Daughter of $13m lottery winner shares biggest lesson learned after fortune disappeared
The daughter of a previous lottery winner has shared the biggest lesson she's learned after her father's fortune was completely wiped out.
Winning the lottery is life-changing, there's no doubt about that, though previous winners have spoken about some of the negative stuff that comes with being a millionaire in the public eye.
Leeann Wahr's father won a $13 million lottery jackpot in 2013 at a time when he was said to be struggling financially and had become estranged to his family.
However, after Wahr's father decided to take the lump-sum payment of roughly $13.3 million, things became a lot better.
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First of all, the lottery winner bought his sister a house, a home in which the whole family moved into.
“It was so fun,” Wahr told 13 ON YOUR SIDE. "He did take us shopping a couple of times, which was pretty crazy, getting kinda whatever you wanted. Going from nothing to having something is a huge change. There was a lot of excitement, but it did turn sour over the years."
Wahr went on to say that her father was a regular gambler, which lead to his funds slowly depleting.
“He was a little bit of a gambler,” Wahr added. “He always played the lottery. I believe it was weekly, to be honest. I don’t know for sure. But he definitely played a lot.”
She went on to say that her father became overwhelmed after the family moved to Nevada, as people in Michigan often contacted him to ask for money.
Wahr's father sadly died in 2023 and she's since spoke about her family situation and the lesson they learned.
She believes any lottery winner should seek advice from a financial advisor the second they collect their winnings.
"If you win the lottery, get a financial advisor," she said. "Family is everything. Stick together. Things happen, and you gotta roll with the punches."
While Wahr discussed the downsides of her father having a newfound fortune, she concluded that him winning the lottery was generally a good thing.
"When you’re a kid that’s going through a lot, and you’re not presenting the best in school and things like that, it just makes you go down a bit," she added.
"And the money really helped me feel better about myself, like more confident, like wearing clean clothes to school, things like that."
Timothy Schultz, who's previously won the lottery, has echoed the advice around winners speaking to financial experts.
He explained to UNILAD recently: "My first piece of advice? Don’t cash the ticket tomorrow just because you can. Everyone thinks winning the lottery is a race to collect the money. It’s not. It’s a race to make good decisions.
"Secure the ticket, tell as few people as possible, and build a team before you claim. An experienced estate attorney and financial advisers can help you determine the best way to claim the prize, including options that may help protect privacy."
Tim added: "The first person I’d trust is a good attorney. The last person I’d trust is the cousin I haven’t heard from in fifteen years.
"And yes, celebrate. Just do it quietly until the ticket is secure and the plan is in place."
Callum Jones