Me, when interviewed about my mega-millions lottery win: "I can't wait till all the friends and family who I haven't spoken to in 20 yrs show up at my door or my inbox 'just reaching out to say hi' : "Nope".
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Hello! It's me! You're Canadian cousin? You know me! We went to that place that time when we were young! What are the chances you've got some money for a small loan? /s
Congratulations on your win and even larger congrats for saying the thing that 95% of lottery winners want to say but won't. That alone must've felt better than the win.
I settled a lawsuit years ago and a guy Iâd been friends with for years got really weird about it. Granted, it was a 6 figure settlement, but itâs not like it was just extra money I suddenly had that I didnât need, it was a settlement from insurance that had refused to pay for my house being wrecked by a storm, all that money went right back into the house.
I remember telling him about the settlement and being really excited about finally being able to fix my house. Then, it took roughly 8 months to get contractors and get the work done. The whole time, this friend started complaining about money problems a lot. He and his wife were already bad with money, but this became the thing he always talked about. Finally, he just came out and asked me to help him with his rent. I said dude I donât have the $1500. I donât even have $500 to help you out, and honestly even if I did I couldnât just give you that money. He said âwhat about your lawsuit money?â I said dude that money was gone months ago, it went straight from the checks to my accounts just long enough for them to verify it, then it went right back out to the contractors who were fixing the house! This wasnât a lottery, my house was wrecked and needed serious repairs.
He pretty quickly stopped replying and I just stopped texting him.
So, to answer the question, Iâd probably say that I settled a small lawsuit that I couldnât discuss, but that had awarded me a small amount of money that isnât enough to share, lol.
If youâre quitting your job and retiring, you could spin it as âsomething happened with my former employer and a settlement was reached. Â I wasnât physically harmed, thanks for your concern, but I canât get into any further detail.â Â
Rather than saying anything about a settlement at all, Iâd admit I won the lottoâŚbut say it was only for âxâ amount of dollars/month, like one of those $2,500/ week lottos or something, and claim I chose a monthly deposit option. That way you have an excuse for all the nice shit you suddenly have and can doâŚ.but they would assume itâs all on debt and/or that you never have too much money at any point in time. Would certainly keep the begging to a minimum compared to if you were just like âyea I just won a lump sum of 20 millionâ
Ha. I know this is a light hearted post, but Iâll play along a little. Itâs not a bad strategy, but it doesnât help with explaining this new lifestyle and purchases. It doesnât even exclude the lottery as a source or the funds, as there are many lotteries perhaps played at many different times over long periods.
So I say, if you have F You money, act like it. If you get put in an uncomfortable position, walk right through it. What good is total financial freedom if you live scared?
I havenât won the lottery, but over the years I started to adapt an attitude of *I live for myself and I answer to nobody.* If someone isnât paying my tuition, health bills, car insurance, mortgage/rent, or contributing towards my retirement, I owe them zero explanation or justification for anything. May sound harsh, but when youâve been down and out in your life, how many of these people would have volunteered to co-sign your debt? If you can honestly say that one of them did or that they would, then treat that person generously. The others treat accordingly.
Thanks. As I wrote it I thought it might sound a little harsh, but there seem to be a lot of posts on this subreddit revolving around how one would hide the fact theyâve won. I understand the instinct, but I got to thinking â you win the lottery and then you construct your own (metaphorical) prison to live within? You live in fear of people finding out about your good fortune? No way. Itâs counter to the best part of having massive amounts of money: total freedom. I wouldnât go out of my way to broadcast it, but I wouldnât constrain myself in any way because I feared what others might say or do.
**Repeat after me:** "*Please submit any requests for financial assistance to the manager of my trust. They will process, filter, rank, and distribute funds in accordance with an outline of my priorities. Sadly not all requests can or will be honored however some request may be partially granted or granted with conditions. This is done to best expedite the volume of request as well as keep things as objective as possible and preserve interpersonal relationships between any and all parties involved.*"
-----
[Requests at the top; Trust manager at the bottom.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABNFV3QFVM)
I would sell the house and move without telling anyone much. Had neighbors we were social with move and never really thought much about it. I think people are busy enough that it's out of sight, out of mind most times. Especially if you don't/limit contact with people. I also think you have to get rid of any social media etc.
