Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in North Carolina

Why not? When you win a lot of money, people and organizations will come out of the woodwork asking for handouts, so it might be necessary to protect yourself from that.

However, NC General Statute � 18C‑132 (h) says:

The right of any person to a prize shall not be assignable. Payment of any prize may be paid to a person designated pursuant to a court order. Any prize or portion of a prize remaining unpaid at the death of a prize winner shall be paid to the estate of the deceased prize winner or to the trustee of a trust established by the prize winner or as designated in the deceased prize winner's will, living trust, or other prepared legal instrument if a copy of the trust document or instrument has been filed with the Director, and no written notice of revocation has been received by the Director prior to the prize winner's death.

So it may be that you need to claim the winnings first and then put them into the trust that you have established.

If that is what you need to do, then you will have to pay an attorney to properly set up the trust before you claim the winnings. Try one of the big firms that cater to very high net worth individuals, like Robinson, Bradshaw and Hinson or Womble Carlyle or any of a number of other firms that specialize in estate planning for high net worth individuals. Sorry, but my clients do not fall in this category and I just don't do this type of work other than simple trusts (for people whose assets are under $1 million).

As an alternative, you can do a regular trust (you should if you have won a substantial sum) but you definitely will need a fee-only financial advisor. A fee only advisor is one that is independent and does not sell stocks. You pay them for their advice. They will even manage the money for you, for a small fee. This would be a good option along with the trust for you. You can find a fee only financial advisor in your area at www.napfa.org.