Paul and Sue Rosenau are Minnesota's newest millionaires.
The Waseca couple appeared this afternoon at a news conference at Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville, introduced as the lucky winners of Saturday's $180.1 million Powerball drawing. The Rosenaus said they'll take the lump-sum payment of $88 million, or $59.6 million after taxes.
The Rosenaus, both 54, hit the largest Powerball jackpot in state history. The Rosenaus have three adult children, and just last week had their second grandchild. Their first grandchild, Makayla, died as a toddler from a genetic disorder five years to the day of the Powerball drawing.
"I guess there was divine intervention," Paul Rosenau said. "This happened for a reason."
They said they don't intend to change much in their lives, for now. They'll keep their jobs and intend to remain in Waseca, but they have already unlisted their phone number.
As for what they'll do with the money, Sue Rosenau has ideas of a trip to Hawaii while Paul Rosenau spoke of philanthropic plans, including giving money for research toward the disorder that took their granddaughter's life.
The Rosenaus were accompanied to Roseville today by their accountant, Dale DeRaad.
"They are just excited," DeRaad said this morning. "They are just wonderful people."
In matching all five white balls and the red Powerball, the winners defied the staggering odds of 1 in 146,107,962 to win the jackpot. DeRaad said the couple has played the lottery occasionally in the past, but bought only one ticket for Saturday's drawing.
Paul Rosenau said he bought the ticket at a HyVee store in Faribault, Minn.
The winning numbers were 2, 28, 36, 42 and 46 and the Powerball 40.
DeRaad said the Rosenaus client called him at 7 a.m. Monday to tell him that they held winning ticket. DeRaad said he made a photocopy of the ticket.
The Rosenaus are the 20th Powerball jackpot winner in the state since the game began in 1992.
Minnesota's biggest Powerball winners
- June 30, 1999: Farrah Slad, Brainerd, won $150 million. Took cash option of $78.8 million.
- Aug. 14, 2004: Mary Beth and David Wenell of Eden Prairie won $98.6 million. They took cash option of $53.1 million.
- Oct. 25, 2003: Sixteen employees of Holdingford, Minn., schools won $95.5 million. Took cash option of $49.7 million.
- Aug. 25, 2001: Sheryel Hanuman, Minneapolis, won one-fourth of a $295 million jackpot ($73.7 million). She took the cash option of $41.4 million for her share.
- Oct. 30, 1999: John and Sandy Wynne, Oakdale, won $61.1 million. Took cash option of $31 million.
- March 4, 2000: Keith and Carol Goergen, Elgin, Minn., won one-third of a $150.1 million jackpot. Took cash option of $25.9 million.
- Sept. 26, 1998: Ron and Jenny Cronkhite, Moorhead, won $49.2 million. Took cash option of $28.4 million.
(Click for full-size image.) Sue and Paul Rosenau are the winners of the largest lottery prize ever awarded in Minnesota — the $180.1 million Powerball. The couple said they won the jackpot exactly five years after the death of their 2-year-old granddaughter. Sue Rosenau said they must have an angel.
Congratulations to the very happy couple!
WTG! Good people won. Wow only 1 ticket!
The said they want to keep their day jobs and help people-I'm SURE now that everyone knows who they are they'll get thier chance!!!-LOL
I think that is the only mistake they made but most likely only talk to sound humble. Once they see thousands of people begging for a handout, they will come to their senses. Why the rush to claim the prize within a few days? Enjoy the moment for you got 1 full year to claim the prize.
Doesn't it always happen that way?
Congratulations to the Roseneaus!!!!
How boring, another winner that wants to stay the same after winning 60 million after taxes. Why bother playing the lottery then? They should have already quit their jobs and started planning to live the high life. That's what winning the Powerball jackpot is all about!
We need another Jack Whittaker type winner.
Then you better hope I win the Mega Millions because things would certainly change if I won. Unfortunately I'd try hard to remain hidden so hopefully none of you would know about it. :D
I think most people who say things won't change (which is like all of them when they do these interviews) are kidding themselves.
Congrats to the lucky couple!
The Waseca couple appeared this afternoon at a news conference at Minnesota Lottery headquarters in Roseville, introduced as the lucky winners of Saturday's $180.1 million Powerball drawing. The Rosenaus said they'll take the lump-sum payment of $88 million, or $59.6 million after taxes.
can someone please explain to me how the jackpot is advertised at 180m million and the lump sum payment is only 88 million
and then the after tax amount is a insanely low amount of 59.6 million. i always thought that the lump sum payment was
the amount u would get after taxes?? i know that i am probably wrong but it just sounds like false advertisement to me.
has anyone ever did the math as far as what the tax amount would be if people took the 30 year payments? i could be wrong
again but i do not believe that after 30 years of payments that you would only receive 59.6 million out of a 180 million dollar jackpot.
I can't believe they have GROWN CHILDREN and did not put them on the ticket also..seems like they haven't done much planning.
Congrats to the Couple! I would love to be going to Hawaii with ya!
Rage, MUSL says the advertised amount is the amount you get when you take the 30 year annuity. If you take the cash up front lump sum, it was advertised at 88 million. They explain, "that is the amount we have on hand to pay the winner straight up." After Federal and State taxes (which varies, according to each state) the winners only got the low amount mentioned. The advertised amount, they say, is the amount you get over a period of 30 years, with the interest that is accrued. But you can do the same thing with the cash option if you are smart with it. So, in the future, if you want to know what you have actually won, look at the advertised amount and take off the federal and state taxes. Or you can check out USAMega.com and KNOW how it breaks down by using the Jackpot Analysis link on the left of the page.
