3 months after winning

Part 1
For 90 days after winning, do and say and promise absolutely nothing, take a leave of absence from your job, and get out out of town to plan. Remember, you will be fashioning a life for the next 20 years and after -- when the checks stop.

Lottery officials joke that an ex-spouse's attorney is among the first to contact a new winner with congratulations -- and a lawsuit for re-negotiating the original divorce settlement. Be prepared for this probability by having your ex-spouse waive (in your initial settlement) any right to future lottery winnings.