Michigan’s New Millionaire is a 91-Year-Old Man

This 91-year-old man from St. Claire County, Michigan just got the surprise of his lifetime.

It's safe to say that a big part of the fun with scratch-off lottery tickets would be the suspense. You're full of hope as you scratch to reveal, just maybe...then nothing.  That wasn't the case for this gentleman on the East side of the Mitten.  The Red Hot Millions scratch-off winner told CBS Detroit that the Million Dollar prize was the first thing he scratched off,

Red Hot Millions is one of my favorite games, and I play it quite often. “The $1 million prize was the first thing I scratched off, so I knew I’d won big right away. I was so happy!

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The 91-year-old Michigander was a millionaire for just a moment after he purchased his ticket at a local gas station in Port Huron, Michigan.  I say he was a millionaire for just a moment because of taxes.  That million-dollar jackpot was immediately widdled down to a $634,000 one-time lump sum payment.  That's still a huge chunk of change, as this man has won using this very same scratch-off lotto ticket in the past, but nothing nearly as large as this.  At the moment, he has no grand plans of buying a boat or traveling the globe.  He plans on helping his family with his newfound wealth.

If you win the lottery would you choose to receive your winning as a one-time lump sum or payments over time?  Many financial advisors suggest the one-time lump sum payment just like the St. Claire County man in this story.  Annuity.org points out a couple of important reasons why the one-time lump sum payout is best for many,

Choosing a lump-sum payout can help winners avoid long-term tax implications and also provides the opportunity to immediately invest in high-yield financial options like real estate and stocks.

The major benefit to receiving your lottery winnings in annual payments over 29 or 30 years?  It helps prevent people from blowing all of their money at once and going broke.