$180 Million Lottery Winners: 'We Want A Regular Life'

Well, it is very unlikely that you will win the lottery, but if you should, I'm sure that there will be people who will be critical of your approach.

Many people who win the lottery appear to fail miserably at it.   I suspect that the majority of the failures are those who make big changes rashly.

I happen to know an acquaintance of the Whites, who won 220 million in Powerball.   They lived in New Jersey, but bought their ticket in PA near where I live.

They stayed in their house for more than a year, and made changes very, very, very slowly.   According to my acquaintance, they have done quite well.   After adjusting to their wealth they did move, but still retain their original residence.    They didn't do anything particularly wild with the money.   

The people in the store where the ticket was sold of course felt entitled to huge "tips" and wrote letters to the winners - I'm sure they went on a big pile of such letters - but they never heard from the Whites again.   

(I think this was wise.)

It seems to me that the first thing people want to do when they hear of lottery winners is to criticize their approaches.

I'm sure it's a big change, but somehow I expect these people may do better than some.   I wish them luck.   They seem to have good values.

It'd be harder to criticize them if no one knows who they are. Well, without doing some digging anyway. I thought these people with having their attorney make the initial statement were going to go about claiming through a trust or something to at least try to keep their name out of the papers, but that ended up not happening, maybe Minnesota doesn't allow it, I dunno. Anyway, we'll see in a few years where life and their winning has taken them, unless things go well then we'll probably never hear of the again.

I know it depends on the person, but I will admit that if I won a jackpot like that it would be very very veryhard for me to stick around where I'm at now. Even if no one knew I won,I'd still be outta here as soon as I have things sorted out and taken care to asatisfactory degree.

Right on!  I am really put off with those who declare  the money is "not going to change their lives" etc.  Anyone who thinks this is naive and simplistic to the extreme.  Why play? 

If, having won this tremendous windfall,  they REALLY don't want this money to change their lives, then they should claim a small portion  (and I mean VERY SMALL, like a couple of million or so) for themselves.  THEN, hving made their declaration of realizing "money is not as important as friendship and helping others", I think it a wonderful idea to share their winnings with their best friends and extended family members in addition to donating funds to  their declared medical research intention.  Now, THAT would be putting your money where your mouth is!  Somehow this rarely seems to occur to the complainers.  I would be interested to find out exactally how much money goes to research.  Talk is cheap.  Money speaks.

Since they declared money is "not important" just try to get them to part with a dollar to help you!!!  Good luck!  Even their best friends and siblings frequently find themselves sucking wind and using food stamps when it comes to this brand of sharing and indifference toward money.

PS:  It seems these people have an equally simplistic and naive accountant... birds of a feather, so to speak.  Why on earth did the  accountant not give advice as per trusts, partnerships, confidentiality, seeking a tax attorney, etc?  The first thing I would do with all this money (now that I opened Pandora's box by flying to the lottery headquarters like both my hair and the building was on fire)  is to dismiss the accountant for ineptitude and find an accountant worthy of the title.  Maybe they could share some of this money with the current accountant.  With such skills as the accountant exhibited I doubt he/she is very successful, so the money will come in real handy. Maybe the accountant could go back to school.

D'oh! I thought it was thinking it was their attorney in the initial story, oh well... Replace attorney with accountant. >_>

But I agree, but maybe this couple didn't want to wait for the trust to get set up. If so then they probably were seeking the publicity which makes it more annoying. Like that couple in Georgia who won the big Mega Millions a few months back and preceded to go on a small media tour.

For sure, they will get tired of the beggars.  They will get tired of being hounded for money by their friends, "relatives", businesses who never knew they existed, lawyers-who want to"manage" their money, charities that they have never heard of, and plain people who feel as if they have enough to share some with them....their life will never be normal again.  If it were me, I WOULD at least move to be able to think and breathe.

 Since they are of retiring age, they should invest the prize in commercial properties that can generate steady incomes.

I agree 180 million%

It's amazing how many people are totally clueless about what a regular life is. Just because it's not the regular life you can afford doesn't mean it isn't a regular life. The world is full of people who have plenty of money but still live regular lives. I think it was Robin Williams, talking about cocaine just making your personality more pronounced, who wondered, "what if you're already an a$$hole?  Money seldom changes people. An abundance of it just gives them more opportunity to be themselves and do the things they're already been doing, but on a somewhat bigger scale. David Edwards didn't change when he won powerball, his bad decisions just got more expensive.

Having enough money that you don't need to worry about the cost of gas or where the next mortgage check will come from doesn't mean that there are any fundamental changes in who you are or your core values. The people who go out and buy too much house, too many cars, or make other extravagant indulgences already wanted to do that, but just didn't have enough money yet. Plenty of other people come into money and buy a newer car and a nicer houser, and go on a few more or nicer vacations. That doesn't mean that they've changed or that they aren't leading a regular life. Money is just a tool. It's how you use it rather than how much you use that shows what type of person you are.

of course they want a normal life...that's why they did the interview, right?

you wouldn't see me at all if I won, especially that amount of $$$.  

LIKE KIDZMOM ,I WORK AS AN ELECTRICIAN IN A BIG HOSPITAL IN THE BRONX.I OFTEN HAVE TO GO INTO PEDIATRIC ICU"S.  Sometimes i just get soo tearyeye and upset,and i'm only there maybe a few hours at a time.Now,if you really want to get upset go into a neonatal  or a burn unit. It really makes you think about life and how eazy it can be cut short.I also worked in a hospital on Long Island which had a Ronald McDonald House right next door. Just one more life check.

      Yes ,i will have a great time when i hit but just don't ever forget about your good healht and how lucky your are to be alive..

   D