Even if you are a person who loves helping others, it is foolish to hand money to any person who asks. As soon as they find out, everyone you know could be asking for a slice of the pie.Īnnouncing your big win on social media can have serious consequences as soon as every person you went to high school with suddenly wants to chat. Your jackpot win is on a need-to-know basis, and your second cousins and coworker's roommate don't need to know. Only six states allow the winners of the lottery to keep their identity private, but there are ways to make sure your ownership of the jackpot isn't public. 'Once you're announced as the winner, the sharks will start circling,' Kristen Euretig, financial planner and founder of Brooklyn Plans, told Business Insider. You just won millions of dollars - and you want to scream it from the mountain tops. If you decide to try your luck, make sure you know what to do in case you land the big prize.
The math suggests you shouldn't play the lottery, as Business Insider's Andy Kiersz has shown, but millions of people do anyway - especially when the potential winnings swell.
But let's be honest: The only thing less likely than someone winning the lottery is.
