I think what you should do if you win 2 million in the lottery is stick it in the bank, keep your job for a while but learn how to invest in whatever interests you. Undertake a serious education and make investing your job. Become a realtor if you want to buy houses. Same with stocks. Education gives you a huge advantage.
I know buying the SPY and waiting for a 30 year return will not suite most people because we're all the same. Watching your two million turn into a million is too painful for most people to endure. Most people will buy stocks now because they're high and it is the thing to do. The market feasts on those people. 10-20-30% losses will punt most retailers. A 50% loss will kill all but the most willfully blind investor. No one kept stocks in 2009. Jim Cramer was telling people to bail out. Having a long time line doesn't preclude anyone from the common human psychology we're stuck with. We avoid pain and seek pleasure, we're scared of missing out and we're scared of losing. You have to know how to beat your human nature. That doesn't suit lottery winners very well.
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