Always afraid that the winner of these large jackpot contests would be targeted for kidnapping/robbery/even murder. They should really allow you to maintain anonymity.
5 or 6 states allow anonymity. Many winners want their 15 mins of fame. Those with sense would setup a Nevada corporation to maintain their anonymity.
I thought you can choose to remain anonymous? I just played for my first time yesterday.. What exactly do you have control over? You can give them your name but decline photos and interviews?
The rules are different depending on where you buy your ticket. There are only six states that allow winners to remain anonymous. Sadly, Texas is not one of them. However, you can set up a trust or a LLC and send your lawyer to claim the jackpot. The name of your entity will be listed as the winner. While, your lawyer's name will be the one mentioned in the news as the claimant.
LLC is a pass through corporation. For a single ownership LLC, the LLC can be setup as nothing more than a firewall. You would want to setup in a state like Nevada which allows the principals (owners/share holders) to remain anonymous in public records. From there, the money passes through the LLC and straight into your pocket, which would be taxed exactly the same as if you didnt use an LLC.
If I'm going to win a billion dollars on lottery you best bet I'm showing up to collect that money!!! Ya'll can interview my ugly mug all you want. Countless interviews, I don't give a damn, I just won the lottery!!!! Anonymous is for cowards!
Its not the lawyer that protects you. Its the paperwork that he draws up. If you blindly sign any document that he throws in front of you, not a damn thing. I certainly wouldnt hire just one lawyer.
Trust and Estate will be taxed at 39.6% for anything over $12,301. If you set up your lawyer as a trustee of your revocable living trust, he or she is expected to make decisions that are in the best interest of the beneficiaries. Just like a fiduciary financial planner. If you don't trust your lawyer, you can always revoke the trust after claiming the jackpot and set yourself as the trustee.
I'd claim it myself, and then try and fade into obscurity. It'd be hard, especially considering the pressure I'd feel when any sports team came up for sale, but I'd do it.
I bought tickets for the first time yesterday. I didn't win any money. The opportunity to win more money than I'd likely ever earn in my lifetime cannot be ignored. Great things could be done with this money. The fact that there has been nearly $2billion sold into the lottery is absurd.
what if you claimed with a blind trust but, plot twist, you "are" as the trustee!!! so it looks like you're claiming for some one else but you're not. agreed on playing. when it gets this high, it's basically an entertainment option. it's "fun" to play and all entertainment options are a net loss so this is no different. of course winning "is" a possibility and the amazing good a person can do with that money if the right person wins!!!
The only reason i would want my anonymity is because i am single. I'm not afraid of some crazy person stalking me or idiots trying to rob me. That could happen if i wasn't known and wealthy. What i worry about is trust. I want to get married and have a family and i always said if i ever won the lottery, i would drive some regular car like a civic and live in a nice pad, but i would also have some regular apartment that i would take dates home to. I'd like to fall in love with money not being part of the equation for my partner. That's impossible if your face is everywhere as the overnight billionaire. I also have very recognizable tattoos that i would absolutely get removed, but i guess i could always just wear long sleeves to hide. What about going a daft punk route? Wearing a mask to all interviews. Tell all family and friends to get rid of any photo of you. Remove all trace of social networks or tagged photos of you. Conduct all interviews wearing a mask or makeup/wig? Will they allow that? I suppose for me there's still the case of the Marine Corps releasing my portrait, but at least i was 19 years old and looked like a baby and IMO completely unrecognizable to the fat body that sits on this keyboard today.
Drive a civic? Take a girl to an apartment? Remove tattoos? Wear makeup/wigs/mask? Marriage? Love? As a billionaire??? Ain't nobody got time for that *****, Captain. Oh, and if you absolutely must.... There's this thing called a prenuptial agreement.
Prenups seem to never stand in court. Anyways, lottery winners seem to always be broke a few years after winning the lottery.
