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David Schultze, like so many people who play the lottery, figured there was no way he had won. So when the numbers were drawn on Jan. 24, he didn\u2019t bother checking, mentally writing off the cost of the ticket as the price tag for a fun game of \u201cwhat if?\u201d<\/p>\n
About a month later, though, he came across the ticket again and figured \u201cwhat the heck?\u201d and looked up the winning numbers. The first was a match, then the second\u2014and by the time he got to the end of the winning numbers, he realized that person he\u2019d heard about who had won $8.4 million was him.<\/p>\n
The 68-year-old \u201cspent the whole weekend in shock,\u201d Oregon lottery officials said<\/a>, then came in on Feb. 25 to claim his winnings.<\/p>\n A retiree from Milwaukie, Schultze told lottery officials he generally doesn\u2019t play, but when he saw the jackpot \u201cgetting up there,\u201d he decided to give it a shot. The store where he bought the ticket will pick up an $84,000 bonus for selling it.<\/p>\n As for the winnings, Schultze says he doesn\u2019t plan to do anything especially extravagant. Most of the money will be invested, he said.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a smart approach. One of the biggest mistakes<\/a> lottery winners make is treating the winnings like they\u2019re not real<\/a>, spending them without much thought. Experts say the best thing you can do if you win a lottery<\/a>, whether it\u2019s the PowerBall or a comparably smaller win like Schultze\u2019s, is find an experienced financial advisor to help you manage it, along with an attorney and tax expert who all work together to protect your winnings and your financial future.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nLearn how to take control of your personal finances with Get Your Due, our six-week email bootcamp. Sign up<\/a> for free.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n