What Would You Do If You Won The Lotto?

Windfall is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage.”

A windfall is when you receive a surprise bonus or an unexpected raise in salary from your boss. Or when you get a tax refund. Or when you won a cash prize in your company’s Christmas party raffle draw.

My more meaningful term for windfall? Blessings.

What Would You Do If You Won The Lotto?

So you are not betting on the lottery, regularly. It just happened that one afternoon you and your friends were passing by an outlet and teased each other to bet on your favorite number combination. It’s for charity, anyway. 😛

The next morning you’re sitting in a posh McDonald’s branch with a newspaper on your left hand and a cup of coffee on your right.

Suddenly, something flasher on top of the headline. That 6-number combination. Slowly you put down the cup on the table with your hand shaking. You just can’t believe this is happening.

1-2-3-4-5-6. You won! What a lame number combination, but you’ve won!

You’re P700 million richer now!

Now what you’re gonna do next? How are you gonna react?

1) Press that pause button – Winning the lottery may be exhilarating but it won’t give you that easy feeling. It’s going to be very stressful so you need to stop thinking for a moment. Relax and see a movie so you won’t make any quick and reckless financial decision. I wonder if you would even understand what you’re watching after learning that you’ve just won. 😀

But still, just relax and stop for a while. 😉

2) Prepare your bank accounts. – Don’t mention right away to your family and friends that you’ve won. hehe. Now tell the lottery agency to put all your winnings in your bank accounts. Let it stay there for the meantime. Spread them out in different banks. Because at this stage you’re still starting to think.

3) Give to God First. – This windfall event will definitely change your life forever. Family members, friends, neighbors, and even financial consultants will start to contact you and give you their “expert” advice on what to do with your prize winnings.

But remember that it’s totally important that you give yourself enough time to decide what to do next with your money. Clear your head. Pray. Ask for spiritual guidance from a trusted man of God. Then give a significant portion of your money to various ministries that you love and believe in.

Give to charity directly. Don’t listen to everyone’s requests and pleas about how you should spend your money. God will show you that way.

4) Prioritize. – Buy a house? Start a business? Invest in stocks or funds? Get an insurance? Travel to the US? Buy a car? Pay for your kids’ education years? Acquire a farm? Build a church?

It’s important that you focus first on the top three or five items on your wish list. Once you break that rule, that’s the end of your prize winnings (savings).

Determine which among those in your wish list belongs to (a) what you currently NEED, (b) what you WANT and NEED within the year, and (c) what you and your family WILL NEED and WANT during your retirement years.

Get A Trusted Team, Form a Small Company

For my Filipino readers, do you still remember the Pepito Manaloto TV sitcom?

Pepito is played by veteran and award-winning comedian Michael V. whose “simple and underprivileged life significantly changes when he becomes the lone winner of P700 million in the national lottery.”

He was lucky to have been advised to get a financial planner, an accountant, and an auditor to manage and control his finances and taxes and a lawyer to protect him from legal risks.

So just in case you will win the lottery, identify the people who will fill in these roles. They should be able to advise you, depending on your age and risk profile, that your fortune should be kept either in safe investments like bonds and money market securities or still invest in stocks or funds.

Note: I don’t advocate lotto-betting.

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Rock your way to abundance!

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