The $1.787 Billion Homebody

On September 6, 2025, two Powerball tickets — one bought at a QuikTrip in St. Louis, Missouri, the other at a Big's convenience store in Fredericksburg, Texas — matched all six numbers (11, 23, 44, 61, 62, Powerball 17) to split a $1.787 billion jackpot, the second-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever won. Each ticket holder could choose a $893.5 million annuity or a $410.3 million lump sum, before taxes. The Missouri winner, who stayed anonymous, claimed his half at Missouri Lottery headquarters in Jefferson City and took the lump sum, telling the lottery: 'I'm just going to do me for a year.'

The lesson: Privacy is a financial asset — the Missouri winner stayed anonymous and named his plan (a quiet year at home) before the money changed him.

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