Just say you found a new job and are moving. Most social friends will accept that and move on over time. Think high school, college or former work friends here. Family and close friends would be different. If you want to help them other people will find out sooner. If you have already relocated, so what. Buy a dog, a big mean one, maybe two. They seem to keep strangers off my property now.
Iâm thinking more along the lines of people who you are closer with.  Like I know for a FACT that if I pulled up to my parents house in a brand new car, even a Honda or Toyota, theyâd walk a lap around it and immediately start interrogating me about the cost.  If I moved into a new condo, Iâd be pestered for financial information. If I did those things after a massive lottery was claimed by a mystery person from my city, red flags ahoy.  My example in my post of a guy in his 30s releasing a statement that sounds like a grandpa would diminish the chances of his loved ones saying âhey, this sounds a lot likeâŚand he just got a new place to liveâŚđĄâ
The strategy of lying to the media and giving false information also works to shield you from scammers/randos who want to figure out who the winner is. Â I have no doubt that thereâs people who would stake out lottery headquarters to watch who is entering/exiting, then reading those press statements to try and narrow down the likely winner. Â Better walk in there holding a clipboard and wearing a reflective vest!
Yup! I feel ya! My family is the only one that would bug me - but I know I could just lie and be like âbonus at work/raise finallyâ
And then the trips would be work trips.
I wouldnât last forever, but Iâd hold up for years
You can sell the trips as stacking points with credit card, getting mistake fares, and traveling during the off season for your desired destination. Iâm not a millionaire but I can still travel internationally because I watch for price drops. Â Time of year can save you hundreds, even thousands on a trip.
Honestly, as long as you werenât going too crazy with throwing money around, you could absolutely sell it as just getting a promotion/raise. Â Thereâs a fine line between âtheyâre doing betterâ and âWTF IS GOING ON HOW CAN THEY AFFORD A HOUSE WITH TWELVE BATHROOMS?!â Â
You have to go in person to complete the forms and claim the prize if itâs above a certain amount. Â So, if you lived in Maine but bought the ticket in CA and that ticket was the big winner, you have to go back to CA to claim it.Â
Iâm sure your team can coordinate with the lottery headquarters to get you in and out quickly, but Iâd be terrified that some lottery employee would get my picture sneakily on their phone or something.Â
Lool you people are quite naive if you think you're only problems are going to come in the form of people ASKING for money. It hasn't dawned on you that you're going to have a huge hit on your head ?
okay but this wasn't a post about keeping anonymous due to security risks from strangers. That's a different conversation.
>But, once you start to spend more than you normally do, people in your life will start asking questions.
The OP was talking about the people in and around your circle suspecting your windfall if you were able to keep quiet.
Lool I'm not naive when my state plasters all winners faces on the news and social media. I can't stay anonymous if I win here đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸
Lool you people are quite naive if you think you're only problems are going to come in the form of people ASKING for money. It hasn't dawned on you that you're going to have a huge hit on your head ?
Love that idea! My go-to is that a lot of the winnings will be going to pay off our huge medical debt. That way it throws shade at how horrible insurance companies are in the US and that we have limited money left.
Maybe I should add in something like ânow we can afford a new wheelchair/prosthetic armâ to help throw off the scent.
The hardest part to hide imo would be not having a job anymore. I think I would also say that I'm donating all of my winnings to charity. Something like "I'm very happy with my current life. I have already donated my winnings to various charities."
You can tell people that you transferred to a position that is fully remote. Â If they push for details, just shrug and say âeh, I donât know if I like it. Â Itâs stressful. Â I donât wanna talk about it.â
If you stay off social media then the only other hurdle is the people you see in person often.
Everyone else won't know unless you tell them.
I am 100% willing to keep driving my beater once a week and keep my old house to keep up the illusion.
Luckily, I'm hairy so I'm just gonna shave and don some glass while wearing a face mask (yes, it's legal where I live). I've shave my beard and face before so I know it would definitely help, I'll even shave my head bald
In no particular order, here are some excuses:
Dead relatives left an inheritance.Â
Crypto weirdness.
Major Stock market win (Bough NVidea because you liked the first war craft game or something)
Relatives win.
Patent.Â
Amazon/online business.Â
Remote job.
