If you were granted one wish and one wish only, what would you wish for? Most people would probably say that they wish to win the lottery. Money makes life easier and having plenty of it means you can pretty much do whatever your heart desires - fancy cars, big houses, private jets, you name it. For Marie Holmes, a single mother who was living below the poverty line, that wish was granted when in 2015 she wont the North Carolina Powerball lottery. Marie won $188 million dollars! While that sounds like a true dream come true, Marie learned the hard way that there was a lot more to winning that kind of money. Winning the lottery costs Marie so much both emotionally and financially. She may have gone as far as to wish she had never won the money at all.
The Most Deserving Lottery Winner
Marie Holmes was one of the most deserving people to win this incredible lottery. At the time of the win, Marie was just 26 years old and a single mother who worked two different jobs so that she could support her children, of which she had four. She worked at both Walmart and McDonald's, which was hard for her, but worked as it helped her care for her kids.
Right before she wont the lottery, Marie had to leave her jobs to care for one of her children who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Now she did not have a job but needed to care for her children somehow anyway.
Wish Come True
On a bright day in February 2015, Marie got a ticket for the North Carolina Powerball. The jackpot was an astounding $564 million - she could not resist the urge. It was not long after she got home, to the trailer home she lived in with her kids at the time, that she learned that she held the winning lottery ticket.
When Marie was asked how she felt about winning, she said, “I thought I was going to have a heart attack when I saw the ticket and checked it”. There were two other winners of this giant jackpot, meaning Marie was going to get one third of the jackpot.
Wait A Minute...
While winning lottery money is incredible, due to fraud and other non-legal ways of trying to win such big pots, Marie had to go through a long process to make sure everything was right and that she could only then claim her winnings. The Lottery Commission allows places that sell lottery tickets to pay no more than $599. For those who are winners of the big bucks, they need to go through them.
The winners of such amounts need to fill out tons of paperwork to verify that their ticket really is the winning one and that they are the owners of the ticket. Then there is a wait for the funds to be given, and the winners need to decide if they want the money in one lump sum or over the course of 30 years which would change the taxation on the funds.
The Hardest Millionaire Choice
The hardest decision to make for anyone who wins that kind of money is whether to take it all in a lump sum or over a period of many years. Marie was given the option of either taking the $188 million spread out of the course of 30 years, on take a one-time lump sum of $127 million. While it may seem easy to some, it is not easy considering the lump sum is far less than the spread out one.
Experts say that it makes more financial sense to take the lump sum and invest it as you would get more money in the long run than the 30 year spread out amount. Most people take the lump sum, for obvious reasons.
Uncle Sam's Arrival
Going from no income to $127 million is one serious jump so losing $51 million out of it is not a big deal since it is still a huge leap forward. Holmes did not know though that there were more deductions coming her way thanks to the government. The money ones wins in a lottery is considered taxable income.
On sums like this, the state of North Carolina taxes 5.8% and the Federal government takes another between 25% and 39.6%. Depending on how Marie would be taxed, she was looking to lose another $50 million from her winnings.
Great Plans
We have all imagined what we would do if we won $1 million. Most of us say we would buy property, help people out, invest it, or donate some to charity. Marie was no different than most and said she planned on putting some of the money to these noble causes. Marie pledged to donate some of the money to her church, to buy a house for herself and children, and set up college funds so the kids would be set.
Marie told NBC News post-winning that, “All the struggle that I ever went through, it was all for them. I want them to understand that money doesn’t change you, but it can help you.”
No One Saw This Coming
Those who knew Marie said that she was the kind of woman who knew the value of a dollar. Considering she was a single mother of four who had to work two jobs to support her family, it makes total sense too.
No one thought that Marie would take it all for granted. However, despite knowing her well and seeing how hard her past was, money has a tendency to change people, especially when it is money you get easily and fast. The one person who everyone thought would be the most deserving was the one everyone would turn on.
Winner Beware
Winners of lotteries need to have financial planners far more than those who worked to earn their millions. The reason for this is experience and financial know-how. It seems almost impossible to spend that much money, but if you do not know what you are doing, it is easier than one might think.
Marie had to decided on things that would be good for her and her kids, which makes sense, but it was also a slippery road down bad decisions that she made that lead to a bad path.
