# If I win the lottery, do I really need a financial advisor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 15, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-win-the-lottery-do-i-really-need-a-financial-advisor/997606 "2024-02-15T15:03:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2024, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-win-the-lottery-do-i-really-need-a-financial-advisor/997606/81 "2024-03-04T01:59:56Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I think of my self as financially savvy. I have 6+ months of savings. No debt (besides mortgage). I invest in the S&P 500 index fund. I track my finances and other aspects of my life through spreadsheets. You are definitely sophisticated for somebody who earns a salary from a job, which is almost everybody. However, if a wage-earner suddenly acquired 10s or 100s of millions of dollars they would DEFINITELY need some advice how to think about earning all your income passively from your money. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-win-the-lottery-do-i-really-need-a-financial-advisor/997606/82 "2024-03-05T11:37:13Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Years ago a U Cal Berkeley math professor won the lottery and he was asked about it. He of all people should know how futilely low the odds are of winning. He answered the same as you: it’s for the entertainment value. My Wife does the same thing and we scratch them off together. It’s fun. And, we are actually ahead just a tiny bit. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-win-the-lottery-do-i-really-need-a-financial-advisor/997606/83 "2024-03-05T17:26:49Z")
As I stated before, I’m retired and over the past ten years or so I’ve relied on my financial advisor for a number of things, from selling under-performing investments and buying funds with better earning potential, to converting my IRAs to annuities which pay me annual income. Recently it was pointed out that I had an unnecessarily high cash reserve (I’d been letting it accumulate in anticipation of house repairs which ended up not being as expensive as I’d expected) and converted some of it to CDs and a money market account which would pay off until I needed it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-win-the-lottery-do-i-really-need-a-financial-advisor/997606.md?page=4)