[quadrant]

This man's story is tragic but the events of it are of his own making.
If you win the lottery, you must leave the area for a while - let the dust settle and your emotions abate so to speak - during which time you must make no decisions about the disposition of the money.
You must not become a fountain of funding. That is, you must learn how to say no, even if it hurts the feelings of those you love. Pick a couple of charities that are close to your heart and contribute to them on a modest but regular basis.
Do not purchase cars or houses for relatives, especially children. As with charities, give them modest financial gifts from time to time, but insist they earn their own living.
If you purchase a home for yourself, purchase one that an middle class or upper middle class person would buy and not one that the richest man in town would own.
Do not purchase the most expensive car available. Pick out one that does not proclaim that you are newly rich.
Do not be idle. Remember the old saw about idle hands. Continue to work, even if its only for a charity.
Most importantly - remember this windfall is a gift from God, and He will hold you accountable for your stewardship.

[B4Ranch]

>>You must not become a fountain of funding. <<

Invest all the money and live off the returns. A million will easily give you 150 k a year. If you can't live on that, take the shotgun route because bankruptcy is just down the road.

[cgbg]

All good advice.

The way to handle relatives that you want to help is to set up trust funds, administered by an attorney or bank near them, with modest monthly or annual payouts.

That will minimize the damage they can do to themselves since they won't have a lot of cash at one time.

I also agree with the poster who suggested disappearing for a while. It will not be practical to remain in your home town after winning the lottery imho.

If you want to spend a lot of money on houses, cars,etc. then I would recommend living in a community where everyone is as wealthy as you. Then you will be "normal" and your new friends won't care about your money.

Envy is the nastiest emotion there is, and you don't want to be exposed to it.

This reminds me of a funny story.

Years ago I lived in Newport Beach, California. I was at a party and made the mistake of asking a twenty something young man what he did for a living.

His answer: philanthropy. :-)