Bail Money
Marie's crazy spending started whens he bought her boyfriend, Lamar McDow, a diamond Rolex watch worth $15,000. That amount seemed like nothing in comparison to what she had won, but this was also the beginning of what her boyfriend would end up taking from her. When McDow was arrested in 2014, he only had $100 to his name.
Now, he had a girlfriend who would bail him out no matter how much it cost. McDow denied the fact that Marie spent $21 million on bailing him out, he said, ‘’So many people are going on that she has paid $21 million to get me out of jail, but that ain’t true. It is just 10 percent”.
New House
McDow used to live with Marie and her kids in that small trailer she had before he was placed in jail in 2014. When he was released from jail, he moved into the house Marie bought that was worth $350,000. The report that showed the house worth also stated how much money Marie actually ended up getting after taxes.
Marie ended up with $88 million from the original $188 million she had won. For someone who came from nothing, that is still one seriously huge amount of money. However, Marie would quickly learn that losing $100 million is a huge thing.
Can We Borrow Money?
The following occurrence is not surprising at all. Once it was public that Marie won the lottery, it did not take long for family, friends, and all sorts of others to call her up and ask to borrow money or even a plain old handout.
They thought with all the money she had, what would be a little here and a little there. It got so bad that Marie said "when money comes there are more problems." She was more right than she even imagined she would be.
Wrong Neighborhood
After Marie won the lottery and her boyfriend was out of jail, they decided to move into one of the most affluent white neighborhoods in their area. Unfortunately, racial prejudice still took place in the area and the couple was harassed often by their neighbors.
The neighbors were subtle yet pointed with their remarks. McDow spoke with the Daily Mail and told them, “One neighbor set up a camera to record everything we were doing. If I was driving down the road and going at the speed limit, they would wave at me for going too fast. They did not want us there. They were prejudiced.”
The Church
Marie attended the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church from the time she was a little girl. When she won the money she said that she would give the church 10% of her winnings, known as a 'tithe'. Marie had a good heart, but it did not prevent her from being taken advantage of.
In the state of North Carolina, lottery winners names are public knowledge and on record so that anyone can find out who they are. Some try to remain anonymous so that they are not taken advantage of - that would have helped Marie.
Starting the Tithe
10% of $88 million is still a whole lot of money, but it was Marie's devout nature and heart to make sure that this was the first thing she did with the money that she won. The church said, “The first thing she promised was to tithe – or give a tenth of her winnings to charity.”
To get everything in motion, Marie donated $700,000 to the church, which took it happily in order to make repairs that have been long overdue.
Pastor With An Agenda
Kevin Mathews, a pastor who was not a part of the Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church started to become involved in Marie's life. The family did not know the pastor before Marie won the lottery, but the man said that "God led him to them." Marie and her family believed the man, and invited him into their home to help McDow make better decisions in his life.
Pastor Mathews then felt comfortable enough with the family to ask them for $1.5 million to build a retreat. Mathews said that they had a verbal agreement that they would give him the money. Instead of waiting for the funds, Mathews started building the retreat with his own funds.
A Pastor With A Lawsuit
Pastor Mathews said that he planned on suing Marie for $10 million. We have no idea where he got that sum since he said she had committed verbally to $1.5 million, but one thing that was certain was that he was after some of the tithe that she had promised her church.
Due to the fact that nothing was in writing, Mathews did not have much of a case, but he claimed, “Because of the emotional distress and mental stress, they put me through, I had to start taking more medicine for anxiety and depression due to this situation”.
Backlask
As soon as the story hit the airwaves about what Mathews was trying to do to Marie, the public went wild. People called him out for what he was trying to do to this lovely woman. Any normal lawyer would not touch this pastor's case, especially because there was nothing in writing between Mathews and Holmes.
Mathews refused to give the public his attorney's name as he said that the "motion hasn't been completed." This pastor seemed to just want to hurt Marie.
Skeletons in the Closet
The following news headlines were far worse than anything else for Marie and her kids. It was found out that Marie's ex-convict boyfriend was cheating on her. Reporters were saying that Marie paid off McDow's mistresses instead of breaking up with him.
On Facebook, a video went viral where an woman who did not state her name said that she was not only sleeping with McDow, but that he was also taking money from her to pay these said other women.
