This New Jersey man went to a store to return a carton of juice – and won $315 million. How to deal with a surprise stroke of luck

It’s common to go to the grocery store to make a quick purchase or to return an item you no longer need. It’s less common for an errand like this to change your life. But it can happen.

In 2018, New Jersey resident Tayeb Souami told reporters at a press conference how it happened to him.

About a month earlier, his wife had asked him to return a $5 carton of orange juice that was beyond their household’s budget. While waiting in line, Souami saw that the Powerball jackpot had increased and decided to spend his $5 refund on a few lottery tickets. In the end, this waste of money may have been the best financial decision of his life, as it resulted in a $315 million payday.

Of course, Souami couldn’t keep all of his prize. Instead of receiving his winnings in installments over a longer period of time, Souami opted for a one-time payment. After taxes, his $315 million was reduced to about $211 million. But that’s no reason to cry.

However, receiving a large sum of money unexpectedly could pose some challenges. So if you ever find yourself in this lucky situation, it’s important to know how to deal with it. How to deal with a stroke of luck.

When you experience a stroke of luck, it’s natural to make some changes in your lifestyle. However, it is also important to create a spending plan and budget so that you can manage your newly acquired wealth accordingly.

Plan your expenses the same way you would if you had an average income. Allocate money to the things that matter most to you, be it hobbies, travel, or charities. And consider the cost of purchasing expensive assets like homes and vehicles, while factoring in things like ongoing maintenance.

If you have a large amount of money, you have an advantage from an investment perspective. On the one hand, you don’t have to take on a lot of risk because even if you put a large pile of cash into a relatively conservative portfolio, you can still enjoy significant returns.

At the same time, because you have so much money, you can afford to play around with more speculative investments and see if there are any financial benefits to be gained from them. And you can afford to look at less liquid assets like art and real estate.

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