What would YOU do if you won the Mega Millions? It is at $640,000,000 as of 2:30 PM EST.
http://www.usamega.com/mega-millions-jackpot.asp

Odds of winning: 1 in 175,711,536


Annuity
Gross Prize: 26 annual payments of $24,615,385
- 25% Federal Tax: - $6,153,846
Connecticut: 6.7% State Tax: - $1,649,231
Your net per year: $16,812,308 after Fed and State Taxes.
After 26 payments: $437,120,008 after Fed and State Taxes.


Lump Sum
After the lump sum penalty: $462,000,000
Fed Tax: - $115,500,000.
State Tax: Connecticut: 6.7% State Tax: - $30,954,000.
Your net payout: $315,546,000 after Fed and State Taxes.

Difference of:
$121,574,008 less if you take Lump Sum.

If you take the annuity for this amount, it's an idiot move.

Properly invested (preferably by a reputable wealth management firm and held in a blind trust), you'll more than make up the difference in 20 years. If you do the annuity, you're allowing them to profit off of your interest.

edit: assuming you only see 1.5% compound interest growth, which is half of inflation, your 315,546,000.00 lump sum would be at 435,846,445.30 at the end of 26 years, before taxes.. Generally speaking you should be seeing far more growth than that, so let's say 4% -- 874,841,750.70 before taxes after 26 years. even just 3% (current inflation rate) would get you 680,503,748.11 before any additional taxes.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

I agree with you about the Lump Sum. I happened find that site so I posted some of their info.

I what I meant was, what would you do with the money?

simple stuff really.

Pay off all debt
Secure my kids future (education, etc)
Pay off my parent's debt
explore some charities to make some substantial contributions
after I got the livable income set I'd quit work then build my house in the mountains

With this much money, the question is what WOULDN'T I do. :p

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yeah that would be the better question, can you imagine if no one wins it?

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

Two chicks at the same time, man.

Over a billion dollars on Tuesday's draw

Mathematically unlikely. The odds are that if there is one winner, there will be at least two more.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

As of tonight, pot odds are that you'll win back more than the price of the ticket. There will be -lots- of folks buying in this next week.

Given the sheer number of people that have invested in this lottery, to me it emphasizes a substantial need to improve our mathematics/statistics curriculum, even at the high school level.

While Venen's viewpoint is ordinarily valid, in a rare display of eventual irony he expresses it during the one moment this decade in which it is not applicable. The award is actually big enough that the smart bet would be to buy a ticket. If you're not the only winner, then... well, waaaaah -- but the odds are actually in your favor that you'll recover at least what you spent, and that very rarely happens.

Careful with your wording, hyphenator!

Though the average ROI is positive in this particular lottery, the modal ROI is not: if you buy a ticket, you're probably not going to win anything. This fact is independent of the size of the jackpot, and will remain true unless MegaMillions changes their handout criteria.

Does that mean it's not a sound investment? That's a different question and has a lot more to do with personal taste. For me, it's too high risk to really refer to it as an "investment" at all.

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It's certainly not an investment. It's gambling, pure and simple.

Yes, it pains me to hear about people who "invest" in lottery tickets.

It's gambling, and is taxed as such. Which means that you can in fact deduct your lottery ticket costs if you really want to, up to your winnings.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Doesn't matter anyway. The whole thing was won by a 91-year-old man who won't live to see more than a quarter of the payouts anyway.

Was actually three separate people! Gah!

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"Creating Havoc and Pie Since 2001!"
My Website: http://www.anthonyhays.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cakvala

I'm pretty sure my work pool won it too and I will know this tomorrow when I cash in those fat checks so fuck all y'all.

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More important is the time spent. Assuming 20-30 minutes to do all of: Buy the ticket, check to see if you won, and finally go through whatever process they have set up to get your money(assuming it's a small payback). For me, that's a potential few hundred dollars earned. I would still argue that for the average person, they are much better off learning something that puts them in a position to earn more money down the road.

Oh, and with regard to my statement, does it not still speak to those that invested into it enough to get to this point of a megamillion jackpot? Even assuming you were correct about the current odds.

If you're in a position to make a few hundred dollars in 20 to 30 minutes, you're not buying lottery tickets and your experience is not representative of the majority of Americans.

