You really want to win the lottery?

I'll take the money and take my chances. Like most lottery winners, I think we would handle sudden wealth just fine. We would probably make some larger-than-usual charitable donations, and maybe splurge a little, but most of the money would be carefully invested.

It's not very surprising, especially as this is hardly the first such article I've seen, that lotto winners who lack any sort of financial education or experience would squander their winnings. Sad but not unexpected. I wonder if lottery boards offer any assistance or referrals to professional money managers.

People who do (or should) know how to handle money and waste it anyway - like the business owners featured in the article - have no one to blame but themselves and need not come crying to me.

People who get murdered for their money - - I don't want to blame the victim, but you're really asking for trouble if you flaunt your new wealth, especially in poor neighborhoods.