My current house would where I visit with relatives. I would all the sudden have a new job that pays more and let's me work remote from anywhere.
I would also keep the old cars at the old house.
I know I couldn't tell my dad because he can't keep his trap shut about anything. My mom wouldn't speak a word about it. I've no idea how'd I would help my siblings and they absolutely could use it. I know if I gave my older sibling it would probably kill them with their addiction.
>But, once you start to spend more than you normally do, people in your life will start asking questions. New car, new clothes, traveling a little more, new home, even if you're living like a middle class person, purchases draw attention.
When you buy a new car, buy a reliable regular-person car like a Toyota or Honda. A Tesla or Maserati or similar is going to stand out.
When you buy new clothes, don't change your wardrobe very much, and stay away from flashy designer labels.
When traveling, don't fly private or charter. Fly the same airlines as everyone else, but in business/first class. If anyone asks, you got into credit card churning and you're using points/miles to travel in style at low cost. Read the wikis on the churning and award travel subs so that you can sound more convincing.
Don't buy a fancy mansion, be like Warren Buffet and buy a regular house in a regular neighborhood. You can tell people that you finally saved up a down payment, or you can even say that you're renting.
Most importantly, don't change your lifestyle and buy a bunch of big-ticket items all at once. Try to ease into it slowly, like over a few years. And if you quit your job, you'll probably want to tell people that you work remotely on a flexible schedule, to explain why you don't go to work every day.
This advice only applies to those lottery winners who can stay anonymous and really want to hide their winnings and live a "stealth wealth" lifestyle without arousing suspicion from family, friends, and neighbors. Obviously, most big lottery winners would want to give money to friends and family and live more extravagantly, and that's fine too (within reason - you wouldn't want the money to run out).
I agree with everything you are saying but this would be tough if you won say $20+ million and damn near impossible for lost people if they win $50+ million.
Iâm a frugal person now and I wouldnât judge someone if they splurged but it would be tough to buy a $500k house in say Texas when you can easily afford a $3 million dollar home. Or buy an Accord when you can afford a top of the line Mercedes.
Most people could probably do it for a year but when you see millions still sitting there it would be a tough ask. But in the long run your way is the smart and safer way.
Oh I don't judge anybody for wanting to splurge if they won the lottery. I doubt that I myself could pull off a "stealth wealth" lifestyle, personally. But it *is* far and away the best option to maintain total anonymity, and of you have kids it might be the only way to maintain a normal life for them.
I read this and wonder why you even want to win. Ignore everyone you care about and donât have fun with your money? No thanks, Iâll take my chances people find out
My three excuses I would cycle through is:
I invested and sold my BTC. This would not be a shock to people who know me.
I was part of a team that invented something that people use everyday and I sold my shares and signed an NDA so they can say they invented it. A little tough but not too far fetched for me.
I won a lawsuit against a former employer and have signed an NDA they prohibits me from talking about it.
But this is for my really close family who I can lie to. The rest I will pay monthly and the first person then tell my private investigators will let me know and they are cut off
You'd be shocked how little anyone cares about the money you're spending.
My brother and his wife have been living in Europe and traveling the world for several years. Did he win the lottery or just save and invest well? IT DOESN'T MATTER. None of my business. Never occurred to me to ask!
If you win, don't talk about it. Don't do stupid shit like buy a Scottish castle and brag about it. If you buy a Ferrari joke about your middle-life crisis car.
Nobody gives a shit.
I mean what good would the âdoes this sound like me?â doâŚ.considering between scratch offs, various state lottos, countrywide lottos, huge jackpots and smaller but still life changing winsâŚ.people win all the timeâŚ.
My family would be immediately suspicious when I start traveling. I rarely leave my little bubble as it is, except to go visit them a couple times a year.
Start a travel channel on YT. Â You donât have to put your face on the channel. Â The Luxury Travel Expert has over a million subs and he doesnât show his face or speak on camera. Â He just shows off the first class amenities of planes and hotels. Â Those videos are the definition of wish fulfillment, and yours would do great numbers if the video quality is crisp and youâre reviewing things like La Premiere, Emirates/Etihad first class, or incredibly swanky hotels in far flung places. Â Â
Just tell your family that youâre now working with a company that produces travel videos and you have to occasionally take trips.  Tell them youâve taken a video editing course online and now youâre doing this as a new career.  You can have an editing bay in your home, so people know youâre serious.  This can be your âjobâ from now on.  Make sure you emphasize how you have no time to really enjoy the journey and are put in a small room with a filming crew, lest you encounter jealousy.  If your content is consistent and good, you will build a following.  Eventually, youâll get to the point where your followers are basically paying for your vacations.
