Couple Takes $327 Million Lump Sum in Powerball — Does Something Totally Unexpected
The small-town Tennessee couple that won the Powerball jackpot aren’t planning on buying a mansion or throwing in the towel on their jobs. However, they are buying a horse for their daughter.
The Robinson family from Munford, Tennessee, hold one of three lucky lottery tickets to last Wednesday’s record-breaking $1.6 billion Powerball jackpot. The numbers drawn on Jan. 13, 2016 made John and Lisa Robinson instant multi-millionaires, reports the Associated Press.
The husband and wife headed over to Tennessee lottery headquarters in Nashville on Friday to confirm the authenticity of their ticket with officials after making an appearance on national television. Their ticket was bought at a local grocery in their hometown, which has a population of 6,000 people. After splitting the jackpot with two other winners in California and Florida, the Tennessee couple will have a lump sum payout of about $327 million.
During a news conference on Friday, the Robinsons announced that they will not be making any crazy purchases or quitting their jobs. The couple plans to pay off their mortgage for their gray, one-story house, get rid of other debts and pay off their daughter’s student loans. Despite their ability to afford a glitzy new house, the Robinsons plan on staying in their current home nestled in a close-knit neighborhood. The small-town couple live within their means and care about practicality. Robinson told the AP:
“Big houses are nice, but also you gotta clean ‘em.”
They both plan to stick with their occupations as well. Lisa works in a dermatologist’s office and John is a supervisor in a warehouse. Those who know the Robinsons reveal that the family is hard-working, responsible and humble with their new fortune.
According to AP, John Robinson said:
“That’s what we’ve done all our lives, is work. You can’t sit down and lay down and not do nothing anymore. Because how long are you going to last? We do want to enjoy a little bit of our earnings, and maybe invest a little bit of it so our son and daughter will have it and they’ll never need anything again.”
The couple also shared that they will be helping certain friends, donate to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis and donate to their church.
After consulting his brother, lawyers and financial planners, Robinson said he and his wife will accept the winnings in a single lump sum of almost $327 million. His other option was to allow the lottery to invest the prize and pay him through 30 annual installments that would equal $533 million. Robinson told the AP of their decision to take the money:
“We’re going to take the lump sum, because we’re not guaranteed tomorrow. We just wanted a little piece of the pie. Now we’re real grateful we got the big piece of the pie.”
They couple have two children — a son, Adam and a daughter, Tiffany. Tiffany said to the AP of her parents’ good fortune:
“My first thought was, ‘I’ve always wanted a horse. I get a horse now. My dad always said, ‘When I win the lottery.’”
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