Thus the addendum. An amazing amount of learning and work can get done in that timeframe with the right mindset. Whatever they accomplish in that time may not necessarily be life changing. However, commonly, X thought leads to Y->Z->... Endgame as part of a progression to that end. If all they're getting is a tiny lump sum or their exact money back with practically no benefit, the "smart bet" is on doing something more important to a grander scheme.

I'll make an allowance for the case where the majority aren't the same schmucks that enter 7-11 every day for a pack of cigs, 4 cases of beer, and a lotto ticket.

It still didn't get here without their generous contributions of charity.

Well you could buy a small country.

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

My work pool won $6 so my cut was like $0.85.

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I say it's all rigged. And so did my Co-worker.

He said he knew the mega was going to be 23. So he bought 100 tickets all with the Mega as #23. He didn't get 2 numbers + 1 mega once. He was pissed off to say the least, as each line only gave him a minimum of $2, and a maximum of $3 (1 number + Mega).

Yeah, it's completely fishy that the odds worked against him. Should start an investigation, IMO.

He's probably the only person in North America that had a "system" that didn't work.

He said the mega was going to be a famous number, something that a lot of people would pick because the lottery wanted plenty of winners for this draw to attract even more attention to an impossible game. That's how he picked #23. And it ended up being #23.

I understand him picking #23 has no statistical relevance to what number ended up being the Mega draw, I didn't get a 5 on the AP Stats test to not understand these games. What I'm saying is that it is hard to believe this game is completely independent. The other number balls can easily be weighted down so that the draw can be controlled and the numbers they want to come out can come out.

I do not believe it was random that the #23 came out as the mega. Needless to say, there's lots of articles about the #23 being an enigma. But I won't go into details. At least he is one of the few people that made some small amount of money from buying the lotto. He said this was going to be his first time to buy lotto in a while since he trusted his #23. Call it random luck, but he won.

And I'm not some dumb trucker from the hills. We're all accountants and see no harm in putting some money on the lotto. It's all gambling, no different than putting $20 on a blackjack table where the dealer somehow has a 15, and miraculously hits a 6 and destroys our 19s and 20s.

23 is no more "famous" a number than 13 or 34 or any other dozen numbers. Go back and check the last 10 times the mega millions (or something similar) was "the highest it has ever been." Was the magic number "23" in each of those times?

So, how does that work?

Help me understand, a group of accountant smarty pants, smarter than some "dumb trucker from the hills", one of them proud of his 5 on the AP Stats test, concluded before the game happened that a certain number was going to be picked, not by the odds, but by someone to make the game attractive so a lot of people would buy tickets.

Not only that, but concluded also that the rest of the balls are most likely weighted because, "it is hard to believe this game is completely independent" Balls weighted perhaps some short time before the draw, shortly after everyone in the participating states has purchased their tickets, so that none of those people win the main prize (or, so that the one winner, who is anonymous, obviously because he is a fake, would win).

I know you didn't elaborate that deeply as to how the conspiracy would work, so I'm just helping you a bit.

AND YET, one of you spent over 100 bucks in tickets? Even though you all knew before hand that it was rigged?

Which, makes me wonder, what exactly makes the trucker from the hills dumb? And the accountants smart? A degree and higher salary?

That is all very amusing, please, keep going.

This one time I guessed what the next song would be on the radio! Obviously something is up with those guys.

Sounds like someone is trying to dissect my post! You should dissect your life instead of posts on the web, perhaps then you would be somewhere in life.

I'll enjoy my accountant salary and career, I hope you enjoy being a meaningless drone working retail, while people like me choose to pay you $8 or $10 an hour, and find ways to keep you at 30 hours or less so you don't get any benefits from the company or from the state.

And I'll put the money that I receive as a bonus into the stock market, and $20 from time to time into the lotto. So there's an unemployment fund for you in the state coffers.

Believing that there's some sort of conspiracy at the administrative level with the lottery is about as intelligent as believing the following:

1) The US was behind the 9/11 attacks.
2) NASA didn't land astronauts on the moon.
3) There was a shooter on the grassy knoll.
4) Elvis is alive and well.

There are more people than you think involved in the lottery industry. There's no way that you could buy the silence and cooperation (implicit or otherwise) in such a conspiracy.

