Powerball Jackpot: $1.7 Billion Could Buy 131,645 Ounces of Gold, 3.15 Million Nvidia Shares And More — 10 After‑Tax Spending Ideas

The Powerball drafting acceptable for Wednesday, Dec. 24, is presently the fourth-largest U.S. lottery jackpot ever at $1.7 billion.

Here's a look astatine the latest Powerball jackpot and immoderate items you tin triumph if you are the fortunate idiosyncratic with the winning ticket.

The Powerball Jackpot: At $1.7 billion, the existent Powerball drafting is the fourth-largest U.S. jackpot successful past and the second-largest of 2025. The jackpot could turn to beryllium the highest jackpot of 2025, and without a victor drawn connected Wednesday, could rapidly go the largest jackpot ever.

The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are 1 successful 292.2 million. The wide likelihood of winning a prize are 1 successful 24.9 tickets.

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Lottery players tin acquisition tickets for $2 each successful much than 40 U.S. states, choosing to prime their ain numbers oregon person a random selection. Five numbers betwixt 1 and 69 are selected, on with a Powerball fig 1 to 26. To triumph the Powerball, a subordinate has to lucifer each six balls successful the drawing.

The drafting takes spot astir 10:59 p.m. ET connected Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays. If nary summons matches each six numbers, the jackpot increases for the adjacent drawing.

Lottery Winnings: Winners of ample jackpots tin person a lump-sum currency outgo oregon beryllium paid the afloat magnitude implicit 29 years successful 30 payments. One outgo is made upfront and further payments each twelvemonth spell up by 5% to combat inflation.

The currency payout is little than the afloat payout implicit 29 years. The existent currency payout listed connected the Powerball website is $781.3 million.

A victor volition person to wage national taxes connected the winnings and volition beryllium liable for authorities taxes depending connected wherever they reside.

The IRS takes a 24% withholding connected winnings implicit $5,000. This means that the currency payout for Wednesday's Powerball jackpot would beryllium $593.8 cardinal based connected a lump sum currency enactment aft the 24% national taxes are taken out.

The victor could take to prevention the money, put it, oregon walk it connected assorted items.

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Here's a look astatine 10 items that could beryllium considered.

1. S&P 500: If a victor decides to put the money, they could see investing successful the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), which tracks the broad-based S&P 500 Index. The $593.8 cardinal could acquisition 863,583.48 shares of SPY with the winnings. The S&P 500 averaged annual returns of 10% implicit the past 30 years, which would beryllium a amended instrumentality than the 5% instrumentality connected choosing the 29 years of payouts.