Matt Pitcher

Much as we would have done with our donkeys and our cattle hundreds of years ago, he was even planning to build a new house so that he could live in a room above his new car.

He'd even factored in a window in his floor so he could sit up in bed and stare at the car.

It was a case of the purest consumerism, owning an object,

simply to get that warm glow of the ownership, not to do anything with it.

On the face of it, there is nothing wrong with him spending his win on something that's going to make him happy.

It is, after all, his win.

But all the research tells us that the endorphin rush we get from the acquisition of an object is fleeting.

It is not something that hangs around for us.

So our last winner for today is the one that has stuck with me the most vividly over the years.

They were a young couple who worked full-time, both of them, to support their young family when the wind came along.

They didn't want to spend it on an exotic car, but actually planned to spend half of the win on their home, and they gave up their jobs and lived on the other half.

Eighteen months later, well, they had blown through the entire fortune.

They had to return to their jobs and their old lives pre-win.

But actually, this one isn't a cautionary tale.

In this case, what I haven't told you is they had a young son who was severely disabled and needed round-the-clock care.

The home improvements weren't for the installation of an indoor swimming pool or gold-plated taps, but rather adaptations to the ground floor of their house so their son could live more comfortably.

They saw their lottery win for what it truly was, a one in 45 million chance to live life as a family.

Yes, 18 months later, the money was gone, but so was their son.

They traded in that fortune for a lifetime of memories.

In my 25 years as a financial planner, this remains the best investment I've ever seen anyone make.