Powerball ?

[GravitySucks]

The cash option would be $25M. After taxes, maybe $13M.

Barely a rounding error for the folks on this forum.

 

[scrabbler1]

I always felt I won my own personal "powerball" when I cashed out nearly $300k from my company stock 9 years ago and, after investing it in a bond fund, it has funded an income stream which has kept me afloat nicely in my ER. The company stock (ESOP) was an added perk (over and beyond our salary and other compensation) established in 1997 at no cost to us employees, so to me it is "found money."

 

[splitwdw]

I don't get why people don't play until it's several hundred million dollars in a jackpot. Is 40 million not enough to change your life?

Some of us don't play the lottery on a regular basis. I don't think to buy a ticket until they start to talk about it on the evening news. $2 bucks, a couple of times a year, isn't going to break me. Even when it's high I don't always remember to buy a ticket.

 

[ncbill]

I would be more tempted to play did I live in one of the (very few) states that do not require lottery winners to be personally identified.

 

[bclover]

We have a pool at my p/t gig. its fun and at 3 bucks a person cheap

 

[unclemick]

I think winning a huge jackpot would likely bring far more problems than rewards, changing your life in negative ways you can't envision. However it is fun to dream.

I agree. Beyond a certain point (enough?) the self imposed 'responsibility' of managing the wealth becomes a burden. Thus all the articles about ex jackpot winners becoming poor or worse.

heh heh heh - Of course that would never happen to me. . I gots this forum and I are an ER.

And we got zero, yes zero numbers on last night's Quick Pick.

 

[travelover]

I think winning a huge jackpot would likely bring far more problems than rewards, changing your life in negative ways you can't envision. However it is fun to dream.

Totally agree for my life and my happiness. When you've got a good thing goin', don't mess with it.

 

[RunningBum]

I figure there are very few things that could derail my retirement.


1. Losing a lawsuit over and above my umbrella insurance.
2. Some extraordinary medical event by me or a close family member, somehow not covered by insurance.
3. Winning a lottery, and losing my ability to control my spending or spot bad deals.


I've played a few times. Last year got a subscription for about a month to both lotteries. Thought it might be fun to follow the numbers and imagine what I might do with all that money. I must not have much imagination because I couldn't think of much.

 

[woodguy00]

I don't get why people don't play until it's several hundred million dollars in a jackpot. Is 40 million not enough to change your life?

Not as good of return on my $2 investment. [emoji39]

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

I think winning a huge jackpot would likely bring far more problems than rewards, changing your life in negative ways you can't envision. However it is fun to dream.

I agree 1000%. I can't begin to fathom the issues that it would present. The lottery people aren't stupid; by adding in the extra numbers and making almost impossible odds even crazier it has in effect resulted in free advertising since the news outlets go bat sh*t crazy reporting the extravagant amount of money.

I heard on the radio today that in a recent survey (I don't know the source they used) over 1/2 of the participants indicated that their retirement funding plan was, you guessed it, "winning the lottery".

 

[growing_older]

Was in a store that had a lottery outlet last night. There was a long line to buy tickets and most people were buying $50 to $100 worth at a time. Had a sort of desperate atmosphere. The odds are so terrible but people want to dream.

 

[NoiseBoy]

I will throw $5 at the lottery once in a while. I used to spend it on scratch games because they are a tiny bit more fun. But, in my state, they changed the low priced games so that all $1 and $2 scratch-off tickets have max payouts that are well below life changing sums of money, so I switched to lotto quick picks. That is also why the gambling machines that they have in the bars have no appeal for me. Why risk $20 to win $500? It won't change my life or ER plans one bit.

For me, hitting a lottery jackpot would mean that Mom and Dad would end their lives in super luxury. The current price tag on that in my area is about $9,000 a month! Flying first class at a moments notice would not bother me one bit and no more wine from a box! I do wish that the payouts were more frequent, but the super-sized jackpots seem to be what draw the most players.

 

[scrabbler1]

Was in a store that had a lottery outlet last night. There was a long line to buy tickets and most people were buying $50 to $100 worth at a time. Had a sort of desperate atmosphere. The odds are so terrible but people want to dream.

