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By Bijan Who doesn't want to be a millionaire? Well, for years and years I have been buying lotto tickets in hopes of hitting the jackpot. Nothing! All of a sudden, BOOM! Not too long ago, "your small" hit it big! What a rush! What a feeling! At first you don't believe it and you think there must be a mistake. You check your ticket a few more times. You try to get the winning numbers from different sources and compare. You do everything to find the mistake, but you don't find one. For days your entire system is unbalanced. You can't sleep, you can't eat, you forget how to drive, you forget to do your routine everyday work. The system, basically, breaks down for a while until you can get a hold of yourself. Anyone who plays the lotto, plays with a hope, a dream, anda plan. "If I win, I'll quit my job, I'll buy a Ferrari, A huge house, I'll travel, and I'll know exactly how to spend the money!" To start off, statistics show that over 50% of lotto winners go bankrupt within five years. That's alarming. However, these stats don't factor in the winners' education level. Or even the type of work they do. I'm sure an MBA graduate, or the CFO of a company would have a better chance of "managing" the winnings. As for me, in my dreams I had planned to donate 25% of the winnings to some charitable organizations right off the bat. The rest, I would divide into three equal portions. One third for long-term investing, one third for immediate spending such as a couple of nice cars, a house, clothes and accessories, toys like electronic gadgets, a boat, etc., and the rest for helping my relatives and friends in Iran and hopefully bring them to the U.S. I will not bore you with the details of logistics, paperwork, legal work, and administrative nightmare involved with winning the jackpot, but I just tell you that they could get hectic. Let me tell you a little about what comes with winning the big one: -- It is a fact! All of a sudden every blind and bald is now your best friend!!! People who couldn't care less if you died, now worry about your health if you sneeze. -- Every charitable organization is in dire need of some cash RIGHT NOW! -- Every stock broker, lawyer, and accountant sends you his/her resume. -- Every mother has the perfect daughter for you! You're married? Well, are you happily married?! -- Your answering machine or voice mail is full everyday. Who are these people? How do they know me? How did they get my phone number? I won't give you a headache, but your everyday life definitely changes. After paying about 49% tax, keeping my promise to myself regarding donations, and spending some cash on the immediate items, I am left with exactly what I had calculated; enough for me to retire to exactly what I want to do as my profession. I have held on to a few good friends that I've had. They understand. And I understand. New friends? Well, I've learned to hide my luck at the beginning. I pretend that financially I'm an average "Ali" (or Joe!) to see if I'm wanted for my money or for myself. Then, slowly it's revealed. Women?! I have been experimenting. With some, I immediately let them know that I am financially set for life. With others, I hide the truth. I have not yet met one who knows of my finances, and wants to let me go! On the other side of the fence, those who have no idea, still play hard to get! Amazing! If anything, this has shown me what money can do to people around me. Work? I never loved what I did before. I gave my employer my two-week notice and I told my manager that I had won the big one. She promised me not to tell anyone, and she hasn't, as far as I know. She told me that she would understand it if I wanted to leave right away, but I hang around for another week to finish my projects to a reasonable point. There is so much to know and to talk about, but I am trying to keep this about 800 words! So, if you have any specific questions, I'm open! Email me, but please keep it short. Also, since I receive many emails everyday (95% of them junk!) I delete anything that I don't recognize. So, the readers of The Iranian who may have questions for me, should somehow let me know that I shouldn't delete their email before reading it! How about making the subject line "Lottery?" To summarize: 1) It is true money doesn't buy happiness, but it sure makes life easier. 2) It is a dream... (Am I the first Iranian who has won the jackpot in the U.S.? Does anyone know?) gar sabr koni, ze ghooreh halvaa saazi.
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I hit it big
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