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The US $ 1.5 billion jackpot for a single US lottery was awarded to a single bettor. According to studies
Mega Millions had accumulated 25 competitions since the end of July, for lack of winners. In October, she finally paid the second-largest lottery prize in the history of the United States.
The probability of winning is very low – about one in 303 million. That is, you are about 400 times more likely to be struck by lightning.
If every adult in the United States only bought one ticket with different number combinations, there would remain a reasonable probability – about 7% – not to But once the winner is announced and that the price is withdrawn, another more interesting question arises: what happens to all this money? Studies done by myself and other researchers have shown that this is often not what you think.
A lower premium than it seems
The first thing to keep in mind is that, although the value of the premium is very high, the Le actual payment will be much lower.
The winner will not receive a check for $ 1.5 billion the next day. As the only winner, he can choose between a single installment of about $ 878 million or receive annual installments of $ 1.5 billion that gradually increase over 30 years.
If the winner comes from a US state that does not levy a lottery tax, such as Florida or Texas, and opts for a single amount, the federal government will receive $ 211 million, which will leave $ 667 million
. the winning ticket would have been bought in South Carolina, which would still bite 7%, leaving the winner around $ 606 million.
The price begins to decline, even if it remains a generous portion. Where is the money going?
In the popular imagination, winning the lottery is synonymous with changing lives. In an article published in 2001, economists Guido Imbens and Bruce Priest, in partnership with statistician Donald Rubin, showed that this was likely to happen, but that people tended to spend unexpected gains.
Financial Analysis of Lottery Winners. Ten years after winning the award, they revealed that they saved only 16 cents for every dollar they received.
In my own research, I discovered that people who received an inheritance or a major gift at 20, 30, and 40 years of age
and other studies have shown that winning the lottery, by general, do not help those who have financial difficulties to solve their problems – this only delays the inevitable bankruptcy.
It's not easy to "grill everything up"
How can a lottery winner spend hundreds of millions of dollars so quickly? This is not easy.
A demographic survey of punters' characteristics suggests that the apogee of lottery betting occurs when people are 30 or 39 years old and decline with age. Assuming the winner is in his thirties, that means he would have about 45 years to spend, for example, $ 900 million (after tax). This means that it should pay just under $ 20 million a year, or about $ 55,000 a day to stop this money, while taking into account the interest accrued at the bank.
Plus, spending everything means that the winner does not have any property. If he used this money to buy luxury homes, Banksy, Ferraris and Aston Martins, his net worth would not change and he would be able to retire with his estate intact – provided that the value of the investments be preserved or increased. [19659002] "Twist" all the money, which leads to bankruptcy and a small savings, means that the winner has nothing palpable to prove his expenses, if it is not the have fun.
From Wealth to Throat
By and large, a man named Huntington Hartford
The American, who lived from 1911 to 2008, inherited the fortune from the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company. The company, opened shortly before the Civil War, is better known as the A & P supermarket chain. It was the first American store from one ocean to another and, from the First World War to the 1960s, what Walmart represents today for American consumers.
Hartford inherited about 90 million dollars at the time of his 12 years. years If we correct the value of inflation, it means that she has earned more than $ 1.3 billion (after taxes) during her childhood. But he declared bankruptcy in 1992, about 70 years after receiving one of the biggest fortunes in the world.
It had the opposite effect of the Midas key. He lost millions by buying real estate, creating an art museum, sponsoring plays and shows. He combined his lack of business skills with an exceptionally luxurious lifestyle.
After his bankruptcy, he lived in isolation in the Bahamas with one of his daughters until his death. The life story of Hartford, badociated with academic research, shows that money falling from the sky does not always bring happiness. It's easier to spend than it looks.
If you play the lottery without winning, I wish you good luck next time.
However, one of the most important lessons, whether or not to play the lottery, is that when you receive unexpected money, you have to think about the future and resist the temptation so human all to spend.
Jay L. Zagorsky is Adjunct Professor at Boston University in the United States. This article was originally published on the academic news site The Conversation and republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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