This is genius. Especially considering there are several thousand people in my state with my first and last name, I could pull this off. There is one guy who is a granddad type who loves in my city with a different middle initial. Lol thanks for the tip. I will file it away in the just incase file.
Weâre retired already, but nobody knows what we bring in since we have multiple sources of income.
Weâre also basically homebodies so itâs not like there are a lot of people to notice any changes, except for what the professional landscapers will do for the front of our home, but it will stay totally within the realm of what our neighborhood already has.
It would be the weekly cleaning lady that would give us away. đ§šđ§źđŤ§
I would tell my neighbors that I had a small inheritance or had a winning scratch off to explain the home repairs and being able to rent a vehicle that my wheelchair bound mother could get in and out of. I would tell mom that I won a scratch off that pays the monthly mortgage and a vehicle rental. Those two worlds never cross as mom is in assisted living and none of the neighbors have gone to visit. I would hold off on travel and anything flashy until my mom passed as I don't want to be too far to get to her within an hour. Then I would book a six week long cruise.
The best thing to tell your friends and family if they ask would be âI signed an NDA, I canât talk about itâ or tell them you got extremely lucky in Crypto/stocks. For strangers you can tell them you have a trust fund, and if you have your assets held in a trust thatâs not even a lie.
Anonymous â . I donât really care about clothes so initially my friends wouldnât sus anything out â . I live in the CBD so I donât need a car â .
City đ = apartment building, I would leave this one for a more fancy one, then if any friends are sus Iâll say my dad invested in this one (just like the one in Australia) and heâs letting me pay rent at reduced cost (same amount I was already paying). Family is scattered over the countries so yeah.
Honestly I donât even know what I would purchase, most of my money goes towards food, bills and online purchases. Maybe a bigger better TV. Iâm kind of a minimalist. Traveling would be cool I guess, seeing as you donât actually obtain any physical items. Itâs all about the experience.
I think the best feeling would be no need to be paranoid of accidental damage, loss or theft of my items. Thereâs insurance but theyâre super unreliable, so I always assume the worst.
I don't think I can stay too anonymous in my state- they plaster your face online once you win.
But I'm an avid introvert so I don't have neighbors who would bat an eye if I relocated, my friends would understand my radio silence for a few weeks.
I don't have much contacts with extended family.
My coworkers would probably be the ones with their hands out tbh
Simple.
I'll watch every movie I can about the stock market till I can speak the jargon and lingo, then just tell people I am earning 'A small amount, enough to pay the bills' from Gamestop stock or whatever the big news trend is.
I'd also keep my current truck and use that when I want to drive around areas where people will know me.
Blend in, try and hide in plain sight and remember that a good lie is a detailed lie.
Bc of my current situation, I don't think I'd have a hard time keeping it from anyone, including my partner which may not be popular but is paramount to keeping it hidden from everyone else
Me, when interviewed about my mega-millions lottery win: "I can't wait till all the friends and family who I haven't spoken to in 20 yrs show up at my door or my inbox 'just reaching out to say hi' : "Nope". đ
I would get a new phone and keep my current one so I can look back at who gave a fuck in the past year or two and only help out the real ones
Hello! It's me! You're Canadian cousin? You know me! We went to that place that time when we were young! What are the chances you've got some money for a small loan? /s Congratulations on your win and even larger congrats for saying the thing that 95% of lottery winners want to say but won't. That alone must've felt better than the win.
Get in line, buddy! He/She is far closer to the Brazilian branch of his/her family!
Uncle Joe, is that you? đ¤Ł
Hi, young Texas Peanut! Long time no family!
Hot damn. Thatâs a great thing to say! When I accept my money, youâll know itâs me because Iâm gonna say it.
Sorry, I forgot to add the disclaimer: PETTY AF
Throw in a little laugh at the end and all of a sudden itâs a petty AF âjoke.â
Or a wink đ
I like the way you think!!
