Could You Really Handle Winning The Powerball?

Well tonight's Powerball Lottery is almost $610 million dollars that could go to a single winner.  I am certain that many of us have fantasized what it would be like to have that kind of money.  What items you could buy, what bills you would no longer have to worry about.

For me, I do know the first thing I would do, after probably passing out from the shock of winning, is TELL NO ONE!  Find a really good business attorney, and make sure all of the legal stuff was taken care of.  Taxes, options on how to protect my money, etc.  Make sure I paid off all debts and do what was needed to make sure my immediate family is taken care of.

The odds of winning tonight's $610 million Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292,201,338. You are more likely to... hit a hole-in-one (1 in 12,500), be killed by hornets (1 in 54,093), have conjoined twins (1 in 200,000), win an Olympic gold medal (1 in 662,000), or become President (1 in 32 million).

With that being said, there is a lot of pressure that comes with winning that amount of money all at once.  Winning the lottery isn't all sunshine and rainbows.  Click HERE for an article about 23 people who went broke! You could be in a situation where if people found out, they may be asking you for donations, invest in business ventures, and that distant relative that comes out of nowhere. Not to mention the fear of people trying to steal from you.

I can think of a lot of people in my life throughout the years that I could totally see going bust, having to declare bankruptcy.  On the other hand, it does seem that if you have money, you get certain perks, and are able to do certain things that the average person isn't able to do, from getting medical treatment, taking trips, and living a life that many of us only dream of.

You can't win if you don't play, so perhaps taking a few bucks for those long odds are not the worst thing.  But make sure you have the support system around you to make it worth while.  Good luck!