Once you have won a big prize from the lottery, you may feel that all of the serious effort is performed. In contrast, you'd be quite wrong! There are several documented cases of folks who've hit it big only to lose their fortunes through bad deals, unhealthy living, selfish acts, and other unfortunate events. So if you want to be a lottery success story, and avoid the famous "lottery curse" that seems to always make it to the front page of newspapers, here are several tips to help.

Before going public with your lottery winnings, it is a great idea to speak to a lawyer and also a financial planer. Certain lawyers focus on lottery winners as well as the way to best begin a wise life that can make the most of their winnings. As usual, the ultra-rich (millionaires and billionaires) got that way by being wise with their cash. They've had their wealth for many years. You, however, as a new lottery winner, are thrust into the role of ultra-wealthy, without having the years of experience that others may have had. This is why a lawyer can give great advice and be a great help as you begin your new life.

A financial planner can also be an important person to speak to. They can help you make the decisions early on in your life to ensure that you never have to work again. If you make wise investments with your lottery winnings, rather than spending it foolishly, you will truly be a lottery success story.

Winning the lottery is one thing that most of us dream of doing. So now that you have won, what would you like to do with your winnings? Maybe you have always wanted to travel. This really is now your opportunity to become a world traveler. Or even you've always regretted that you were not able to go to college. You have the opportunity to get that degree! Making a list of all your hopes and dreams shall help one to find the very best path to achieve them.

In addition, think beyond just things to buy. Sure a brand new car or dream home will be nice, but think more about lifestyle changes rather than new toys. Lots of people do not love their jobs, but find it nice to have a hobby to take up time. Your hobby can now become your full time profession, if you wish it. Being happy means spending your time doing the things you love.

Whenever you make a big win at the lottery, you will hear from friends you haven't spoken to in years. You will hear from cousins that you never knew existed. You may even hear from complete strangers! How did everybody find you all of a sudden?

Most state lotteries make their winners public. It's in their terms of service that winners must be willing to go public. This is accomplished for a range of reasons. For one thing, it is a great promotional device and it generates interest within the lottery. Additionally, it proves that the lottery is a fair draw and that there isn't any cheating going on. The flip side of this really is that having their names made public puts a target on many lottery winners' lives. As a brand new lottery winner, you may have to learn to say "no" to the many requests which will be coming to you. Should you have a hard time doing this, in which case you will be quickly taken advantage of, and pretty soon you will find your fortunes dwindling.

One alternative for all those who might not be looking forward to a life of public scrutiny is to try their hand at online lotteries. The relative anonymity provided by winning online gambling agency means that a big winner can still remain relatively anonymous. If you have always dreamed of having everything, but you would like to still live the life of a regular Joe, then you certainly may want to try your hand at online lotteries.

Even though you'll have to say "no" to a whole lot of greedy people trying to make use of you, you could discover that you are thinking about giving back to charity. Many millionaires and billionaires have done great things with their donations, whether it be to hospitals, colleges, or other non-profit organizations. You can even donate your time! Despite the fact that it sounds crazy, many millionaires and lottery winners do it. (Should you not have a regular job any more, or only work part-time as a result of winning the lottery, you might have a lot more free period to share and may see that you enjoy volunteering tour time).

Should you choose to give to charity, do your research first. You'll need to discover what your interests are and just how you'd like to see your money spent, so make a list about which charities interest you. You can even research your favorite charities to find out where they spend their cash, the amount of each gift they receive is utilized for charity, as well as other facts. This data should help you decide on several worthy charities.