It's Friday the 13th, but possibly one American will be the lucky winner of the next Mega Millions Jackpot after the drawing on Friday night. The prize is $1.35 billion, the second-highest in the game's history, and the sheer size of the winnings is pushing some reluctant gamblers to buy a ticket.
"To be honest, I'm not much of a lottery guy, but I'm jumping on the bandwagon this week," said Tom from New Rochelle, New York, from a deli counter.
What will he buy if he wins? "A couple of Lamborghinis… maybe the New York Giants."
But figuring out your first big purchase is just one of many things to consider if you hit the jackpot. Rebecca Walser, a financial planner and author of Wealth Unbroken: Growing Wealth Uninterrupted by Market Crashes, Taxes, and Even Death, offered three tips.
— "Number one, tell nobody and do not sign your ticket. Make sure you take selfies with it and make copies of it, but put it in a secure location. Only tell potentially your spouse."
— "Number two, come up with a financial budget. Most lottery winners actually declare bankruptcy within three to five years of their winnings." (Check out this MIT study from 2011 if you need any convincing.)
— "Number three, make sure that you hire a team of legal experts, tax lawyers, and financial experts to not only implement your legal strategy for accepting your winnings but also to come up with a financial budget."
In short, she said, "seek professional and legal help immediately."
The Powerball jackpot rose yet again to an estimated $1 billion after no winning ticket was sold for the latest drawing.
According to a 2022 study by hireahelper.com, the average cost of a local move in the United States was up twelve percent from 2021. Joining Cheddar News is an expert on how to plan a budget for a cost-effective move.
A group of bipartisan senators is calling for the release of public records on UFOs.
Over a dozen states are under air quality alerts as smoke from the Canadian wildfires continues to make its way across the country.
Millions of Americans continue to be under a heat advisory as extreme temperatures are still affecting the southern U.S.
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As we reported on Friday, a suspect has been charged in connection with a series of murders that took place on Gilgo Beach, Long Island more than a decade ago. The victims' remains were found between 2010 and 2011 after the disappearance of one woman resulted in a search of the area. This morning, our sister network News 12 reported that police in Suffolk County are now executing a search warrant at a storage unit.
The suspect in a shooting that left four people dead in Hampton, Georgia on Saturday was killed by police.
A 7.2 magnitude earthquake was reported in Alaska over the weekend, leading to a brief tsunami warning.
Over 11 million Americans are under a heat advisory, with the extreme weather hitting the southern U.S.
