Powerball

I’d hire a chauffeur. Build a huge clinic with apartments on top for all the providers. A log cabin on a private lake.

 

How much would it cost me to lock up Hillary & Obama? Can I afford Holder too?

 

I have $12 in it.

 

Not to pee on your parade, but the numbers are off. If you take lump sum, it starts at 50% of the initial amount ( would be $193,500,000), then you pay taxes on that amount. Hope ya enjoy it.

 

I'll buy a ticket, just one though. Dirty little secret: the way the lottery works with random number picking, you really are not increasing you chances by buying more tickets. Raffles are different - with a set number of tickets, each one you buy does increase your chance of winning.

I guess I'd do the single payout... that way, if I spend / lose it all, it is my fault, not some nameless bank that was supposed to control the annuity.

I'd pay off my house, give the kids some amount, with another amount put in a 10 year trust or something for them, buy a late '70s / '80s whale tail Porsche 911, give some amount to family members, plan some rebuild of our house, do some traveling, take over the fire department SCBA air pack replacement account from my town and fund it myself.... And, probably BEFORE doing any of this, put away a bunch in conservative funds / accounts so I would be reasonably assured of still having money in 10 years.

Fun stuff to dream about. I usually buy maybe one MegaMillions ticket a week, Powerball usually only when it gets big... because anything less than $100 million just isn't worth my time (lol!). Who knows, it is all a big gov conspiracy anyways... !

 

A couple I know who live here won it several years ago. I think they got $327 million. When they realized they had the winning ticket, they kept it a secret for a month while they figured out what to do. After they finally came forward to claim it, they went into hiding in a motel until the media furor died down.

 

That sounds like an excellent plan, good for them!

 

I would buy anonymity

 

The jackpot amount is what they will pay in total over whatever the term of the annuity is — 30 years, IIRC. The cash amount they quote is the amount required to purchase the annuity that will pay off the jackpot amount over the term. That cash amount is also available as the lump sum & that’s what you’ll pay taxes on - 39.6% to the feds and some other % to your state.

 

Actually it wasn't such a good thing for them. After almost 30 years of marriage they got divorced and the wife bought a big house in Vero Beach. The husband bought a big offshore fishing boat and last I heard was dating a girl in her twenties. He still lives here.

 

When it gets that high I usually buy A ticket....we have been playing the Florida "sucker" every week for 22 years...we have NEVER gotten more than a free ticket or $5....
Here is a tip..........NEVER.......... EVER........PICK A SET OF NUMBERS THAT YOU PLAY EVERY WEEK. Let the "machine" pick...reason....if you have " A "set of numbers and you MISS a week..for sure your numbers will come up and you'll need to find a piece of rope to hang yourself.........
It seems from what I read, a large number of winners, go broke after a few years, they get carried away and wind up "pissing away" the money
So,...best to get a Lawyer and an Accountant if you win...then hide out....
It'd be amazing the number of NEW FRIENDS you'd have.
We would make a lot of "random gifts" of $1000 or so.....local animal shelters would benefit, a few people that we LIKE would wind up with paid up mortgages or a new car...
But as I say to one of my friends who always "goes on" a bit, don't count your chickens.........

DREAM ON...........

 

The winning ticket for the couple I know was the same numbers that the wife played all the time. She bought the ticket right here at the Melbourne Beach Publix.

 

Umm, not true. If I buy every possible number combination my chance of winning is 100%. If I buy half of the possible combinations my chance of winning is 50%.

 

I think I "read somewhere" the odds are a bit better if you let the computer pick.......BUT I may have been mistaken...It happened ONCE

 

I don't think it matters either way. Mathematically your chances are the same. But I do agree with you, if you miss playing your numbers and they win, you will need a padded cell LOL.

 

If I won, I guess I'd buy Lindsey Vonn.

 

What would buying EVERY possible combo cost...I'm sure one of "US" ******** has figured it out...not that you could "corner the market" anyway