If you hit the jackpot

Reply #22

csfb — Wed, 31 May 2006 05:38:37 GMT

You're welcome, Konane.

LLC's and Inc.'s are persons for legal intents and purposes, and thus they can be lotto winners, just like natural persons. If they need to be interviewed by lotto officials, no problem, they either have a designated officer or an authorized representative to take care of that.

Creating artificial persons is a legal strategy not only to keep one's identity private, but more important, to manage one's wealth. One advantage is limiting one's financial liabilit... [ More ]

Reply #21

csfb — Wed, 31 May 2006 05:00:22 GMT

Reply #20

bellyache — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:21:46 GMT

I think that's what I would do. I would be as boring as possible and not make any promises to anyone. I would probably only say something like I only have plans to invest it. That's it.

Reply #19

Prob988 — Sun, 28 May 2006 18:07:49 GMT

In my state, New Jersey, a press conference can be required to get the winnings. It says so right in the rules.

If I were required to do the conference, I would simply do as President Harry Truman's wife (Bess) did when, against her will, she became first lady. I would say no comment as often as is possible. I would make no promises to anyone, nor do anything that would make me memorable in any way.

Many (smart) lottery winners remain forgettable, and one never hears of them again.... [ More ]

Reply #18

delS — Sun, 28 May 2006 14:23:40 GMT

Justxploring-

You have a great idea here! You have given me something to ponder. If I were to hit one of those $60m - $100m jackpots, I probably would be interested in this idea! Really! Never thought along that line

Reply #17

konane — Sun, 28 May 2006 14:10:13 GMT

Welcome to LP!! Hope you learn lots, win even more!! Look into some of the Premium features available here which can potentially help pay for themselves. Have fun and win big!!

_________

True story long ago from a Lotto Georgia winner who was asked what he and his wife planned to do with their jackpot win. Their answer was to buy a double-wide and move to Alabama. They've remained anonymous because we haven't heard anything from them since.

Reply #16

basha12 — Sun, 28 May 2006 13:55:06 GMT

What is lady lucky bring to the table, this week Good Fortune I hope

Reply #15

basha12 — Sun, 28 May 2006 13:52:58 GMT

If I hit the Jackpot, I do not want my name plater all over the newspaper or TV.....I might have some relatives that

I do not know

Reply #14

Just6ntlc — Sun, 28 May 2006 07:37:13 GMT

My vote is yes. I like to stay anonymous.

Reply #13

konane — Sat, 27 May 2006 15:45:37 GMT

Great ideas, thanks!!

Something similar to what you describe was done in Georgia years ago for a Lotto Georgia winner where their spokesperson was the face seen by the public claiming the prize on behalf of their family LLC.

Reply #12

PrisonerSix — Sat, 27 May 2006 15:26:18 GMT

My state, Louisiana, allows the use of trusts and LLCs to claim prizes, and many winners have done that, sending an attorney or other such representative to collect the prize.

Anonymity isn't a yes/no thing. It's more about how anonymous you want to be, i.e. how hard you want to make it to be found. In most states, LLCs and corporations are required to have the name(s) and address(es) of owners/officers be on the paperwork, which is public record. Most states put this information online an... [ More ]

Reply #11

Uff Da! — Fri, 26 May 2006 03:14:38 GMT

At this point, I'm on the fence about anonymity. If I just won a million or two in a state lottery, I don't know that it would be worth the hassle to set it up through a trust, especially if I have to have someone else do the investing for me. I've done my own investing for 30 years or so now, and would really prefer to just go on my same merry way - except with more money. I'd have to look into exactly what is allowed or required in this state.

The real quandry, though, is if I were fortu... [ More ]

Reply #10

pigsNtrees — Thu, 25 May 2006 19:03:09 GMT

Before I claimed my prize I would rent a house or apartment in a large city in the state I won it in. Set up the phone, bank, drivers license and utilities while still living and going about my business as usual in my hometown.

Meantime I would hire a lawyer, an accountant, and a financial planner.

This way the announcement would say Jane Doe in Houston won the lottery. Not Jane Doe in Tinytown. When I claim my prize, no press conferences, no pictures, no commercials. Folks my find out l... [ More ]

Reply #9

Coin Toss — Thu, 25 May 2006 14:20:03 GMT

We had a $2 million dollar winner inn Illinois and it was platered all over the local papers, bad move. Don't know if that was voluntary or not.

So let's see, if everyone voting in this thread hits a jackpot, we're going to have 12 who remain anonymous and one who will wish they did.

Reply #8

dvdiva — Thu, 25 May 2006 05:59:12 GMT

It all depends on how much was won. Many midrange winners at under the $20 million mark are anonymous simply because it's not news.

If, and that's a really big if, Mega breaks 400 and a single person wins you can forget trying to hide who you are. Same with someone winning a record Euromillions pot if it matches the old level and a single ticket wins. Any winner at the 400+ level can kiss being anonymous goodbye.

Anonyminity through obscurity is always the best.

Reply #7

justxploring — Thu, 25 May 2006 05:56:26 GMT

I know anonymity is an ongoing topic, but I have a new question. You know how people legally get their names changed, i.e. Hollywood stars? If you really didn't want your real name in the paper because of greedy relatives or acquaintances, couldn't you legally change it before claiming your prize? Just a thought, although it might sound silly. Of course, you'd still be obligated to pay any taxes or past debts, since you would have the same social security number. Then you'd have to get a n... [ More ]

Reply #6

JimmySand9 — Thu, 25 May 2006 03:19:28 GMT

I won't be anonymous. I'll go on TV and tell the world Hey, I've got more money than you. And you're not getting a goddamn cent! Hahahahahaha! .

Reply #5

csfb — Thu, 25 May 2006 00:14:51 GMT

Most state lotteries require that the names of major winners and their general addresses be made public; only very few states allow the winners to be anonymous.

In the event you win, and would like to maintain your privacy, consider creating an artificial person, such as a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a Corporation. The authorized representative of that artificial person will claim the prize.

Or you might consider assigning the prize to a Revocable Private Trust, where you are th... [ More ]

Reply #4

Coin Toss — Wed, 24 May 2006 20:42:46 GMT

Given the choice, anyone who opted not to remain anonymous would be asking for grief, inviting it....and it would probably start with family, something like a brother or sister saying, Wondeful, now that we've won...

Reply #3

ml1003 — Wed, 24 May 2006 20:40:58 GMT

if i won i would share share share

Reply #2

wannawin$ — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:59:54 GMT

I didnt know you had a chioice, do you in PA? If so I would remain unknown.

Reply #1

bellyache — Wed, 24 May 2006 19:09:06 GMT

If I had the choice then yes I would remain anonymous. But if I couldn't, it wouldn't stop me from getting my prize if I won.

If you hit the jackpot

rundown99 — Wed, 24 May 2006 16:38:07 GMT

I saw an article from "The Texas Lotto Report" (Dawn Nettles) on the internet a while back. It explained what it would be like to win a $175 million. This looks like another reason to remain anonymous.

www .lottoreport. com/175milliontoone.htm