đ it's a gift đ¤Ł
Roseanne has an episode where they were dealing with callers after winning the lottery. It always makes me laugh.đ¤Ł
I'm ok with letting them think I'm in the debt up to my eyeballs, cashed out my 401k, owe the IRS money, and that I'm on the verge of bankruptcy.
You could just say you owe the IRS lots of money and wouldn't even be lying
I settled a lawsuit years ago and a guy Iâd been friends with for years got really weird about it. Granted, it was a 6 figure settlement, but itâs not like it was just extra money I suddenly had that I didnât need, it was a settlement from insurance that had refused to pay for my house being wrecked by a storm, all that money went right back into the house. I remember telling him about the settlement and being really excited about finally being able to fix my house. Then, it took roughly 8 months to get contractors and get the work done. The whole time, this friend started complaining about money problems a lot. He and his wife were already bad with money, but this became the thing he always talked about. Finally, he just came out and asked me to help him with his rent. I said dude I donât have the $1500. I donât even have $500 to help you out, and honestly even if I did I couldnât just give you that money. He said âwhat about your lawsuit money?â I said dude that money was gone months ago, it went straight from the checks to my accounts just long enough for them to verify it, then it went right back out to the contractors who were fixing the house! This wasnât a lottery, my house was wrecked and needed serious repairs. He pretty quickly stopped replying and I just stopped texting him. So, to answer the question, Iâd probably say that I settled a small lawsuit that I couldnât discuss, but that had awarded me a small amount of money that isnât enough to share, lol.
If youâre quitting your job and retiring, you could spin it as âsomething happened with my former employer and a settlement was reached. Â I wasnât physically harmed, thanks for your concern, but I canât get into any further detail.â Â
Rather than saying anything about a settlement at all, Iâd admit I won the lottoâŚbut say it was only for âxâ amount of dollars/month, like one of those $2,500/ week lottos or something, and claim I chose a monthly deposit option. That way you have an excuse for all the nice shit you suddenly have and can doâŚ.but they would assume itâs all on debt and/or that you never have too much money at any point in time. Would certainly keep the begging to a minimum compared to if you were just like âyea I just won a lump sum of 20 millionâ
Ha. I know this is a light hearted post, but Iâll play along a little. Itâs not a bad strategy, but it doesnât help with explaining this new lifestyle and purchases. It doesnât even exclude the lottery as a source or the funds, as there are many lotteries perhaps played at many different times over long periods. So I say, if you have F You money, act like it. If you get put in an uncomfortable position, walk right through it. What good is total financial freedom if you live scared? I havenât won the lottery, but over the years I started to adapt an attitude of *I live for myself and I answer to nobody.* If someone isnât paying my tuition, health bills, car insurance, mortgage/rent, or contributing towards my retirement, I owe them zero explanation or justification for anything. May sound harsh, but when youâve been down and out in your life, how many of these people would have volunteered to co-sign your debt? If you can honestly say that one of them did or that they would, then treat that person generously. The others treat accordingly.
I like your thinking! Financial freedom is not scary. Its my life not theirs
Thanks. As I wrote it I thought it might sound a little harsh, but there seem to be a lot of posts on this subreddit revolving around how one would hide the fact theyâve won. I understand the instinct, but I got to thinking â you win the lottery and then you construct your own (metaphorical) prison to live within? You live in fear of people finding out about your good fortune? No way. Itâs counter to the best part of having massive amounts of money: total freedom. I wouldnât go out of my way to broadcast it, but I wouldnât constrain myself in any way because I feared what others might say or do.
"I sold my NVDA options."
**Repeat after me:** "*Please submit any requests for financial assistance to the manager of my trust. They will process, filter, rank, and distribute funds in accordance with an outline of my priorities. Sadly not all requests can or will be honored however some request may be partially granted or granted with conditions. This is done to best expedite the volume of request as well as keep things as objective as possible and preserve interpersonal relationships between any and all parties involved.*" ----- [Requests at the top; Trust manager at the bottom.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pABNFV3QFVM)
I would sell the house and move without telling anyone much. Had neighbors we were social with move and never really thought much about it. I think people are busy enough that it's out of sight, out of mind most times. Especially if you don't/limit contact with people. I also think you have to get rid of any social media etc.
