Preparing for a Money Shock: Part 1

Whether you have been betting on sports only a short time or you have been at it for years, you probably spend most of your time trying to figure out how to make it big.  You likely do not spend a lot of time thinking about what you will do when you do strike it rich.  There are a couple of forms a financial windfall can take.

In the first case, you might win a huge bet and make a ton of money all at once.  This can happen if you are gambling mostly for fun and you wager a lot on one bet.  Maybe you got amazing odds on a complicated parlay or teaser bet and win a huge amount of cash.  In the other case, you might be wagering only small amounts and hoping to bet professionally.  After years of hard work, you finally start seeing some real success.  Even though this isn’t a sudden windfall, it is still a windfall.  Your circumstances may have changed irrevocably.

Then again, the change may not be irrevocable after all.  You have probably read news stories about lottery winners who manage to go through millions of dollars in just a few years and then find themselves broke.  This happens more often than you would think, and the main reason for it is simple lack of preparation.  Most people want lots of money, but they are not psychologically prepared for a massive change in their fortunes.

If you suddenly win a lot of money or even sense a change in the winds, you may struggle with emotions like:

·         Compulsive exuberance.  You may feel so energized and overjoyed by your good fortune that you are tempted to go out and spend it all at once.  You may think, “I have so much money I no longer need to budget!”  You might even wager it all again, believing in your lucky             streak, and then lose it.

·         Guilt.  Some people feel guilty when they get money they do not feel they earned.  They give the money away all at once and return to the poor house.  They keep on doing their day jobs even though they didn’t have to.

·         Fear.  While good luck is a good thing, it has a flip side.  When you suddenly and inexplicably come into good fortune, you may start to fear the reverse will happen.  You might fear losing it all for no reason.  Or you might fear what other people will think of you now that you             have the money.  This may cause you to cling to every penny, still living as if you are in poverty.

Psychologists call this experience “money shock.”  It can take many different forms, which generally reflect the life experience of the person who received the sudden windfall.  How do you cope with “money shock” or even prevent it?  That is what I will talk about in the next installment.  Until then, play responsibly, and good luck!