How To Protect Your Financial Windfall

Mike Crisolago Updated Sep 6, 2025 Money Wise

The (PCH) Publisher’s Clearing House saga is a cautionary tale for anyone who comes into a large sum of money — whether it’s a sweepstakes giveaway, a lottery win or an inheritance. Without a plan, that money can dry up faster than you think.

Oregon man won ‘$5K a week forever’ in 2012, spent cash like he was set for life — but Publishers Clearing House went bankrupt. Now he might lose home

An old sweepstakes TV commercial once promised, “Only Publishers Clearing House can make you so rich, so fast!”

Here’s Why You Always Want to Know Your Net Worth, According to a Financial Expert

August 25, 2025   By  Jordan Rosenfeld

How do I calculate my net worth, and why does it matter?

If net worth sounds like something only the uber-rich have to think about, it’s time to think again. Everyone has a net worth — though some are certainly higher than others — but you might be surprised to learn that you’re worth more than you think. More importantly, your net worth is one of the clearest snapshots of your overall financial health.

4 Practical Yet Genius Money Tips From Tony Robbins

Kristopher Kane  Wed, September 3, 2025   GOBankingRates

Managing your money isn’t always intuitive, and it can present significant challenges, especially if you’re just starting out. But no matter where you are in your financial journey, a few words of sound advice can never hurt. When it comes to financial wisdom, you could do a lot worse than listen to someone like Tony Robbins.

Over the years, the financial guru and motivational speaker has offered a lot of practical advice that can help just about anyone, regardless of their current situation, set and achieve their financial goals. Keep reading for four essential tips from Robbins that you can use to move toward your own financial success, one step at a time.

Why So Few People Feel Secure About Money — Even When They Have Lots of It

And why the neighbors of lottery winners are often worse off.

Yahoo Creator  Sean Kernan  June 21, 2024

I’m not rich by any means. But I’ve done well enough to be comfortable, mostly because I saved aggressively early in my career. Yet I still feel like I’m only a stone’s throw from being in poverty, which is slightly irrational.  I remember having no money and having to budget until my next paycheck or risk groveling to my parents for help. It wasn’t a good life. And it still feels like yesterday, even though so many years have passed. Sadly, many people feel this way.

Why Keeping The Money Isn’t The Right Move

Will Kenton  Tue, September 2, 2025

Someone I don’t know deposited $500 to my Zelle account — is there any harm in just keeping it?

Your phone pings, and you open Zelle to find $500 sitting in your account, but it isn’t from your employer, a friend or anyone you recognize. Instead, it’s from a stranger, sent through Zelle with no explanation. At first, it feels like an unexpected windfall. Who wouldn’t be tempted to think of it as free money?.  But that surprise transfer may not be a lucky break. Money sent to your account by someone you don’t know often signals a mistake or, worse, the beginning of a scam.

You Worked Hard To Build Wealth — Use This 3-Step Checklist To Protect It

June 13, 2025  by  Laura Bogart  GoBankingRates

To say you’ve worked hard would be an understatement. You’re no stranger to pulling a 5 to 9 after your 9 to 5 ends. You’ve met with financial advisors and investment professionals to figure out how to stretch your money and grow it through passive income. What you’ve accomplished at this point in your life is impressive — and now, you’re starting to think about what the next phase might look like.

That next chapter should start with protecting what you’ve built. Just as you mapped a master plan to build your wealth, you’ll need a strategy to safeguard it. While personalized advice from your financial advisor is always smart, these three essential steps can help you prepare now.

Avoid These 4 Common Mistakes When You Get Rich Overnight

Laura Bogart  Sun, August 31, 2025  GOBankingRates

You’re about to score a financial touchdown. Maybe you’ve crushed it at work and landed a sweet promotion. Perhaps you’ve won a lottery or stumbled into a side hustle that suddenly pays off. As you near the end zone, heart pounding, head full of dreams, you can’t afford (literally) to fumble. Whether you’re blindsided by unexpected taxes or tripped up by bad financial advice, you have a lot to lose if you drop the ball.

If there’s one thing Brandon Copeland, former NFL linebacker turned financial expert, knows, it’s how not to fumble good fortune — whether that’s a game-changing play or a sudden influx of cash.

3 Things To Focus On To Make Sure Your Identity Isn’t Too Wrapped Up in Money, According to Rachel Cruze

Peter Burns   Mon, September 1, 2025  GOBankingRates

Money is an integral part of everyone’s life. Money allows you to buy things you need to survive and helps you maintain your health. It gives you freedom and opportunities to pursue your dreams. It also gives you security and peace of mind. However, when you have a lot of money, it can be easy to root your entire identity in your finances.

Many individuals believe that purchasing designer clothes, buying sports cars and eating at upscale restaurants can improve their social status, but this leads to an important question: Who are you if you lose everything?

 ‘Check Washing’ Costs Americans Over $1 Billion Each Year, Says USPIS — How To Spot It And Protect Your Money

Jessica Wong  Sat, August 30, 2025  Moneywise

Despite seeming retro, check fraud is experiencing a surprising resurgence, with criminals stealing billions of dollars through these schemes.

According to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), "check washing" fraud is inflicting substantial financial damage on Americans. Postal inspectors report intercepting more than $1 billion in fraudulent checks and money orders annually.

FBI, Cybersecurity Experts Warn Of 3-Phase Scam That Is Draining Bank Accounts

Jeremy Tanner  Sat, August 30, 2025 

(NEXSTAR) – A multi-phase scam credited with emptying the financial accounts of numerous Americans – many of whom were nearing the age of retirement – is again making headlines after the FBI recently issued a warning.

Unlike many scams, “Phantom Hacker” attacks often come in three distinct phases, each building on the last to thoroughly convince the victim to allow access to their funds.

Storm is on the way: Here's What You Need To Do To Prepare Your Home And Your Family

Hurricane season is here and it's important to be ready if you're anywhere near a hurricane zone. Here's everything you need to remember to be prepared!

Sean McBride  Creator of Charleston Crafted  Updated Sat, August 16, 2025

As a South Carolina resident, hurricane season is officially my least favorite time of the year. I don't like that I feel the need to constantly check to see if there is tropical activity in the distance and I hate the feeling of deciding what to do if a storm is coming.

4 Secrets of the Truly Wealthy, According to Dave Ramsey

Caitlyn Moorhead   Wed, August 27,   GOBankingRates

One of Dave Ramsey’s most consistent pieces of financial advice is that wealth-building isn’t necessarily tied to how much money you make, but rather how you manage what you have. Many people assume that earning a higher income automatically leads to wealth, but Ramsey points out that a disciplined approach to spending and saving is far more important. Truly wealthy people live below their means and when they do spend money, they don’t advertise it.

Kevin O’Leary: Top 2 Financial Rules From My Mom That I Still Follow

Gabrielle Olya  Sun, August 24, 2025 GOBankingRates

“Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary has built his wealth through entrepreneurship and savvy investing, but he credits his mother for setting him on the right financial path. There are several money lessons his mother taught him throughout his lifetime that still shape how he approaches finances today.

Here are two of the financial rules O’Leary learned from his mom that he thinks everyone should follow.