Reminds me of a time back in the 1990s when, one Friday night a few hours before a big lottery drawing, I was at my local mini-mart to buy some milk. All the other customers in there buying stuff were buying lottery tickets, booze, and smokes. I was the only one in there not buying a vice!

I paid a few dollars to join office lottery pools a few times over the years. The last time I bought my own lottery tickets was also in the mid-1990s before a big drawing. I felt like such a dolt trying to figure out how to select the numbers for my 2 tickets (I didn't know about Quick Picks) and pencil in the little circles or however you do it.

 

[Walt34]

Like many, once in a blue moon either I or DW will buy one or two, just for the daydreams. No one would be more astonished than us if we actually won anything. I was thinking of buying one on the way home from the gym today but forgot, and I'm not going out in this cold weather for it.

 

[joeea]

I used to own a fast food restaurant that had a lottery machine and sold scratch tickets. It made me sad when I saw the people lined up before the numbers were drawn to purchase their tickets. And it was even sadder when people would call to ask what number was drawn, and I had to tell them that they didn't win.

The few people that did win a few dollars virtually always gave it quickly back by purchasing more tickets.

I couldn't say it to their faces, but I will say it here - thanks for your contributions! You are helping to keep my taxes lower than they otherwise would be.

I'm all in favor of a National Lottery. How many would pay for a chance to win $1B ? Many would, I suspect.

 

[harley]

Like many, once in a blue moon either I or DW will buy one or two, just for the daydreams. No one would be more astonished than us if we actually won anything. I was thinking of buying one on the way home from the gym today but forgot, and I'm not going out in this cold weather for it.

Good point! It's in the 40s here today, so if I go out and buy a ticket tomorrow maybe I won't be competing against as many people since the east coasters will be home bound.

 

[Clone]

The lottery is sooooo yesterday. I am using my powerball money to invest in bitcoin.

We will see who gets the last laugh!

I have this Nigerian Prince holding on line 2!!!

 

[kgtest]

I don't get why people don't play until it's several hundred million dollars in a jackpot. Is 40 million not enough to change your life?

Right. The bigger the jackpot the greater odds you share it. Not gonna lie 500million has a nice ring to it, even if taxes cut into it.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

Only when I am working do I sometimes put $1 down on a Hit5 when it is 150k plus. The odds of winning anything are literally 1000x better than the big ones and about every 8 tries I win $1 back. Coffee money.

 

[Ed_The_Gypsy]

I imagine if I won $40 mil, I would have to share with 100,000 other winners. Bad karma.

 

[Redbugdave]

I know it's a scam, but occasionally I will buy a quick pick when getting gas when the lottery gets high. I don't ever waste more than $6, though.
Funny real life story here in SC a week ago...The SC Lottery had a computer burp and a bunch of people won prizes. While South Carolina was determining what to do about it...whether to pay out or refuse to pay on default...some of the people were saying that they were depending on getting that money. The Lottery did pay out. I can't believe how many people are hooked on the lottery.
SC Education Lottery glitch leads to winning tickets, anger | The State

 

[GalaxyBoy]

Meh. The lottery is a tax on people who suck at math.

Everyone pick a set of numbers and send ME the dollar. I promise I'll pay off if you get the winning numbers!

 

[Montecfo]

I buy a $2 quick pick. I know I won't win. But, I also know that if I don't play I can't win.

It sounds like the lottery company's ridiculous marketing is effective.

 

[Sunset]

I will throw $5 at the lottery once in a while........

For me, hitting a lottery jackpot would mean that Mom and Dad would end their lives in super luxury. The current price tag on that in my area is about $9,000 a month! Flying first class at a moments notice would not bother me one bit and no more wine from a box! I do wish that the payouts were more frequent, but the super-sized jackpots seem to be what draw the most players.

Come on, if you won, it would be no more wine from other people's vineyards

If anyone does win, and is worried about it ruining their life, just give me 95% of it and I will save you

 

[DrRoy]

I think winning a huge jackpot would likely bring far more problems than rewards, changing your life in negative ways you can't envision.

That does seem to happen in a lot of cases.