And as far as their children not being on the ticket, well....They might know their kids and how well they would handle the money and decided keep in their name. And there is the off chance (that has been the case in my family) where one kid would handle money great and the others need to be constantly bailed out of trouble no matter how much money they had to begin with. And some kids, well, aren't very respectful of their parents enough to deserve such a thing in the first place., no matter how much we love them.
Congrats to the Rosenau's. Looks like a good story in the making. I would be willing to bet we do not hear much from them after this.
It is my understanding that you cannot put anyone else besides husband and wife on the tickiet because that would constitute a lottery club, which, would have to have been formed ahead of time.
Yes, if you want detailed information about how the cash and annuity values are determined, go to the USA Mega Powerball FAQ page and scroll down to the question, "Why is the cash option different than the advertised jackpot?".
I'd recommend checking out the rest of the info on that page too. Other useful pages at USA Mega can be found in the left-side navigation on the site, as well as in the drop-down menus.
sounds like it couldn't have happened to a nicer couple.
Why would they have to put anyone else on their ticket and how does that constitute them not doing much planning?
I can't believe I'm seeing this being said! How about this: It was their win, not their children's!
I'll be damned if I'll put my one grown adult daughter on my winning ticket! I'm not saying that she won't benefit from my win, but she sure isn't going to get 50% of it either! Heck not even 1/3, not 1/4 either! She will get no less than 1 million, but it could be as much as (5 million Tops) that she will get! And for my young son .... he'll get 3 million put in a trust until he's 21! Now it all depends on what age he is when I win the big one! But many years of interest compounding annually puts him in the big, big, big bucks if it happens in the very near future!
WTG
Congrats to the lucky couple! Stay smart and protect yourselves.
I'm not so sure about the comment about the adult children. I have two, both in college, both still pretty much on my dollar. No way would I split a jackpot like that with them. They will get the benefits anyway, then inherit. I waited - they can, too.
I waited - they can, too.
EXACTLY!!!
Wow! It looks like there are big winners from all over the state in Minnesota. They aren't all just concentrated in the Twin Cities. That seems to happen in Georgia too...winners from all over not just Atlanta.
In Michigan the big winners all just concentrate in one corner of the state near Detroit.
Anyway Congrats to the Rosenaus
Minnesota's biggest Powerball winners
Someone won $250,000 from the last MM drawing and guess where the ticket was bought.... Canton, Michigan which seems to have had several winners (at least I remember a few) and of course it's near Detroit.
Maybe but I am talking about the Jackpots.
Maybe there was one Jackpot that wasn't near Detroit but I don't remember it. If there was one that was not near Detroit I bet it would be posted on the Michigan lottery website...but I don't see any.
Anyway That couple that won this jackpot really do seem nice. The only winner that I did not have a good feeling about is that guy from Metro Detroit that just won the MM $135 Million.
me either, that guy just seemed like a huge jerk
Well, he was described as "a character" and people I've met that could be described that way never leave a good impression with me. I saw an interview with him from a news station in Michigan outside his home of all places and he did know better about keeping your mouth shut but didn't and within seconds of winning half the warehouse he worked at knew about it.
But who knows? If we never hear about him again then I guess he did well.
Congrats to the Rosenaus!
I mentioned before in another thread that the advertised jackpot amount is false advertising. A jackpot lottery winner once sued a lottery commission stating the same thing and asked for the advertised amount amount in a lump sum up front. Even though he lost, I believe he had a case.
Why is the Mega Millions cash option so much higher than the Power Ball version? Don't they both use the same method of paying out the advertised jackpot with treasury bonds? Maybe I should read up on it...
180M PB = 88 Million (about 49% of the annuity jackpot).
145M MM = 88.3 Million (about 61% of the annuity jackpot).
I know as the MM rises, the percentage lowers, but it's still starts off almost equal to Powerball where the starting jackpot is three million higher, then again MM has worse odds too but that shouldn't matter too much. Or does it? Does PB pay out more money per drawing than Mega Millions when it comes to lower tier prizes?
You have to remember that the PowerPlay option in the PowerBall game has to be paid from somewhere! I see the light going on now! lol
MM is paid over 27 years.
Powerball is paid over 30 years, would three more years really make that much of a difference?
Correction. MM is paid over 26 years. I believe that would make the difference.
30 years is 15.38% longer than 26 years. Factor in the compounding of 4 additional years, that should make the difference.
Oh, I was thinking you said 27 to cover the first year of payments I think, which is why I said 30 for PB instead of 29. Either way, it's a three year difference.
Still, you get more upfront with Mega Millions than you do with Power Ball.
MM annuities are spread over 26 payments, which is one up front and one for the next 25 years. For PB it's 30 payments over 29 years. That's a 4 year difference, but there's much more to it. By spreading the remaining payments over 29 years instead of 25 there is more of the available money invested right at the start. The bigger diference is that MM payments are equal, but PB payment start smaller and get bigger as time goes by. With a total of 26 payments, MM pays just under 4% up front and invests a bit over 96%. The first PB payment is abpout 1.8%, so 98.2% gets invested. That small extra investment and the extra 4 years means that the total payout for a given amount of cash is about 25% more than what you'd see with the MM schedule.
What you get upfront is exactly the same with PB and MM, if you take cash . Taking the cash means you get 100% of what they have to invest. The cash prize isn't smaller with PB, the annuity is bigger, at least in terms of the advertised numbers. Since they're both going to get the same investment results, the only real difference is how long it takes to collect the money.
The cash value percentage changes with interest rates, but not with the amount of the jackpot.
The powerplay option is paid with 50 cents from every dollar they collect by selling the powerplay option.