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Someone at your New Year’s party could be a newly minted mega millionaire, but you may not even know – if the winner’s smart.
As exciting as it may be to win Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot, now up to $640 million after there was no winner on Tuesday night, the winner ought to stay mum, experts say.
After all, claiming that much money likely will also draw taxes, grifters, and friends and family members, prompting our first and most important piece of financial advice.
“Don’t shout your win from the rooftop,” Rob Burnette, financial and investment adviser at Outlook Financial Center in Troy, Ohio, said. “If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, keep it quiet. Get organized and make a plan. Consider staying anonymous, if it’s a possibility.”
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The $640 million prize is for winners who choose the annuity option, paid annually over 30 years. Most winners opt for the cash option, which for Friday night’s drawing is $328.3 million.
The single chance of matching all six numbers was roughly 1 in 303 million. Mega Millions tickets – which cost $2 each – are sold in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Scammers.
“Some of those scammers have falsely identified themselves as being affiliated with Mega Millions,” Mega Millions said. “These scams all have one thing in common: They try to trick you into sending them money or personal information by claiming that you have won a large lottery prize.”
No representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or email anyone about winning a prize, Mega Millions said.
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Also remember, “no real lottery tells winners to put up their own money in order to collect a prize they have already won,” it said.