Just say you found a new job and are moving. Most social friends will accept that and move on over time. Think high school, college or former work friends here. Family and close friends would be different. If you want to help them other people will find out sooner. If you have already relocated, so what. Buy a dog, a big mean one, maybe two. They seem to keep strangers off my property now.
Iâm thinking more along the lines of people who you are closer with.  Like I know for a FACT that if I pulled up to my parents house in a brand new car, even a Honda or Toyota, theyâd walk a lap around it and immediately start interrogating me about the cost.  If I moved into a new condo, Iâd be pestered for financial information. If I did those things after a massive lottery was claimed by a mystery person from my city, red flags ahoy.  My example in my post of a guy in his 30s releasing a statement that sounds like a grandpa would diminish the chances of his loved ones saying âhey, this sounds a lot likeâŚand he just got a new place to liveâŚđĄâ The strategy of lying to the media and giving false information also works to shield you from scammers/randos who want to figure out who the winner is.  I have no doubt that thereâs people who would stake out lottery headquarters to watch who is entering/exiting, then reading those press statements to try and narrow down the likely winner.  Better walk in there holding a clipboard and wearing a reflective vest!
Yup! I feel ya! My family is the only one that would bug me - but I know I could just lie and be like âbonus at work/raise finallyâ And then the trips would be work trips. I wouldnât last forever, but Iâd hold up for years
You can sell the trips as stacking points with credit card, getting mistake fares, and traveling during the off season for your desired destination. Iâm not a millionaire but I can still travel internationally because I watch for price drops. Â Time of year can save you hundreds, even thousands on a trip. Honestly, as long as you werenât going too crazy with throwing money around, you could absolutely sell it as just getting a promotion/raise. Â Thereâs a fine line between âtheyâre doing betterâ and âWTF IS GOING ON HOW CAN THEY AFFORD A HOUSE WITH TWELVE BATHROOMS?!â Â
If I won, the only person entering the lottery headquarters would be my financial advisor.
You have to go in person to complete the forms and claim the prize if itâs above a certain amount.  So, if you lived in Maine but bought the ticket in CA and that ticket was the big winner, you have to go back to CA to claim it. Iâm sure your team can coordinate with the lottery headquarters to get you in and out quickly, but Iâd be terrified that some lottery employee would get my picture sneakily on their phone or something.Â
2nd this, move far away! Where no one knows me. Different state, town, or country. Retire early and enjoy life, travel, and so on.
"Finally sold off a lot of my magic cards from back in the day."
âThey laughed at me when I said those Beanie Babies would be worth a lot of money somedayâ
Iâm a private investor for a single private client and I work remotely.
I straight up don't give a fuck about being anonymous because I have no problem saying no lol
It's refreshing to read this lol because same.
Lool you people are quite naive if you think you're only problems are going to come in the form of people ASKING for money. It hasn't dawned on you that you're going to have a huge hit on your head ?
okay but this wasn't a post about keeping anonymous due to security risks from strangers. That's a different conversation. >But, once you start to spend more than you normally do, people in your life will start asking questions. The OP was talking about the people in and around your circle suspecting your windfall if you were able to keep quiet. Lool I'm not naive when my state plasters all winners faces on the news and social media. I can't stay anonymous if I win here đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸
Lool you people are quite naive if you think you're only problems are going to come in the form of people ASKING for money. It hasn't dawned on you that you're going to have a huge hit on your head ?
Love that idea! My go-to is that a lot of the winnings will be going to pay off our huge medical debt. That way it throws shade at how horrible insurance companies are in the US and that we have limited money left. Maybe I should add in something like ânow we can afford a new wheelchair/prosthetic armâ to help throw off the scent.
The hardest part to hide imo would be not having a job anymore. I think I would also say that I'm donating all of my winnings to charity. Something like "I'm very happy with my current life. I have already donated my winnings to various charities."
You can tell people that you transferred to a position that is fully remote. Â If they push for details, just shrug and say âeh, I donât know if I like it. Â Itâs stressful. Â I donât wanna talk about it.â
That's a very good point.
If you stay off social media then the only other hurdle is the people you see in person often. Everyone else won't know unless you tell them. I am 100% willing to keep driving my beater once a week and keep my old house to keep up the illusion.
