Want to change your luck?

How lucky are you? Lightning has struck my pointy head several times in my life. I’m that person, but believe you have to play in order to win. So when I drove to pick up Danny after skiing late Saturday afternoon, I made a pitstop at City Market to buy a Powerball ticket. I assumed there would be a long line and was glad he waited inside the Grand Lodge at Peak 7. The sun had set behind the Ten Mile Range and the temperature dove.

I thought the line would be as long as this one.

Across the country, hopeful winners waited in long lines to purchase their winning tickets. Not at this Breckenridge grocery store. No line existed.

I haven’t played in over a year and messed up the first two tickets. Luckily, no one waited behind me. When I finally filled in the little empty squares properly, the clerk asked, “So if you win, will you take the lump sum or a yearly payout? They take about sixty percent in taxes.”

The sound of a needle scratching a record drowned out the hum of bustling shoppers and Muzak playing from overhead speakers.

Whoa. That’s a lot of money for Uncle Sam. It doesn’t really seem fair since he doesn’t buy a ticket and then sweat while looking up the winning numbers.

“I don’t know. Probably a yearly payout.”

Chances were 1 out of 292,000,000 and nobody won. If you lived in an unplugged world for the last few days, you probably don’t know the jackpot grew to 1.3 BILLION!

I Googled the tax. They take 40% of the one-time payout. You would pay 4% in taxes if you live in Colorado and choose the thirty-year payout. Would I want Sammy boy to hang on to my money? I’m not sure. I would LOVE to have that problem.

There is quite a range of taxes. It depends on where you live. I got this from the USA Mega Millions Site:

$1,300,000,000

Yearly:                                                                                     One-time payout:

Colorado: 4% State Tax – $1,733,333		– $32,240,000
Your average net per  year: $30,766,667		Your net payout:  $572,260,000
After 30 payments:  $923,000,010

Would I choose the 572 million or be happy with almost $31,000,000 per year for thirty years? Hmm…

I wondered if I could borrow against the thirty-year payout to buy a small country. I would name it Wild Childland. Would I rather live large or leave it to my kids? How would it change my every day lifestyle? Would it become a rock and roll lifestyle? With that kind of money, I could hire someone to query for me so I could focus on writing and traveling. My life would become REALLY WILD!

New York has the highest tax:

New York: 8.82% State Tax† – $3,822,000		– $71,089,200
Your average net per year: $28,678,000		Your net payout:  $533,410,800
After 30 payments:  $860,340,000

If you live in California, Delaware, Florida, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, or Washington, you will pay NO STATE TAX!

You won’t throw away money on a Powerball ticket or what I call, making a donation to Colorado’s parks and recreation? Wouldn’t you spend two dollars to become a BILLIONAIRE? I would.

Here’s the deal. The odds of winning never change, but the money has grown to a ridiculous amount.

I would be grateful to choose three numbers and win $100!