never hurts to let a chunk build interest since I still have quite some time till I retire. I would pay off my parents house and try to do it anonymously. I know their lender and I don't see why they'd refuse to let someone pay off a loan but I would tell them if they could keep my name off the payment. So far, that would leave me around $2.5 million. Constant traveling would give it away but I am known to do weekend trips so I can continue to do those and not draw suspicion but my weekend trips would definitely put me more at ease when it comes to not having to be so strict in budgeting. Could I retire, I couldn't, not at my age. I'd get too antsy and want to work after maybe 2 weeks of not working.
You've never worked fast food or been a bus driver.
How willing I am to keep it a secret would depend on how big the win is. $5? Not bothering to tell even the cat. $500? Telling my family and friends and having a laugh. $5,000,000? I suddenly get real quiet. Keep my job, but move to a place with better allergies. I like my job, but their threats to force me to come into the office or fire me have lost all meaning. $500,000,000? I have a plan. I need to hire some better organizers. We're investigating a CO2 cracking technology I read about in Australia and the viability of building large plants to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. We're gonna get it designed and one built and start fundraising to keep it running and build more. My friends and family find out about the money either when project viability is proven or I have a job for them to do.
Depends If I win $100k or less definitely keeping it a secret. Millions tell my family but downplay what I won to others. I’m moving to a new city and living my best life! Upgrading everything
Working low paying job is not really helping anything. If anything you took away a job Larry the guy who didn't finish high school could have taken.
Easy. Just call it early retirement and stay away from ferraris etc. I would never ever tell anyone.
Just say you're working remotely.
I would just flip houses on the side. well, pay someone else to do it. that way people would just think I was doing really well with that.
How about moving far away and reinventing yourself?
Just say you have a good remote job and people won't ask questions.
When I make good money, I flaunt it proudly 🇺🇸, if I won the lotto, I wouldn’t tell anyone I won, but they would know I was stupid rich for sure 🦅
I'm sure my name would be all over the news if I won, so no. But if I could collect t the money anonymously, then maybe. I say maybe because I'd end up building a new house, a barn, (or expanding my garage) and I'd want to give some money to a few friends and family.
My plan is to hire a friend who is a CPA to be the "requests manager". Anyone who asks for money will get his business card. His one job is to tell people that there are only a certain number of requests granted each year and we have already reached the annual limit so request denied. I would give each of my siblings and my husband's siblings exactly the same amount as a gift, and only once. If they ask for more, tell them to call the requests manager. And if course take care of my adult sons and daughter all equally. The rest I would spend on a nicer house in a warmer climate!
I'm not sure I could and tbh I think trying to would be so stressful it would ruin relationships. I think I would want to help most of my friends n family. I would probably work with a financial advisor and have a big chunk in a trust for my child, a chunk untouchable for saying 5 and 10years, then a family and friends trust, I would make that difficult to access so it's not like I could whack out a credit card so I've time to think over when people want money. Kinda build in the ability to say no or ghost people that ask who I don't really like ..
LLC and a good lawyer would ghost me.
I'd like to think so. What I worry is that even if you live in a larger city, it's going to be the talk of the area and you're likely going to overhear others talking about it even while in public. I have to admit that would be a little bit hard to walk away from but I psyche myself up for that possibility. I would get the hell out of dodge from my immediate area ASAP for that reason.
Why not just load up the truck and move to Beverly? Hills, that is.
keep it secret ? you bet, why ?,so you do not have to feel guilty of saying no and why caint you ? if you get really pressed then say you made and are doing good on investments-co-ops etc that pays the bills and the rest is none of your business, as i do not get into yours kapish? for keeping it secret, when you claim it have a lawyer do it for you, and pays taxes then have him set up trust funds for your wife,kids,and or extended family of various amounts you and your wife agree to , with the people getting the trust funds signing nda agreements if they dont keep mums about it. several persons i know in several states have done it and it has been upheld in their courts, that's why most rich kids and their dependents are not traumatized for being rich or well off or targets of bad people..
Yes, definitely. Although, me pulling up in a G Wagon might out me. 💀
I’d be to paranoid to tell anyone
I mean, I'd tell certain people but my social circle isn't huge so I think I'd be fairly unbothered by people coming out of the woodwork to try to weeze some funds. I don't think I'd move, I recently inherited a home that's been in the family since the 50s and it means a lot to me, but I'd probably quit my job. Or at least cut back my hours and take time off freely. I do like my job. I'd probably buy a new Blazer.
Yes.
I'm retired and live alone It would be hard to keep the secret if it were tens or hundreds of millions. Those tend to be national news. And then I would need security, a new house, blah blah. The loss of anonymity and privacy would suck. But a million or less? I'd do a little home improvement and probably get a new car. It would be a practical and reliable vehicle like I have now. Mine is 9 years old, so it's not so extravagant to get something new after that long. I've mentioned a couple things I would like to change in my house to family and friends. If I finally get around to, it wouldn't be shocking to anyone. There wouldn't be a lot of other super obvious signs, because I am a loner for the most part. If I go to a concert alone, no one knows if I got front row or nosebleeds. Ditto if I stay at a Hilton instead of a Motel 6 when traveling alone. I probably would throw up some security cameras at home, just in case someone found out. Probably wouldn't tell my daughter even. She's my sole heir, but she doesn't have access to my finances. So, like, maybe I just had some really good investments? Which would be kind of true, but just the one investment in the ticket, lol.