Looking For Control
Despite all of the hardships that came with winning the money and the fact that her boyfriend was seemingly making a fool out of her, Marie found the strength to try and take control back in her life.
Marie turned to another inspirational woman to get help in taking control back of her life. Marie went on the show Iyanla: Fix My Life talk show. The host of the show is an author, life coach, and motivational speaker who aims to help people.
Secret
Many people choose numbers that they find lucky and put them as their numbers on the lottery ticket. Some people choose birthdays, anniversaries, or a number that has been following them. On Marie's time on the talk show, her mother made a stunning confession on camera.
Marie's mother, Fontella, said that she picked the numbers and let her daughter believe that it was her own random set. She said, “I kept dreaming about your brother that we lost. His birthday, he was the third child, he’d have been 25 that year. Those were the numbers.”
Hot Sauce
McDow's nickname was Hot Sauce. It was given to him by his fellow gang members. He had already been bailed out by Marie no less than three times. Marie bailed McDow out on a $3 million bond. He took advantage of her kind heart and spent her money as if it were his. In less than a year, McDow was arrested yet again.
Again, Marie bailed him out with a $6 million bond. McDow continued to cheat on Marie and spend her money. McDow was then arrested again, followed by Marie bailing him out to the tune of $12 million bond.
Taking Down His Girlfriend
It was only a matter of time before Marie was going to get involved in the trouble that McDow was in. One time, McDow was violating his curfew when the police came and searched the house.
They found illegal substances inside and charged Marie as well since it was in her home and in front of her own kids. Marijuana has been legalized in many states, but North Carolina is not one of them, landing Marie in trouble.
Upset McDow
McDow was upset that Marie was being called out in the media and said, “We are a couple, and I am the father of her youngest child. This is what people do for each other. She has the money and she can do what she wants with it.”
He continued by saying, “If I had that money then I would do the same for her. People are just jealous because of how much she won and people want to see me locked in jail.”
Accused
While taping the show that Marie was on, two more negative pieces of information made the headlines. Once her mother said that she gave her the numbers, other relatives came out accusing Marie of stealing the ticket from her mother. They did not seem to care that Fontella said that she gave it to her willingly.
The second piece of bad news was that McDow was being locked up again, this time for seven years for possession and illegal distribution. Marie has had a lot of bad happen to her, but she was not about to break.
Fulfilled Promise
Despite a lot of people having a lot of opinions on her and what she has done or not done, Marie kept up her end of the deal and gave 10% of her winnings to where she promised, a sum of $9.7 million. Part of the money went to her new foundation - The Marie Holmes Foundation.
The foundation is there to help families hit by hardship, as well as underprivileged children. The foundation holds large events where toys and school supplies are collected.
The Christian Thing
There are those who did not understand how Marie even bought a lottery ticket since the church does not look well on gambling. However, it was a pastor who said, “You can’t be against the lottery, but your youth department is doing a RAFFLE! Same thing pastor. SAME THING!”
He continued by said, “You can’t be against the lottery and you have a prize of $500 for whoever brings the most people on family and friends day." Amen to that!
Money Is Evil
There were some pastors who did not look upon this as fondly and said, “Now, having said that, let me tell you that the biblical principles that would dissuade a Christian from gambling are several. First, we must guard against our love of money.’’
“In Scripture, there are instances of casting lots but usually not for material gain. It rather emphasizes the sovereignty of God. For example, Proverbs 16:33 says ‘'The lot is cast into the lap but it’s every decision is from the Lord,” he said.
Word of Advice
Marie's story was a hard one but it could have ended far worse than it did. She did not lose it all but she very well could have. However, let this be a cautionary tale with some words of advice - learn and understand taxes, sign your ticket or you will be accused of stealing, and cash the ticket before the expiration date.
One more word of advice, hire a financial advisor to help you take your money and make more of it. Investing is as important as putting the money in the bank.
Lesson Learned
Remember that 50% of what you win will go to the government, that people will want a piece of everything you get, and that money comes and goes very quickly so you must be smart about it.
Expect people to haggle you for money if they know you won a huge amount of it, and try to remain as anonymous as possible if you are in a state where that is a possibility; it will make your life a whole lot easier.