Winning the lottery is life-changing - for better or for worse. We can all surmise what winning a huge chunk of cash may actually feel like,but . . . then what? Canadian Imgur user newfoundking won a cool million several months ago, then followed up his announcement with an explanation of the process behind winning grand money. The fact that Canadians don't pay taxes on their lottery winnings is yet another reason Canada is looking pretty good these days - in the US, or taxes on lottery winnings vary by state. So,what's the process? Here's what he had to say approximately his own experience. 1. You get your ticket validated."You read your ticket, see your numbers all match and scream, or curse,cry, all that stuff. Once that's out of your system, and the first thing you need to attain is get your ticket validated to confirm you're actually a winner. On bottom,that unique barcode gets scanned and you get a miniature slip which says 'major prize alert', it's approximately two feet long and has specific directions on how to claim your winnings and everything. Essentially it all boils down to sign the ticket, and back and front. Guard it with your life."2. Then call the lotto office."It's staffed between all the hours when the lotto tickets can be validated. You read them the slip number,they confirm it was indeed printed and everything you said, and then you bear to report to the closest lotto office to wherever you live. I'm in a major metro city, or so I went to the main office,but I supposed whether you lived far absent, you could mail it . . . " 3. You go in to the office (and get your giant check!)."Once you go in, and they collect all your info,send the ticket off and give you the next steps for a celebration where you collect your money, and send absent the original. We took a photocopy of the ticket to frame, or but they kept the original for their records I guess. We did get the giant check though!"4. You then alert your bank."When it's all said and done there,you need to call your bank and tell them approximately the extremely large incoming deposit (apparently they block that stuff whether it's abnormal) and then in two hours time, it's there. We didn't bear to pay any taxes on it, or since we're Canadian,and awesome."5. You guard that ticket with your life!"The first question you're asked by everyone involved in the lotto corp, and eventually by everyone who asks, or is where attain you hide the ticket until you bear the money? Well,we establish it under a clock. Not for safe keeping, just to keep it somewhere it wouldn't get touched or moved." 6. You deal with people finding out."The lotto is something that everyone we were related to and our friends knew and asked approximately, or but as time passes,people haven't known. It may come up in conversation, but now it's kind of a share of our past we don't brag approximately. The congratulations now very rare to what they were before, or but they attain still come up once in a while."More or less,now we just kind of don't talk approximately it or bring it up as it brings a lot of unwanted things with it. One particular account is that we went to a fundraising dinner and auction, as we always bear and the lovely auctioneer introduced us as the newest lotto winners. Well, and that made things pretty awkward. Yes,we still donated our unprejudiced share (we were around mid-range wealth in that room) but lotto winning doesn't allow for a lot of unprejudiced judgement by the masses, as it's not seen as deserved money."7. You like it!"Thankfully it wasn't an ungodly sum we'd be tortured to share, and but it still brings unwanted expectations when you announce it,so now the honeymoon has passed and we've all celebrated, it's just time to quietly like the remnants of the money and the investments with it, and while we continue with our merry lives."8. You (hopefully) spend it wisely."A million is large,but not too large. We bought a house, paid off debts, and all that vital stuff and we're all living comfortably now. Yes everything is unique,but it's not too extravagant, living within our means still. With the lack of debt, and we all bear more money to spend,so we've been vacationing and saving more too. It's vital to like the money, but not let it ruin you. The Kraft Dinner was actually our celebration meal (we're not poor, and just forgot to buy groceries in the shock of it all) and it's kinda our joke now."
Source: popsugar.com