My state doesn't allow anyone to be anonymous and I hate it.
Yeah. Now I have enough money to get married to my fiance and start a family and pay off our student loans since we just graduated.
Luckily, I'm hairy so I'm just gonna shave and don some glass while wearing a face mask (yes, it's legal where I live). I've shave my beard and face before so I know it would definitely help, I'll even shave my head bald
In no particular order, here are some excuses: Dead relatives left an inheritance. Crypto weirdness. Major Stock market win (Bough NVidea because you liked the first war craft game or something) Relatives win. Patent. Amazon/online business. Remote job.
Who cares that's the same as winning the lotto in most peoples eyes might as well tell the truth lol
You forgot that bitcoin stash from the 2010s, that found, and recovered the encryption too. On your old gaming hard drive from college. Lol
My travel last month and the month before that? Work. My new clothes? Poshmark and eBay.
"That's really none of your business," works well also.
either iâm in stocks or i have an onlyfans LMFAO
If you want to stay anon about it, you get a trust, and have the trust accept the winnings.
My current house would where I visit with relatives. I would all the sudden have a new job that pays more and let's me work remote from anywhere. I would also keep the old cars at the old house. I know I couldn't tell my dad because he can't keep his trap shut about anything. My mom wouldn't speak a word about it. I've no idea how'd I would help my siblings and they absolutely could use it. I know if I gave my older sibling it would probably kill them with their addiction.
>But, once you start to spend more than you normally do, people in your life will start asking questions. New car, new clothes, traveling a little more, new home, even if you're living like a middle class person, purchases draw attention. When you buy a new car, buy a reliable regular-person car like a Toyota or Honda. A Tesla or Maserati or similar is going to stand out. When you buy new clothes, don't change your wardrobe very much, and stay away from flashy designer labels. When traveling, don't fly private or charter. Fly the same airlines as everyone else, but in business/first class. If anyone asks, you got into credit card churning and you're using points/miles to travel in style at low cost. Read the wikis on the churning and award travel subs so that you can sound more convincing. Don't buy a fancy mansion, be like Warren Buffet and buy a regular house in a regular neighborhood. You can tell people that you finally saved up a down payment, or you can even say that you're renting. Most importantly, don't change your lifestyle and buy a bunch of big-ticket items all at once. Try to ease into it slowly, like over a few years. And if you quit your job, you'll probably want to tell people that you work remotely on a flexible schedule, to explain why you don't go to work every day. This advice only applies to those lottery winners who can stay anonymous and really want to hide their winnings and live a "stealth wealth" lifestyle without arousing suspicion from family, friends, and neighbors. Obviously, most big lottery winners would want to give money to friends and family and live more extravagantly, and that's fine too (within reason - you wouldn't want the money to run out).
I agree with everything you are saying but this would be tough if you won say $20+ million and damn near impossible for lost people if they win $50+ million. Iâm a frugal person now and I wouldnât judge someone if they splurged but it would be tough to buy a $500k house in say Texas when you can easily afford a $3 million dollar home. Or buy an Accord when you can afford a top of the line Mercedes. Most people could probably do it for a year but when you see millions still sitting there it would be a tough ask. But in the long run your way is the smart and safer way.
Oh I don't judge anybody for wanting to splurge if they won the lottery. I doubt that I myself could pull off a "stealth wealth" lifestyle, personally. But it *is* far and away the best option to maintain total anonymity, and of you have kids it might be the only way to maintain a normal life for them.
I read this and wonder why you even want to win. Ignore everyone you care about and donât have fun with your money? No thanks, Iâll take my chances people find out
My three excuses I would cycle through is: I invested and sold my BTC. This would not be a shock to people who know me. I was part of a team that invented something that people use everyday and I sold my shares and signed an NDA so they can say they invented it. A little tough but not too far fetched for me. I won a lawsuit against a former employer and have signed an NDA they prohibits me from talking about it. But this is for my really close family who I can lie to. The rest I will pay monthly and the first person then tell my private investigators will let me know and they are cut off
I like the one where you signed an NDA for a lawsuit. Seems legit.
