I won $22 MILLION in the lottery – but I’m keeping it secret from my kids so they don’t think they can slack off
- An anonymous caller on a radio program admitted to keeping the winnings a secret
- “My wife and I made a conscious decision to keep it a secret,” he said
- He attributed the windfall to the inheritance of a great-uncle who had passed away
A lottery winner calling into a financial advice radio show explained why he and his wife decided to keep news of the massive $22 million jackpot from their children.
The anonymous caller to The Ramsey Show in Nashville, who went by “John” and described his age as “approaching 50,” recounted how he had won a lottery “about two years ago” with “a group of co-workers.”
He also revealed that he has yet to tell anyone about the windfall except his wife and a sibling.
John went on to explain that after winning, he did his research and discovered that “one in five people lose their lottery winnings or go bankrupt within ten years.”
An anonymous caller on The Ramsay Show said he won $22 million a few years ago – and had kept it a secret from everyone except his wife and a sibling ever since.
“My wife and I made a conscious decision to keep it a bit of a secret,” John said of his lottery winnings (stock image)
“And one of the things they all said was, if you tell too many people, you’re going to get too many people coming to your door asking for this, that and the other, asking for handouts and expecting you to pay for everything.” , he said. mistakes of other lottery winners.
‘So my wife and I made a conscious decision to keep it a bit of a secret.
“We didn’t even tell our two teenage children.”
“Now I know that sounds strange, but we just don’t want them growing up to be waiters, you know, waiting for us to die. So they can get our money,” he continued, eliciting uproarious laughter from financial guru host David Ramsay.
John emphasized about his children that he “(wanted) them to figure out what they wanted to do in life and get to work.”
“And then I’ll let them know. “I’m not going to hide it from them forever,” he added.
He went on to describe how his wife’s great-uncle died coincidentally shortly after winning the lottery.
“He never married and left most of his inheritance to my wife and her sibling,” John said.
That legacy has made for a reasonable “cover story for when we help people,” he added.
For example, after he bought his mother a roof and she asked him, “How can you afford this?” he just said, “Oh, it’s Uncle Bob’s money, Mom.” He wanted us to do this.”
Before winning the lottery, John’s mortgage had already been paid off and he had also previously paid cash for two Toyotas.
“My wife and I really don’t want to move,” he said.
Of the Toyotas, he added, “We have no plans to upgrade anything because they are fine cars.”
John then confessed that he was in fact “still working.” Isn’t that ridiculous?’
He went on to explain that he didn’t quit “because I like my job.”
When his sister asked him what his “biggest splurge” was, he told her “patio furniture.”
“I’m not a flashy guy,” he admitted.