UNIT 8: MONEY AND FINANCE
My name‿ is Rita. My husban(d) purchases one ticket‿ every Friday,│ an(d) curiosity recently prompted me to consul(t) the odds,│ which‿ are‿ approximately one‿ in fourteen million‿ an(d) therefore meaningless│ until compared with the probability of being struck by lightning.
The more‿ interesting question‿ is not│ whether we shall win but what befalls those│ who do,│ an(d) here the evidence‿ is largely anecdotal‿ and‿ uniformly dispiriting. Several studies suggest‿ a measurable decline‿ in well-being for‿ a significan(t) minority of recipients,│ the causes being social rather than financial:│ relatives‿ emerge,│ envy emerges,│ an(d) the consequent‿ isolation‿ is harder to manage than the money. Conspicuous consumption‿ attracts people│ who would not‿ otherwise have telephoned,│ and‿ a windfall therefore demands careful handling that nobody has been taught.
Were‿ it to occur,│ I should‿ inform nobody outside my immediate family,│ purchase nothing for three months,│ and‿ engage‿ a professional to manage the remainder. My husban(d) says he would‿ acquire‿ a boat,│ despite being seasick‿ upon‿ a ferry,│ which‿ indicates the proportion‿ in│ which we should squander‿ a fortune. We are not wealthy│ and‿ I am not persuaded we should be happier│ if we were,│ but Ibud I would rather‿ ascertain the answer than not,│ an(d) one ticket weekly is‿ an‿ inexpensive means‿ of keeping the question‿ open‿ indefinitely.