What if you invested your lottery money in the S&P 500 instead?
The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 in 292 million. You are 10 times more likely to be struck by lightning twice than win Powerball. Spending $20 per week on lottery tickets costs $1,040 per year. Invested at 7% annual return for 30 years that same $20 per week grows to $104,000.
Lottery calculators show the true expected value of lottery spending versus the opportunity cost of investing the same amount. The expected return on a lottery ticket is approximately 50 cents for every dollar spent — the worst investment available. This calculator compares your lottery spending to what the same money would build as an investment over time.
If $87/month was invested in S&P 500 for 20 years:
The real lottery is compound interest 🎰
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