Once you’ve won a big prize from the lottery, you might assume that all of the serious effort is performed. However, you’d be quite wrong! There are lots of documented cases of men and women who’ve hit it big only to lose their fortunes through bad deals, unhealthy living, selfish acts, as well as other unfortunate events. So if you want to be a lottery success story, and avoid the famous “lottery curse” that seems to always make it to the front page of newspapers, here are some tips to help.

Get an attorney or financial planner

Before going public with your lottery winnings, it is a great idea to talk to a lawyer as well as a financial planer. Certain lawyers focus on lottery winners and the way to best begin a wise life that may make the most of their winnings. Of course, the ultra-rich (millionaires and billionaires) got that way by being wise with their money. They have had their wealth for years. You, then again, as a new lottery winner, are thrust into the role of ultra-wealthy, without having the years of expertise that others may have had. This is why a lawyer can give great advice and be a great help when you begin your new life.

A financial planner is also a significant person to speak to. Also they can help you make the decisions early on in your life to ensure that you never have to work again. If you make wise investments with your official lottery winnings, instead of spending it foolishly, you will truly be a lottery success story.

Concentrate on your dreams

Winning the lottery is one area that most of us dream of doing. So now that you’ve won, what do you want to do with your winnings? Maybe you have always wanted to travel. This really is now your chance to become a world traveler. Or even you have always regretted that you were not able to go to college. You have the opportunity to get that degree! Making a list of all of your hopes and dreams will help you to discover the top path to achieve them.

Furthermore, think beyond just things to buy. Sure a new car or dream home will be nice, but think more about lifestyle changes rather than new toys. Almost all people don’t love their jobs, but find it nice to possess a hobby to take up time. Your hobby can now become your full time career, if you wish it. Being happy means spending your time doing the things you love.

Discover ways to say “No”

When you make a big win at the lottery, you will hear from friends you haven’t spoken to in years. You will hear from cousins that you never knew existed. You could even hear from complete strangers! How did everybody find you all of a sudden?

Most state lotteries make their winners public. It’s in their terms of service that winners has to be willing to go public. They do this for a range of reasons. For one thing, it’s really a great promotional device and it generates interest in the lottery. It also proves that the lottery is a fair draw and that there isn’t any cheating going on. The flip side of this really is that having their names made public puts a target on many lottery winners’ lives. As a brand new lottery winner, you will have to discover ways to say “no” to the many requests that can be coming to you. If you have a hard time doing this, in which case you will be easily taken advantage of, and pretty soon you can find your fortunes dwindling.

One alternative for all those who may not be looking forward to a life of public scrutiny is to try their hand at online lotteries. The relative anonymity provided by winning online implies that a big winner can still remain relatively anonymous. If you’ve always dreamed of having it all, but you’d like to still live the life of a regular Joe, you might want to try your hand at online lotteries.

Give some back to charity

Despite the fact that you’ll have to say “no” to a great deal of greedy people trying to make use of you, you could find that you are enthusiastic about giving back to charity. Many millionaires and billionaires have done great things with their donations, whether or not it be to hospitals, colleges, or other non-profit organizations. You may even donate your time! Even though it sounds crazy, many millionaires and lottery winners do it. (If you don’t have a regular job anymore, or only work part time resulting from winning the lottery, you might have a whole lot more free period to share and may find that you enjoy volunteering tour time).

In the event you do elect to give to charity, do your investigation first. You are going to need to find out what your interests are and the way you’d like to see your money spent, so make a list about which charities interest you. You may even research your favorite charities to find out where they spend their cash, simply how much of each gift they receive is used for charity, as well as other facts. These details should help you decide on a couple of worthy charities.