Once you’ve won a big prize from the lottery, you may feel that all of the serious effort is performed. Alternatively, you’d be quite wrong! There are lots of documented cases of individuals who have 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 a lawyer or financial planner

Before going public with your lottery winnings, it is a great idea to speak to a lawyer and also a financial planer. Certain lawyers specialize in lottery winners as well as how to best begin a wise life that will make the most of their winnings. Keep in mind, the ultra-rich (millionaires and billionaires) got that way by being wise with their cash. They have had their wealth for a long time. You, on the flip side, as a brand new lottery winner, are thrust in to the role of ultra-wealthy, without having the years of experience that others may have had. This really is why a lawyer can give great advice and be a good help when you begin your new life.

A financial planner is also a vital person to talk to. Also they can help you make the decisions early on within your life to be certain that you never have to work again. If you make wise investments with your lottery winnings, rather than spending it foolishly, you will truly be a lottery success story.

Focus on your dreams

Winning the lottery is something that most of us dream of doing. So now that you have won, what would you like to do with your winnings? Maybe you’ve always wanted to travel. This is now your chance to become a world traveler. Or even you have always regretted that you weren’t able to go to college. You have the chance to get that degree! Making a number of all your hopes and dreams can help you to locate the most effective path to achieve them.

Moreover, think beyond just things to buy. Sure a brand new car or dream home will be nice, but think more about lifestyle changes rather than new toys. A lot of people do not love their jobs, but find it nice to have a hobby to take up time. Your hobby can now become your full time profession, 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 everyone find you all of a sudden?

Most state lotteries make their winners public. It’s in their terms of service that winners must be prepared to go public. This is accomplished for a number of reasons. For one thing, it’s really a great promotional device and it generates interest in the lottery online. Additionally, it proves that the lottery is a fair draw and that there’s no cheating going on. The flip side of this is that having their names made public puts a target on many lottery winners’ lives. As a new lottery winner, you will have to discover ways to say “no” to the many requests that may be coming to you. Should you have a hard time doing this, then you will be easily taken benefit from, and pretty soon you will find your fortunes dwindling.

One alternative for anyone 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 means that a big winner can still remain relatively anonymous. If you have always dreamed of having all of it, but you’d like to still live the life of a regular Joe, then you definitely may want to try your hand at online lotteries.

Give some back to charity

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

Should you elect to give to charity, do your research first. You will need to discover what your interests are and just how you want to see your hard earned money spent, so make a list about which charities interest you. You can even research your favorite charities to see where they spend their money, the amount of each gift they receive is utilized for charity, as well as other facts. This information should help you decide on a couple of worthy charities.