# Your co-worker hits huge lottery, but doesn't quit. How do you feel? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166 "2005-11-21T23:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/61 "2005-11-24T14:16:36Z")
I’d also like to add that in my case, with a wife who had expensive chemo 3 years ago and a family medical history chock-full of cancer and heart disease, I’d have to work well beyond the date the lotto check cleared in order to make sure that any private insurer would take the wife and me at a price I could afford. It might take months of meetings with insurance salespeople before I could determine my best deal and then quit. Or, since my full-time employer allows part-timers into the insurance group, I might just take a part-time job in one of the departments that has a part-time opening. It really would depend upon how large the take-home lotto check was. A mere $10M and I’d stick around a while. $25M or more and I’d quit work, stash $5M in a muni-bond account earmarked just for medical bills and skip insurance. At a mere 4% return, the wife could have another lymphoma and I’d still not crack the principal. ---
**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/62 "2005-11-24T14:32:26Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > Good point, I didn’t think about children. I don’t have any, or a spouse. > > Honestly? I don’t like rich people. They make me self-conscious, they make me feel stupid, and I always have to watch what I say around them. They don’t think twice about going out for a gourmet dinner even if you can’t afford it, and when you say you can’t afford it they offer to pay, thereby robbing you of your dignity. I’m prejudiced against rich people, and I’d rather not work with one, I’d prefer to work with people in my general socioeconomic bracket. Having dated a trust fund baby, there’s more than a kernel of truth to what you say. I would NOT, however, feel stupid. Wealth doesn’t seem to care how smart or stupid the recipient is. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/63 "2005-11-24T15:16:30Z")
> [@zenith](#): > > And if anyone else quit in the middle of the shift, the reaction would be , "So what? " But if the lotto winner did this, the company legal department would drag him and his deep pockets into court. He’d end up like Jesus Christ-- dying between two thieves ( the company’s lawyers and his in this case). Except you know the lottery winner might bolt. If anybody else did it, it would likely be a surprise. I don’t see how the company could sue the lottery winner for quitting. Especially when most states allow companies to fire people at will. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/64 "2005-11-24T15:36:31Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > I personally don’t think I could concentrate on my job like I should and feel it would be best to move on. I just don’t understand this; someone else has money now, so you feel you have to leave? Wuh Duh Fuh? ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/65 "2005-11-24T17:10:26Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Except you know the lottery winner might bolt. If anybody else did it, it would likely be a surprise. > > I don’t see how the company could sue the lottery winner for quitting. Especially when most states allow companies to fire people at will. In a day and age when record companies file $multi-million suits against middle-class teenagers who share music files, anyone with even deeper pockets would surely have to give an employer a few hundred undeserved thousands to" make things go away"if he or she walked off the line in mid shift, pissed in the boss’ coffee, tripped a few key breakers on the way out,etc. Whether or not the law would be on the lotto winner’s side, the delay in getting to see the judge and the ensuing bills, endless depositions, etc., would make any victory a Phyrric one. Easier just to cave. Easier yet to give 2 weeks notice and keep a low profile. If you can take all or most of that time off as vacation, personal, or sick time it would give you the lowest of low profiles. Just be sure to use the proper channels in requesting such time. As I said, the “Take this job and shove it !” approach might prove very costly. And who knows, maybe your trusted financial advisor will abscond with the cash and you’ll need the job back. Even if you’ve hated the job for years and years, leave on a positive note. Asshole bosses expect retaliation, a handshake and"Been a pleasure to work with you" screws immeasurably with their tiny little minds. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/66 "2005-11-24T17:20:27Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] I would be happy for them at first and maybe a little concerned later. I have seen what happens to lottery winners first-hand. The fact that the coworker didn’t quit his job is a good sign if it isn’t one of those mega-jackpots. [/qutoe]Agreed. > [@](#): > > _Money doesn’t always go as far as you might think when you are talking about a life-time._ This is why if (an astronimical if) I ever hit it big, I’m taking the annuity–assuming I can pay the taxes over time as well. I know how much I need to live on and the rest woud go in the bank. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/67 "2005-11-24T17:40:18Z")
