Community Corner
UPDATE: Powerball Winning Numbers Are In; Are You a Winner?
Lottery officials are reporting at least one jackpot winner in the Wednesday, Jan. 13, jackpot drawing.
![](https://patch.com/img/cdn/users/64980/2016/01/raw/2016015696784c85437.jpeg)
The numbers are in. Are you a winner?
The winning numbers in Wednesday’s Powerball jackpot are 4 - 8 - 19 - 27 - 34 Powerball 10. At least one winning ticket was sold, in Chino Hills, CA.
The Powerball jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing is estimated at $1.5 billion, the record for the largest lottery payout in U.S. history.
Find out what's happening in North Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
- How Would You Spend The $1.5 Billion Powerball Jackpot?
- Saturday’s Powerball Ticket Sales in Massachusetts Generate Record $23.8 Million
- Nashua Woman Wins $50K in Powerball
The cash payout alone is an estimated $930 million.
More at Patch: Saturday’s Powerball Jackpot If Nobody Wins Wednesday
Find out what's happening in North Readingwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
So, what if you only match a few numbers, what do you win? Here’s the deal:
- Match 5 numbers and the Powerball number = Jackpot
- Match 5 numbers, not including the Powerball number = $1 million dollars
- Match 4 numbers and the Powerball number = $50,000
- Match 4 numbers, not including the Powerball number = $100
- Match 3 numbers and the Powerball number = $100
- Match 3 numbers, not including the Powerball number = $7
- Match 2 numbers and the Powerball number = $7
- Match 1 number and the Powerball number = $4
- Match only the Powerball number = $4
So what should you do if you win the lottery? Alexa von Tobel, CEO of the online financial planning website LearnVest, offered a few tips to Patch from a financial planning standpoint.
Sign the ticket: The most important step ensures you claim the ticket as your own.
Maintain anonymity: In many states, von Tobel says, you have a whole year to claim the prize.
Assemble a financial planning team: “You must decide whether including whether to take a lump sum or an annuity,” she said. “There are many pros and cons to weigh: including estate taxes, how much money you’ll ultimately make, whether you’ll be able to handle it all at once, etc.”
Wait six months before making any major decisions: “It’s all too easy to blow through those millions,” von Tobel said. “In fact, according to a 2015 study by the Camelot Group, 44 percent of winners spend their entire winnings within five years.”
QUICK POWERBALL FACTS
- Current jackpot at $1.5 billion; cash value of $930 million
- Jackpots start at $40 million
- Plays cost $2 each
- Overall odds of winning the jackpot 1:292,201,338
- About 95 percent of Powerball tickets have computer-generated numbers.
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