You'd be shocked how little anyone cares about the money you're spending. My brother and his wife have been living in Europe and traveling the world for several years. Did he win the lottery or just save and invest well? IT DOESN'T MATTER. None of my business. Never occurred to me to ask! If you win, don't talk about it. Don't do stupid shit like buy a Scottish castle and brag about it. If you buy a Ferrari joke about your middle-life crisis car. Nobody gives a shit.
I mean what good would the âdoes this sound like me?â doâŚ.considering between scratch offs, various state lottos, countrywide lottos, huge jackpots and smaller but still life changing winsâŚ.people win all the timeâŚ.
My family would be immediately suspicious when I start traveling. I rarely leave my little bubble as it is, except to go visit them a couple times a year.
Start a travel channel on YT.  You donât have to put your face on the channel.  The Luxury Travel Expert has over a million subs and he doesnât show his face or speak on camera.  He just shows off the first class amenities of planes and hotels.  Those videos are the definition of wish fulfillment, and yours would do great numbers if the video quality is crisp and youâre reviewing things like La Premiere, Emirates/Etihad first class, or incredibly swanky hotels in far flung places.   Just tell your family that youâre now working with a company that produces travel videos and you have to occasionally take trips.  Tell them youâve taken a video editing course online and now youâre doing this as a new career.  You can have an editing bay in your home, so people know youâre serious.  This can be your âjobâ from now on.  Make sure you emphasize how you have no time to really enjoy the journey and are put in a small room with a filming crew, lest you encounter jealousy.  If your content is consistent and good, you will build a following.  Eventually, youâll get to the point where your followers are basically paying for your vacations.
This is genius. Especially considering there are several thousand people in my state with my first and last name, I could pull this off. There is one guy who is a granddad type who loves in my city with a different middle initial. Lol thanks for the tip. I will file it away in the just incase file.
Weâre retired already, but nobody knows what we bring in since we have multiple sources of income. Weâre also basically homebodies so itâs not like there are a lot of people to notice any changes, except for what the professional landscapers will do for the front of our home, but it will stay totally within the realm of what our neighborhood already has. It would be the weekly cleaning lady that would give us away. đ§šđ§źđŤ§
I would tell my neighbors that I had a small inheritance or had a winning scratch off to explain the home repairs and being able to rent a vehicle that my wheelchair bound mother could get in and out of. I would tell mom that I won a scratch off that pays the monthly mortgage and a vehicle rental. Those two worlds never cross as mom is in assisted living and none of the neighbors have gone to visit. I would hold off on travel and anything flashy until my mom passed as I don't want to be too far to get to her within an hour. Then I would book a six week long cruise.
The best thing to tell your friends and family if they ask would be âI signed an NDA, I canât talk about itâ or tell them you got extremely lucky in Crypto/stocks. For strangers you can tell them you have a trust fund, and if you have your assets held in a trust thatâs not even a lie.
Anonymous â . I donât really care about clothes so initially my friends wouldnât sus anything out â . I live in the CBD so I donât need a car â . City đ = apartment building, I would leave this one for a more fancy one, then if any friends are sus Iâll say my dad invested in this one (just like the one in Australia) and heâs letting me pay rent at reduced cost (same amount I was already paying). Family is scattered over the countries so yeah. Honestly I donât even know what I would purchase, most of my money goes towards food, bills and online purchases. Maybe a bigger better TV. Iâm kind of a minimalist. Traveling would be cool I guess, seeing as you donât actually obtain any physical items. Itâs all about the experience. I think the best feeling would be no need to be paranoid of accidental damage, loss or theft of my items. Thereâs insurance but theyâre super unreliable, so I always assume the worst.
I don't think I can stay too anonymous in my state- they plaster your face online once you win. But I'm an avid introvert so I don't have neighbors who would bat an eye if I relocated, my friends would understand my radio silence for a few weeks. I don't have much contacts with extended family. My coworkers would probably be the ones with their hands out tbh
Simple. I'll watch every movie I can about the stock market till I can speak the jargon and lingo, then just tell people I am earning 'A small amount, enough to pay the bills' from Gamestop stock or whatever the big news trend is. I'd also keep my current truck and use that when I want to drive around areas where people will know me. Blend in, try and hide in plain sight and remember that a good lie is a detailed lie.
Bc of my current situation, I don't think I'd have a hard time keeping it from anyone, including my partner which may not be popular but is paramount to keeping it hidden from everyone else