The trouble with the annuity is that the lotto people don’t administer them; they sell them off for “present value” to insurance companies and banks. Your annuity is thus tied to the fortunes of one particular company. Can you say"Enron"? Now you get why I’d rather make my own diversified investments with that present-value amount,less taxes. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/68 "2005-11-24T18:00:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I just don’t understand this; someone else has money now, so you feel you have to leave? Wuh Duh Fuh? I believe Mr Blue Sky was speaking from the perspective of if he himself had won the money. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/69 "2005-11-24T20:50:22Z")
> [@zenith](#): > > I’d also like to add that in my case, with a wife who had expensive chemo 3 years ago and a family medical history chock-full of cancer and heart disease, > I’d have to work well beyond the date the lotto check cleared in order to make sure that any private insurer would take the wife and me at a price I could afford. > It might take months of meetings with insurance salespeople before I could determine my best deal and then quit. I have told my co-workers, that should I win the lottery, they’ll never see me again. Perhaps a nice christmas card at the end of the year, but I would not be showing up at work. Last time I thought about it, though, I decided I would probably work until I had worked everything through with a financial planner and taken care of things like health insurance and retirement and made sure that I was ready to live on the interest. And then, I’d walk and not look back. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/70 "2005-11-24T22:04:24Z")
> [@davenportavenger](#): > > Honestly? I don’t like rich people. They make me self-conscious, they make me feel stupid, and I always have to watch what I say around them. They don’t think twice about going out for a gourmet dinner even if you can’t afford it, and when you say you can’t afford it they offer to pay, thereby robbing you of your dignity. I’m prejudiced against rich people, and I’d rather not work with one, I’d prefer to work with people in my general socioeconomic bracket. A very shallow point of view, but at least you recognize it as prejudiced. Think how you’d feel if someone didn’t want to associate with you because you had too little (or too much) money. I used to have a weekly poker game at my house. My regulars included a guy who put in sprinkler systems for a living and never had much money (but set aside $20 for the game a couple times a month because he felt the socializing was worth it), a deputy sheriff, an electronics salesman who made $125,000 a year, a guy who had just sold his company for $7,000,000, a software engineer, and a real estate agent. There was a **huge** gap in income and net worth, but we all got along just wonderfully. Everyone brought a six-pack and some munchies with them. We ate before the game so nobody had to feel self-conscious about not being able to afford what others might want. I have little respect for someone who would have said “I don’t want to hang out with the sprinkler guy 'cause he has less money than me” or “I don’t want to hang out with the business guy 'cause he has more money than me.” You need to look at the people, not the pocketbooks. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/71 "2005-11-24T22:30:06Z")
> [@groman](#): > > Are there really workplaces that rely on the fact that everybody really needs the job to operate? How do places like that stay in business…? Yes. They stay in business by hiring people who need the job, when the ones who manage to move on do move on. I worked in one of them once, it’s pretty close to my hometown. When I run into old coworkers from that particular job, we sound kind of like my gramps when he starts telling stories from the war… ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/72 "2005-11-24T23:35:27Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > But if you win the lottery and have a plan, even a small-ish win can be lifelong financial support. If you start with a financial planner with the original total instead of blowing large chunks of it frivolously, you can live off the interest without even touching the principle. Or you can pay off any debts, buy a house outright, and set yourself up so your day-to-day needs are very inexpensive\* and _then_ live off the principle of what’s left. > > \*Once you have no rent or mortgage or car payment or debts, you can live comfortably on a whole lot less money. That’s always been my plan for a financial windfall. I’ve always swore I wouldn’t go out and start buying cars, etc. I don’t even like cars! I’d continue to live where I live, and make sure the money was being put to as safe & productive use as possible. Don’t touch the principle! Just enjoy some of that interest. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/73 "2005-11-24T23:49:05Z")
Chiming in just to mention Vonnegut’s “The Foster Portfolio.” ---
