Someone won the lottery in some state I can’t remember yesterday. I turned on my TV and there was a reporter in the store where the winning ticket was sold, breathlessly speculating on who might have won the $365 million jackpot. All I could think about were these things: a) all the customers in the store were unhealthy and ignorant looking people and b) I read an intensive study someone did once on lottery winners and their conclusion was that winning the lottery made 99% of the winners less happy than they were within one year.
Bearing the above factoids in mind, I would like to wish the winner good luck with his or her misfortune and upcoming unhappiness.
If I could choose between lots of money or lots of good decisions already made in my past, guess which one I would choose? None of us is perfect, but if you’re one of those people who thinks things will get better one day, when you win the lottery, you probably shouldn’t be allowed to manage your own money. Find someone responsible, sign over a power of attorney and have them come up with a reasonable allowance for you.