Introduction
As a licensed insolvency trustee Toronto, when I first came across this study, frankly I was quite surprised. After all, how could my neighbour’s good luck have such an adverse effect on me? Nevertheless, according to a study co-authored by University of Alberta professor, Barry Scholnick for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, if your neighbour wins a big lottery you could go bankrupt.
Why would the neighbours of lottery winners go bankrupt?
It all boils down to “keeping up with the Jones”. The study says that your going bankrupt likelihood increases when your neighbour buys a big house, fancy cars, boats; anything that’s highly visible or showy. Then the neighbours, feeling pressure to keep up or compete, also go on a spending spree. However, without the cash from a lottery win, the neighbours’ finance their spending sprees with debt and beat a clear path to bankruptcy. Sadly, it’s not just the neighbours of lottery winners that go bankrupt. As a licensed insolvency Trustee Toronto I can say that a high percentage of lottery winners go bankrupt too.
How many lottery winners go bankrupt?
- 44% of those who’ve ever won large lottery prizes became broke within five years, according to a 2015 Camelot Group study.
- 33% declared bankruptcy according to the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
- Other studies show that lottery winners often become estranged from family and friends, and incur a greater incidence of depression, drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, and suicide than the average person. As a licensed insolvency trustee Toronto, we must also help the person seek help for their medical condition/addiction, as part of helping them solve their financial problems.
All of a sudden lottery winners have an enormous amount of money on their hands and they have no idea what to do with it. Instead of seeking financial advice from a licensed professional and investing a large part of their money for the future, they go on wild spending sprees and pretty soon they’re worst off then they were before. Then they have to go see someone like me, the bankruptcy trustee.
Can a licensed insolvency trustee Toronto help me?
What the study shows is that a big lottery win will not grant you immunity from bankruptcy. Regardless of the reasons that you’re in serious debt, you need the help of a professional trustee. Ira Smith Trustee & Receiver Inc. approaches every file with the attitude that we will solve your corporate or personal financial problems given immediate action and the right plan. Give us a call today and take the first step towards a debt free life. We are a licensed insolvency trustee Toronto that can get you back on the road to financial health, Starting Over, Starting Now.