IN IT TO WIN IT
I am a money expert known as ‘Mrs Dow Jones’ – here are the SIX things you must do if you win the lottery
A TIKTOK money expert has revealed six things she says you should do if you win big on the lottery.
The financial guru, dubbed Mrs Dow Jones, shared her top tips on how to avoid common slip-ups and end up losing it all again.
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The expert, who has 250,000 TikTok followers, posted a video as the US Powerball jackpot topped £1billion.
She titled it: "Here's what to do if you actually win."
The video claims up to 70 per cent of lottery winners end up bankrupt.
To avoid that, she recommends following the following steps.
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1. Don't tell anyone
Mrs Dow Jones says: "Not even your family.
"Remain cool and do not quit your job."
2. Become more private
She says: "Go dark.
"Delete your social media, get a PO box and change your phone number."
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3. Hide your ticket
The expert says: "Put your ticket somewhere safe.
"Take pics and make copies of it first, and then stick it in a safety deposit box in the bank."
4. Lawyer up
Now it's time to "build your team", she says, because "you're a rich person now, and rich people love having help".
Mrs Dow Jones advises: "Get a lawyer to claim your winnings through a blind trust so you avoid any press."
5. Get a financial adviser
A professional money expert can help you with estate planning and investing.
She says: "Investing this money is going to be key."
She recommends investing at least half the winnings in low cost index funds.
6. Hire an accountant
The accountant can help with tax issues and giving money to family and charities.
She adds: "If you do all this you'll be in the one per cent instead of the 70 per cent of lottery winners who go bankrupt."
Some of her tips are aimed at the US - where winnings are taxed - and would not apply in the UK.
For instance, UK lottery rules allow winners to stay anonymous if they choose to have no publicity.
You have to claim under your own name, but jackpots are tax free.
TikTok users loved the advice but some pointed out the flaws.
One fan said: "I love that 10.2k of us saved this video because we're all planning to win."
Another said: "Get two teams. One that will handle the financial information and an independent one that audits the first team."
But another said: "That's a lot of people to pay. I'll just put it in the bank and continue life as normal."
Some highlighted problems with the masterplan.
One TikTok viewer said: "Wait, if you delete your social media don't you think that will alert your friends and family that something has changed?"
Another warned: "Some states do not allow you to claim using a blind trust. The name is released."
Last week another TikTok finance whizz shared his tips on how to stay rich after a lottery win.
In particular he has advice for winners in the US who have a choice of a lump sum or payments spread over 30 years.
He warns the first option lands you with a huge tax bill, and investing the rest is risky.
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The second option of annual payments mean most people will be far better off in the long run, the expert says.
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