So You're Single and You Win the Lottery

How would you screen potential mates/SO's to ensure they're not just after your money?  To what lengths would you go?  Maybe own a home in a dumpy part of town where you'd let them think you lived for a few months to see if they stick with you?  Something more extreme? 

Would you ever marry, or just live together?  Would you move to a state that does not recognize common-law marriage in order to avoid having your SO claim that?  If you'd marry would you insist on a prenup? 

It's kind of a moral and emotional question. If I were very wealthy after hitting the lotto, I wouldn't tell the person I was dating that I was worth X amount of dollars until I got to know them very well. If he or she is genuinely attracted to you, the money wont really matter. But if he/she is a gold-digger, I'm sure you'll be able to spot that bad trait real quickly and drop him/her like a bad habbit before its too late. Just my opinion ...  

Prenups are a good safety net for you financially, but can destroy a relationship if based on that alone. That's how you spot a gold digger real fast. But prenups wont save you from a savy con job ... they'll agree to sign the prenup, but drain u as fast as they can before the relationship collapses,which is their plan to begin with.

Join me next week, Dr. Lovin' Money, for my next installment of "When it all comes crashin' down" ..until next time! ...  LOL

Omniscient

It does worry me that I wouldn't be able to spot a gold digger.  Some of them are master con artists.  Just look at celebrities who've been taken in - Britney Spears, Liza Minnelli, are the ones I can think of off hand.  Heck, Liza didn't even figure out her guy was gay! 

prenups dont sound romantic and it seems like you dont trust the person before you marry them but when you see sir paul and the way that situation turned out it makes you think about it more seriously if you are a lottery winner before you met the person you want to marry. i havent thought about how to screen potential mates this is a great question. i remember a story where a rich man pretended to be a fisherman for a living so when he met women he would smell like fish and so he knew most women who dated him liked him for personality and they didnt care what he did for a living so his bride was very surprised when she found out he was rich. i will have to try to find the short story online but i know it was fictional.

I'd continue to drive my Ford Taurus, i'd pretend I only made $35,000 per year.  I'd pretend I lived in an apt. in the safe, but cheap part of town.  And she'd never know how much I was really worth until I felt it was good enough time to tell her.  I'd also not tell her to what extent I was wealthy.  I'd also NOT give her access to ANY of my bank accounts until we were married for many years and I trusted her.  Only then she would have access to a very small account that we both had to sign off on for withdrawals/transfers. 

We'd also get married in Montana where prenups are Iron-Clad and there is no such thing as a no fault divorce and you leave the marriage with what you came into it with, nothing more.  In Jersey, they have the No Fault rule where even if a spouse cheats or does wrong (barring physical or mental harm to children or spouse), the judge still splits EVERYTHING 50/50.  THAT is bad.

I'd have the top models surrounding me like flies on ahem..

No stipulations given to me by a significant other defining their ideal situation, whatever it may be.

Free Bird....!

I have top model's surrounding me from .............TIME to TIME too!!!

................ most are TOP HEAVY & would fall-off .......RUN-WAY too^^

IF & ONLY I've WON the BIG ONE (mega-power BALL, etc)........THEN

PSYKO .....WILL just .................go out & FIND someone "$PECIAL &

MARRY HER.............LOL to ALL in ALL situations$$$$$$$

Hey Psykomo....Can you hook me up with these crazy women?

By now, I know which ones I can keep...LOL The quiet ones are the best...OL

i never heard that new jersey rule before but that is as you said bad because if the person cheats why should they get 50/50 that is really bad...

I also would keep my 1991 Nissan, and drive it whenever I expected to see the future SO.  I plan to travel alot in the US and Canada and would need a travel trailer for that (so the kitties would be happy) so anytime I invited any future SO to my home, I'd take the travel trailer out of storage and invite him there, so he'd think that was my home.  I'm thinking I'd do that about 2 months, and if he sticks around longer he probably isn't in it for my money.

As far as marriage, I'm over 40 and don't see any good reason for it.  I don't plan on having kids, so why marry?  And I live in Idaho where common-law marriage is not recognized any longer.  I think it would be fine having an SO live with me as long as he did not contribute to my mortgage.  I believe if he did contribute to the mortgage itself, he could claim part ownership, but I could be wrong.  Wouldn't have to worry about ti anyway because any home I buy will be paid off.

I would definitely consult an attorney about all the ramifications before I would let someone live with me.  As tnlotto1 mentioned, it's not very romantic, but it is necessary.  Especially for someone like me who hates to feel taken advantage of.  If I felt that someone had robbed me, even if it were a legal robbery, it could drive me to do things that could land me in prison if caught.  So better safe than sorry.

MegaWinner

Too bad Rod Serling of the Twilight Zone isn't still around, I'd love to see what he would have done with that one! 

 PS

Wasn't it Jersey where the couple was going through a divorce and one of them literally sawed a house in half?