For the second time in less than two years, a winning Powerball ticket was sold in New Hampshire.
The winning ticket, worth $559.7 million, was sold in Merrimack over the weekend, and now everyone wants to know who is the winner.
Attorney William Shaheen, Partner/Shareholder of Shaheen & Gordon, P.A. has some advice for that person: Stay anonymous.
“Don’t sign that back of the ticket because if you sign it you lost confidentiality,” he says. “It becomes public, and you lost the option of staying anonymous.”
Shaheen advises this latest winner to put the unsigned ticket in safe place, such as a safety deposit box, and then seek legal advice. The ticket needs to be protected because whomever possesses it has claim to it.
A lawyer can assist the winner in creating a trust so that if they want to remain anonymous they can do that. With a lawyer in place, they can help the winner interview accountants and financial planners and take time to discuss and plan how to use the money.
“Once you are outed, it can be overwhelming,” Shaheen said. “If you like your life and you like your friends, choose anonymity. If you don’t, things will change. People will look at you differently and treat you differently.”
With a lawyer in place, they can help the winner interview accountants and financial planners and take time to discuss and plan how to use the money.