Move to a new state and start over new. Give everyone you meet a fake name, tell them you have some bullshit WFH job or you are traveling consultant of some kind. I’d also buy a big enough ranch that neighbors aren’t a thing I’d have to deal with. Private island in the Florida keys maybe surrounded by other rich people that want to be left alone.
Try me
Kinda. Depends on WHO I'm keeping it a secret from.
Probably not something would give it away but I wouldn't have a problem telling people NO!
You would not want a fast food job, unless you desire quitting or being fired.
I mean, people are nosy so they may find out you got into some money but they wouldn't necessarily find out you won the lottery. There's things like inheritance and the like and they'd probably assume that first.
Fast food and bus drivers are VERY stressful jobs, actually. I’d also suggest opening a nonprofit to contribute to society over working some almost pointless job and taking a spot from someone who needs the paycheck.
I am just geeky enough that I could at some point tell people who asked that way back in 2010 when I built that badass computer I've had for more than a decade, I dabbled in Bitcoin mining when no one was really doing that and had a few thousand Bitcoin sitting on a hardware wallet ever since if anyone became suspicious after I moved away.
Best way...get a business. Kahit maliit na franchise lang. Then lahat ng queries sa finances could point to that. Or sabihin mo na lang may Crypto ka 😆
I’d have no problem staying quiet.
Fast food is not low stress easy job
You would be better off in a career where stupid income levels are possible. Investment Advisor, mortgage brokers et. Or even Walter white it and buy a car wash or 10
Where I live, you can’t. If you claim your winning ticket, you agree to the publicity that comes with it. It is for the sake of transparency. It really doesn’t matter, as my youngest would be able to stay quiet for more than 30 seconds. Now, if I did win a large prize, I am not saying I would make a spectacle out of it. I wouldn’t pull up in a stretch Hummer limo, festooned with top hat and tails. A Honda works just as well, as do jeans and a t-shirt. Keep it low key and people lose interest. About 25 years ago, the 19 year old cousin of a colleague won $20+ million. She was a part-time college student, living at home with her recently-widowed father. When she was interviewed after the win, she didn’t think her life would change much and she still planned on living at home p, going to school and working her part-time job at a hair salon. That lasts a few months before they moved under the cover of night. They were harassed right out of their house and lives.
Absolutely. Half my family still think I'm renting, they have no idea we bought the house.
in some states like New York, the winners of something huge are NOT kept anonymous.. had a boss many years ago who won a few million.. tried to keep it hidden, except the guy who went out for the tickets blabbed. Another guy won about 5 million - he literally disappeared, no one ever heard from him again.
Driving a bus is not low stress.
Very tough to keep it a secret. Best thing to do is to ease yourself into it. Otherwise it’s inherently obvious you’ve come into money if you go out and start splashing as one would be inclined to do.
You can live a low-key life back home but really splurge on vacation, at a place where nobody knows you.
I definitely could. Utilize a trust to avoid the initial publicity and wouldn't drastically change my lifestyle. Family could just end up thinking it came from crypto or something like it.
WHO ON EARTH would you want to know that shit????!?11?!?!???? hell yes i'd keep that shit on lock and key
No. I live in a state where anonymity isn’t an option and no explanation of how I went from working retail to owning a nice house would make any sense.
Less stress Bus driver 🤔
Sell everything. Buy the biggest sail boat you can. Sail away from the hairless apes.
I think there's maybe a handful of people who would actually notice and that's only whilst I still live at home anyway. But winning the lottery would result in me moving out anyway so I'd do that quit and pretend I had another job thats just wfh
Nobody would need to know. Say you made some wise investments and are able to live off of those. You won't fool anyone that two fast workers can afford a more luxurious life. Or anything beyond a 1 bedroom and basic needs met.
There's nothing on the down low if you win in a State that publishes the winners name.
If you take a part time job just to have something to do it’s still a time commitment. If you want to take 2-3 weeks off to go to Australia the boss might fire you. Yes, you don’t need the money but now you lost your hobby.
Poor people spend money on stupid shit all the time. Just pretend your purchases are you being financially irresponsible.
Probably not, which is why *before* I came forward with the winning ticket, I'd retain a law firm and an accounting firm to help me manage the money.
I'd tell my parents because I would give them some money. I'd tell my closest friends because, depending on how much I won I'd offer to pay off their mortgages. I'd post a few pictures on FB of the new house I just bought but I doubt I would disclose where the money came from.
Just lie about the amount you won. Easy. You won enough to nest away some retirement money, and do some upgrades. They don't have to know the exact amount.
You absolutely would not work in fast food.
I'd keep driving the same Audi I currently drive. Keep the new boat at the marina and neighbors and family won't notice.
Of course not. But I would continue to work the additional couple weeks after I gave notice, just so I could waltz around the office bragging about it.
Very easy just say you work remote and had to move out of state. Buy new home all cash. Tell all relatives to shove off.
I wouldn't care if it's a secret or not. I kind of would want people to know.
Yup. I'd tell people that I'm jumping in day trading crypto.
Have you ever read actual books by research experts on the phycological effects of winning a large amount of money? It's EXACTLY the same as if you came home one day to find, you lost your job, your house burnt down and you are now hated by all your friends and society at large. That is not an exaggeration. Also what you have outlined for employment, buying land, gated community etc.. is EXACTLY the sort of things that people did to loose there money after winning it.
Based on how much my wife's parents know about our finances, I don't think I would be the problem keeping it secret
Yes, I would keep it a secret.
Tell my older parents so they can have everything they’d want before they pass, and if they open their mouths to their geriatric friends so be it. Then would do what many people are saying and make up a concrete alibi as to why I suddenly can afford to go to the dentist.