Mega Millions Lottery Winner at 20
20-year-old Florida man claims $450 million lottery jackpot. On Friday, Shane Missler of Port Richey came forward to claim the $450 million Mega Millions jackpot, which he won in a drawing one week ago.
Twenty-three drawings rolled over before Missler’s ticket lined up perfectly with all five numbers plus the Mega Millions ball in the January 5 drawing.
Missler declined to pose for photos or conduct an interview, but he hinted at his plans for the money in a statement provided by the Florida lottery.
Mega Millions winner wants to ‘do some good for humanity’
“I’m only 20, but I hope to use it to pursue a variety of passions, help my family and do some good for humanity,” he said.
The statement also says Missler “wasn’t really surprised” when he realized he landed the jackpot. He had “a feeling” he would get lucky.
He told his brother immediately. “Then, he shared the news with his father over coffee the next morning,”.
The $450 million prize marked the fourth-largest in Mega Millions history and the 11th-largest jackpot in U.S. history.
Missler, however, won’t receive the full amount. Lottery winners only receive the jackpot’s advertised amount if they choose to accept the prize via a 30-year annuity.
Young but financially clever
Like most winners, Missler chose to accept his winnings in a lump sum. That meant his prize totalled $281,874,999. Financial advisers typically recommend accepting the lump sum. If the money is wisely invested, the returns can amount to a much larger payout over the years.
And Missler accepted his prize money through an LLC — named Secret 007, a lottery spokesperson confirmed to CNNMoney.
Public records show the LLC was established on January 10, so it’s likely Missler set up the firm to accept his lottery winnings.
That’s smart financial planning, says Florida financial adviser Mari Adam. “Any decent attorney would probably encourage someone who is about to receive that much money to do some estate planning.”
Setting up an LLC can help “protect what he has from frivolous lawsuits”.
