Win some of the $70 mil in Oz Lotto? You could get sudden wealth syndrome

Last night Oz Lotto drew the numbers for its $70 million prize draw. You may be staring at this a winner, clueless about what to do now. Don’t worry, because New York Times’ Dealbook writer Kevin Roose has done the hard work for you.

The good news is you just stumbled into a hell of a lot of money. The bad news is that it likely won’t change your life much – except for that fact that your Ford may become a Ferrari, your economy ticket overseas may change to a private plane and your trainer at the gym may turn into a team of trainers. So, in other words, you’ll be sitting on better seats and have a lot more people looking at your arse.

Aside from being able to buy more, have more people looking after you and taking care of your needs and experiencing life with a bit more style, the normal pressures of life will be much the same. Roose writes, “ A raft of studies, including one in 2010 by Princeton researchers Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, has underscored the fact that the rich are no happier than the merely comfortable, and are often burdened by the same problems: health and work issues, family concerns and worries about making ends meet.”

Roose steps into the shoes of a rich person for the day, eating at exclusive clubs, being chauffeured around, flying on private jets, training with the rich and famous and watching theatre after hours from front row seats.

It sounds like every man’s dream, and at the very least, every writer’s most desired assignment. But Roose ends on wise words, especially if you did walk away with some of that $70 million pie thanks to Oz Lotto.

“On my way to the subway, I stop in at my local coffee shop and order a cappuccino. It’s slightly burnt, like always. But this morning, in the haze of my hangover, it tastes rich. Really, sublimely rich.”

You can read the entire article at the New York Times Dealbook blog or view the short video.

Web: New York Times