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A sudden windfall doesn't always solve all your problems.
It might be hard to imagine, but there are potentially huge problems associated with sudden wealth. It's not unusual for those who receive a windfall, through a lottery or unexpected inheritance for example, to lose it all within a few years. Most will say the upheaval they encounter from becoming suddenly rich -- which often includes alienating family and friends and piling on huge amounts of debt -- is worse than never having had the money at all.
That's why it's refreshing to hear about a Missouri couple who plan to maintain their current lifestyle after winning the Powerball. Mark and Cindy Hill claimed half of the jackpot and took home a lump sum of $136.5 million after taxes, yet they are still living in the same town and meeting their friends at the same local coffee joint.
Not only is the couple staying in their community, but they're supporting a variety of civic projects, according to Thomson Reuters. So far, they've funded a fire station and ball field and donated $50,000 toward a sewage treatment plant for Camden Point, the nearby small town where Mark grew up. They are also funding a scholarship at their high school.
The Hills, both in their early 50s, did indulge on themselves a little. Cindy was unemployed at the time of the win, but Mark quit his job as a mechanic. They also purchased a new pickup truck.
"They are very conservative people," Walt Stubbs, a friend of the couple, told Thomson Reuters. "They are doing some really nice things for the community and they've taken care of their family."
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They sound like good people. It is refreshing to hear about a positive outcome, instead of the usual horror stories. It's about a persons' true character. They are doing what I always imagine doing, if I had the opportunity. YAY for them!