With great power comes great responsibility. For some people winning the lottery can mean that all of their troubles will be a thing of the past. For others it means that the troubles have only just begun.
Winning the lottery is a dream come true for so many people, but before you make a list of all the things you’ll do when you win big, keep the tragic stories of the following five people in mind.
1. Bankruptcy
Easy come, easy go. The story of 60 year old Janite Lee and her $18 million winning ticket is a mixed bag. She opted for the installment option, a common and sensible choice to keep your newfound fortune from trickling away.
In a sequence of truly charitable acts Lee donated massive sums to non-profits and community initiatives, though she was not as good at managing her new wealth as she was lucky in accumulating it. By 2001 she had a mere $700 left which would have been fine except she owed nearly $2.5 million.
There was no second winning ticket to bring her back from bankruptcy.