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World of Warcraft: Kallaystra, Gweila, Steakumn, Tarathia [ Feathermoon/Horde ]

Yes, I understand the difficulty of such a scenario. However, just look at our government, such a large piece of gears and cogs churning and turning. Yet, there's many things being done that we might never know. Not because it's a conspiracy, but because everyone has their hand in the cookie jar and they see no benefit in everyone knowing what illegalities are being done.

If I want to believe the Mega is rigged, I'm going to believe it. And I will go ahead and put $20 here and there, hoping my quick picks will be lucky. Like I mentioned in a previous post, it's much better than putting $20 on a blackjack hand, getting a 20, and then the dealer turning a 21.

It's all gambling against someone or something with better odds. Which is why they're in business. Because there will always be people like me to put money into something like this.

I think I must have struck a nerve.

I don't think I would have bothered if it hadn't been for the "Dumb trucker from the hills" comment.

There's a few things that are a tad sad about your posts, 1) That you seem to feel/think that people who make less money than you are inferior. 2) That you relate intelligence with economic status. Which is ironic, when you spend a whole post presenting a conspiracy theory as the reason you didn't win the lottery.

I won't really bother responding to the personal attacks because they are just childish and silly. Also very douchey. More douchey than my own mockery.

As for buying lottery tickets or gambling, if you enjoy it, whatever. People do all kinds of things with their money, there's sugar daddies and sugar mommies after all (I didn't know the latter existed! Was so surprised when I found out someone close to me was seeking a sugar mom on some sugarmom dating site, but that's completely random and unrelated). It'd just be less silly if after spending it on gambling or lottery tickets, you didn't come up with a conspiracy theory as to why you didn't win. It's okay, no one you know did. Heh.

Well, maybe I will touch a bit upon the themes of your attacks. Sure, I work part time at a restaurant at a local theme park because retail wasn't giving me enough hours. Yes, it is as dead end as a McDonalds would be, just a bit more fun. We do get benefits, but not me, because I go to school and work when I don't. And in this kind of minimum wage labor force environment, the scene was much more different, no one was coming up with reasons as to why they lost, everyone just accepted they did and discussed the current event, "Oh man, wonder what the winner will do, this is what I would do!"

Now, that may be because they are all stupid drones, or.... perhaps because they wouldn't have played if they believed they had zero chances to win.

Anyway, the conversations expanded on that or revolved around that, "Oh, imagine what it would be like to be the winner" And then some people went back to mopping the floors, or cleaning dishes, or popping popcorn. And I'm writing all of this so I can respond to the attacks with the following: If being a drone is being around people like that? I think I'd rather be a drone. *shrug* Go ahead, figure out ways you can screw me over, I rather hang out with these guys and girls.

I didn't buy tickets, I rather spend that dollar or seven on an app, to be honest, and I think I did, got this very cool drawing app that just came out for my iPad over the weekend. That's why I never gamble, I always feel I could be using that money to buy a game instead (and I don't buy clothes for the same reason, eek). And I'll probably do this regardless of how big my paychecks are in the future.

Obviously you played because you thought you could win, so did your friend, and so did my co-workers and everyone posting here, and everyone I know that bought a ticket, why else spend twenty or a hundred bucks on it otherwise? No one really goes, "Oh, this is totally rigged, I'm going to drop 100 bucks on it." Unless something is really wrong with their head. Or, just have a lot of money and are bored.

So, just stay with the excitement that was present prior to losing. Because even though the odds are fucking slim, they are not zero, and there's some excitement in that, I guess (I'm assuming)... So, then when you lose, just lose, without spreading bullshit (no, I'm not being offensive, that's what conspiracy theories are, bullshit, intellectual poison) around.

It's actually pretty easy to be right and still be offensive.

Slightly off-topic: Don't guess what you're going to do when the paychecks are bigger. My income tripled in the last 18 months, and the first thing I learned is that I don't know a goddamn thing about money. I still have nothing saved, because expenses just rise to meet income if you're not careful about planning. (Plus the goddamn wedding pirates!)

Actually, that's what kills lottery winners, too. It's not off-topic after all.

You know you're pathetic when you have to bash someone's economic status and/or job when they point out just how fucking stupid your lotto conspiracy theory is.

Fucking clown shoes.

You know the Nazis had lottery tickets they gave to the Jews. The winners got to die.

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This thread got interesting!

Oh yes sir, your penis is very large, yes sir.

And here I thought accountants were logical and anal to a fault. You must be a wildman in your professional circle!

Nobody here is talking about penis sizes until you brought it up. Is there something you need to tell us? This isn't an AA meeting. You don't need to tell us your weaknesses.

I'm logical when calculating actuarial pension expenses. When creating quarterly financial reports. Not when talking about a gambling game which none of us have control over, other than to decide to play or not play.

You forgot to mention what the average salary of an accountant is. After looking it up, I just laugh at your stupidity for becoming an accountant in the first place and then trying to throw your wage in someone else's face.

It's not that bad, making $45k 4 months before graduating. My boss makes $125k with only 7 years experience.

Numbers are easy. To some people drawing is easier. But I don't see that position creating thousands of jobs.

So I'll laugh my way to the bank.

For a 4 year degree? with a CPA? That's crap. I know plenty of people that are making twice that much with a 2 year degree or less. And before you say, yeah they are probably working a ton of overtime and doing shit jobs, pretty much everyone that I know that this applies to has a desk job.

So stop your epeen waving and thinking that just because you are an accountant you are some saving grace to the world.

Your just a bean counter, get over it.

No, with a CPA that would go to 75k, no experience.

I'm glad those people are making 80k+ with only 2 years studies. Yet, you fail to mention how much experience they already have.

No one with a 2 years or less of just studies is making 80k+ without experience. I can see someone with 6 years experience building ships for NASSCO, getting their 2 year degree, and then given a desk job making blueprints or supervising a whole department.

And the bean counters are the bookkeepers. There's no analysis there. Being a bean counter takes 1 class: Acct 101.

Fucking bean counters.

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Jake Rivers - Senex Legio
Get off my Lawn alliance

Does a bookkeeper = accountant? Pretty sure it does.

If (bookkeeper = accountant) and (bean counter = bookkeeper) then accountant = bean counter

And you scored what on your AP something or other?

Maybe you should have used some logic in your lottery scheme instead of your accountant abilities.



FTW

I feel like a lot of people in this thread should work some Diazapam into their budget. We all seem so angry. Kumbaya, etc.

Tranthas! Congrats on the presumably new job, monster salary bump, and marriagey stuff! That's a lot of awesome happening.

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I'M SO ANGRY ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE'S JOB BUT ALSO THEY'RE SO ARROGANT ABOUT THEIR JOB I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT TO THINK

edit: I actually read this thread just now and Bigteeth is just an idiot undergrad who feels like he has mastered the world around him because he made it through a state school's accounting program. Enjoy your debt and degree that means very little. After a couple of years you'll discover that your degree now lacks any importance as you don't have a CPA, then soon your CPA won't mean anything without your MBA, then your MBA won't mean anything without your CFP/CFA, and by then you'll drop out of the workforce to get these certifications only to return overqualified for any jobs you apply for.

Basically, enjoy the next four months and the lifelong debt you're about to start paying back, because the American work force does not give a shit about your BS-Accounting.

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Sadly, it's not a useless degree. Maybe in your state.

There will always be a need for controllers, CFOs, and accounting managers. And you are right the CPA will soon be useless since everyone has it and everyone wants to join the "Big Four" firms. Which is why I am half way done getting my CMA. Not hard to bypass a bottleneck when there are many roads available.

Its entire value is to get you the first job, whereupon it becomes obsolete as there's another certification you need to get your next job. I'm not saying accountants are useless, but an undergrad degree in accounting has an incredibly limited influence, no matter what state you live in. Nice work trying to play the geographical supremacy card, though!

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I think the whole point was that, you are hardly in the superior place you pretend to live in. In the future you may be, but it can also go the other way (and the unemployment fund you have so generously offered to me, may keep you from starving one day). I have a friend whose roomate had a tech related job that paid quite a lot more than yours may ever pay, and now he has no job. If things continue that way, he may be forced to have a job like mine. You never know.

You are just starting out, be more humble, and learn that it is okay to be wrong. Will save you from being in situations like this where every move you make digs you deeper into a hole.

So much posturing.

Thanks Myrtle! Same company, new(ish) role. If you wanna see what we're doing now, fire up your Xbox360 and check out the 6Mbps live stream for the Golden Gods award show, which starts in a little over an hour. They're just dicking around right now, Slash videos and some metal celebrities talking each other up and just flattering the hell out of Marilyn Manson. You just missed Slash, now Lacuna Coil is up.