What should you do with $810 million?
Claiming Tuesday night’s prize money – the third-largest ever Mega Millions jackpot – likely also will draw taxes, grifters, and friends and family members, advisors say.
All that attention means the first and most important piece of financial advice likely is what you should not do if you hold the winning ticket.
“Don’t shout your win from the rooftop,” Rob Burnette, financial and investment advisor at Outlook Financial Center in Troy, Ohio, said. “If you’re lucky enough to win the lottery, keep it quiet. Get organized and make a plan. Consider staying anonymous, if it’s a possibility.”
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How much is the jackpot, when is the drawing, what are my chances of winning?
Since no ticket matched all five numbers plus the gold Mega Ball 16 drawn Friday night, the jackpot rose to $810 million, with a cash option of $470.1 million, according to the Mega Millions website. It was not known immediately Tuesday night if someone – or several people – matched all six numbers.
The single chance of matching all six numbers is roughly 1 in 303 million. Mega Millions tickets – which cost $2 each – are sold in 45 states plus the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Why shouldn’t you tell everyone?
Scammers.
“Some of those scammers have falsely identified themselves as being affiliated with Mega Millions,” Mega Millions said. “These scams all have one thing in common: They try to trick you into sending them money or personal information by claiming that you have won a large lottery prize.”
No representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or e-mail anyone about winning a prize, Mega Millions said.
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Also remember, “no real lottery tells winners to put up their own money in order to collect a prize they have already won,” it said.
Steve Azoury, owner of Azoury Financial in Troy, Mich., said he has advised many lottery winners, including a $181 million winner “who said ‘If I didn’t know you before, I don’t want to know you now.’”
If you can’t tell everyone you won, what can, or should you do?
“Get a tax attorney and a tax accountant right off the bat and then a financial advisor,” said Azoury. “They’ll work hand in hand to figure out the plan.”
The plan will include which payout option to choose:
- An annuity option makes an initial annual payment followed by 29 annual payments. Each payment is 5% larger than the previous one.
- The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool.
The plan also should include a “fall guy,” Azoury said. “That’s the person or advisor who keeps you from giving loans to anybody, who tells people all the money’s tied up in investments, not available. We have nothing available to help you out and we’re not interested in your project.”
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Should you take the lump sum or installment payments?
That decision depends on your goals, your age, and what lottery rules are for beneficiaries to continue receiving payments, or if you’d likely squander a lump sum.
Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt, recommends considering the following:
- Size of the lottery winning: That can serve as a guide to determining taxes you may owe and the financial security you can derive from it. If the amount is on the smaller side, a lump sum may simply be easier.
- Current and projected earnings: Consider your ability to earn money and tax rates over your lifetime.
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How much do you bring home?
That depends on how you decide to take your money and complex state laws.
If you win the Mega Millions lottery, you’ll likely be propelled into the highest federal tax bracket. Your state of residency and where you bought the winning ticket can greatly impact what you pay in state taxes.
For example, if you’re a California resident and purchase your ticket there, then you pay the 37% federal tax rate and you’ll owe the state 11%, Steber said.
But, if you’re a California resident and you’re on vacation in Rhode Island and decide to buy a ticket there, you’ll owe the federal tax but maybe not the California state tax because you bought it out of state.
“This is where a tax professional really comes in handy,” Steber said. “State taxes can be very tricky.”
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“How long does it take to get your money if you win the Mega Millions?”
Once you claim the prize, it shouldn’t take too long, Azoury said. “Maybe a couple of weeks,” he said.
Remember, most people won’t claim their winnings right away because they’ll take time to set their plan. Claim periods vary by jurisdiction so people should check with the lottery in the state where the ticket was purchased to get the applicable claim period for that ticket.
Mega Millions claim periods range from 90 days to one year from the draw date, the lottery said, but vary by jurisdiction. Winning ticket holders should check with the lottery in the state where the ticket was purchased.
Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at [email protected] and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism