I mentioned, in a recent post, that I would probably
show up for work if I won the lottery.
That has to do with an article I read recently (although I can't find it
again, now that I want to comment on it).
The article mentioned some interesting things that I had never thought
about.
I knew (everyone does, right?) that lottery winners
start receiving all sorts of pleas for help -- from individuals and
charities. They also find out how much
their relatives really care about them ... even the ones they haven't heard from
in the past 20 years or so. And they may
be more susceptible to crime, where they are targeted for robbery or a
break-in.
What I did not know, and what this article pointed
out, is that lottery winners often find themselves to target of lawsuits. Someone will walk across their yard and find
a hole to twist their ankle in. They
will find themselves involved in a traffic accident. Accidents will start happening all around
them -- involving assets in their name -- because greedy people will see that as
the best way to get to the money.
That was an eye-opening revelation for me. I had never thought about people trying to
manufacture accidents in order to file lawsuits. And yet, apparently, this is one of the big
problems encountered by people who win large sums of money.
So if I were to win, I would go to work. I'd keep the ticket in a safe place (a safe
deposit box at a bank) while I got a few things in order. One of those would be selling my home, so
that I had no real property. Since my
job is the only thing tying me to this location, I'd plan to move once the
winnings were in hand ... finding someplace that would be nice to live, where no
one knows me, and where people couldn't easily trace me to the winnings. To do this, I'd get rid of just about
everything I own. Things that are true
keepsakes I'd move to a storage facility rented by a relative, to be retrieved
once I did find a place to settle.
I'd make sure that all the financial arrangements
were in place -- trusts, multiple bank accounts, and so forth -- so that the
money would be quickly dispersed into safe locations to earn interest. My goal would be to live primarily off of the
interest, rather than spending large amounts.
To help the trail go cold, for anyone who tried to
follow me (and set up a lawsuit), I'd probably move around a fair amount the
first couple of years. I'd find an
interesting place and move there for a couple of months. I could live out of an apartment with a
short-term lease ... or even a weekly-rent hotel room. I would rely on public transportation,
instead of having my own vehicle. I
would be a tourist, not seeking to make friends or create new
relationships. After a month or two, I'd
move on to a new place.
This would take discipline. Most people immediately start giving money
away and spending lavishly. I
wouldn't do that. I would be very methodical in
protecting the funds, "going underground" to avoid as much publicity
as possible, leaving a cold trail that greedy people couldn't follow, and
taking several years before finally settling in an appealing area, buying a
home, and buying a nice (but not outlandish) vehicle.
Based on the stories I've read of lottery winners
and their tribulations, it seems to me that this approach is the one that would
work the best. Is it foolproof? Certainly not. Nothing is perfect. But, given that sort of financial freedom, I
would do everything possible to be untraceable.
It's all part of the dream. Since I seldom remember to buy a lottery ticket, I
doubt the plan will ever go into action.
But at least I have a plan, were it to ever happen.
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