Winning a lottery is often seen as a dream come true, but not for a 66-year-old man in Japan who faced unexpected challenges because of sudden wealth. The man won 600 million yen ($3.8 million) in the lottery, but chose to keep it a secret from his wife. Instead, he spent the money on luxuries, such as buying expensive cars, booking high-end resorts and traveling across Japan. The unidentified man is said to be a retired manufacturing firm employee. He and his wife had a combined monthly pension of $2,000, and they had managed to save $174,000. His wife was known to be extremely frugal, banning beer at home and allowing only an old, inexpensive car. To avoid raising suspicion, the man told his wife he had won only $32,000 to fund home renovations. However, his secret luxurious life eventually took a toll on his mental health as he felt guilty and lonely, remembering his father's lonely death after divorce and bankruptcy. He eventually sought advice from a financial planner and invested nearly $3.2 million of his winnings into insurance, naming his wife and children as beneficiaries. "If this money had been earned through my own efforts, I would be proud of it, but wealth that comes without effort brings up unpleasant memories and shakes my life," said the man.