**Author:** ![Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bites_when_provoked/32/18073_2.png) [@Bites\_When\_Provoked](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bites_When_Provoked)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/74 "2005-11-25T00:08:25Z")
I’ve always felt this reaction to people who win the HUGE lotteries and then say that they won’t actually live differently… Why.the.hell.did.you.enter.the.lottery? Seriously? If a person doesn’t hope that the money will change their life in some way, what the hell logic is there in shelling out on a ticket every week? It’s crazy. If \*I \* won a HUGE payout, I’d study. Not for a degree, necessarily - I think I’d try to pick up modules that interested me from a number of different fields and then see if one of them suited me well enough to pursue as a serious study. And I’d probably open a business - my friend and I have had an idea for one since we were teens, which I think would have the potential to be really huge… I’d get actual skilled people to -run- the business, though, because frankly it’d fall over in a heap if I was in charge. I wouldn’t commit to staying in my job even though I like it, because I think there’d be too many things I’d kick myself for later if I didn’t enjoy the good fortune I’d been given, and it’s a bit hard to do that if you’re committed to the 9-5. I might still do some temp work though. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/75 "2005-11-25T19:24:56Z")
> [@Bites When Provoked](#): > > Why.the.hell.did.you.enter.the.lottery? Seriously? If a person doesn’t hope that the money will change their life in some way, what the hell logic is there in shelling out on a ticket every week? It’s crazy. Because they get pleasure from thinking about it. Playing the lottery can be **fun**! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/76 "2005-11-25T22:00:28Z")
> [@Bites When Provoked](#): > > I’ve always felt this reaction to people who win the HUGE lotteries and then say that they won’t actually live differently… > > Why.the.hell.did.you.enter.the.lottery? Seriously? If a person doesn’t hope that the money will change their life in some way, what the hell logic is there in shelling out on a ticket every week? It’s crazy.\ Not necessarily. Some people who wouldn’t change their lives significantly if they won might just be really happy with their lives. If I won a lottery, I would change my life somewhat, but not completely, because I’m happy with most of it. I would just basically get debt-free with the money, my debt-load being the most noticeable area I’m dissatisfied with. Why do we bother playing if we don’t want to change our lives? Just for the debt payoff, really. And for the chance to get over the hump into the smooth sailing side of life. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/77 "2005-11-25T22:10:31Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Not necessarily. Some people who wouldn’t change their lives significantly if they won might just be really happy with their lives. If I won a lottery, I would change my life somewhat, but not completely, because I’m happy with most of it. I would just basically get debt-free with the money, my debt-load being the most noticeable area I’m dissatisfied with. Why do we bother playing if we don’t want to change our lives? Just for the debt payoff, really. And for the chance to get over the hump into the smooth sailing side of life. And I think it’s people like that who are far more “successful” at winning the lotto than the people who envision massive changes in their lives and think money is the single panacea to all their problems. Money can’t make you happy, but it can make it a lot easier to stay that way. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/78 "2005-11-26T01:34:23Z")
Just chiming in again to not only re-mention Vonnegut’s “The Foster Portfolio” but to reinterate that nooooooobody would know for a looooooooong time if hit megamillions. In deference to my superhero comics collecting hobby, I’d have a secret ID: Millionaire Man! ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/79 "2005-12-08T18:31:28Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > That’s always been my plan for a financial windfall. I’ve always swore I wouldn’t go out and start buying cars, etc. I don’t even like cars! I’d continue to live where I live, and make sure the money was being put to as safe & productive use as possible. Don’t touch the principle! Just enjoy some of that interest. The only thing I’d do with the principal is to buy my house free and clear. Not having a mortgage payment would expand my available income for luxuries quite sufficiently. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166/80 "2005-12-08T19:21:32Z")
> [@Bites When Provoked](#): > > I’ve always felt this reaction to people who win the HUGE lotteries and then say that they won’t actually live differently… Because the ones who win and spout off about what they are going to with all that cash end up sounding like idiots. Most people don’t believe the modest ones, but at least have a better feeling about them than thinking that someone will be lighting Cubans with $100 bills. I think the answer is to start a family trust, and have a lawyer pick up the check. And if someone finds out who you are, just be modest and say that it won’t change you, and that your family will be well take care of, and that is not your Ferrari in the driveway. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-co-worker-hits-huge-lottery-but-doesnt-quit-how-do-you-feel/332166.md?page=5)