Jul. 5--Almost everybody dreams of winning the lottery.

And after Jeff Wilson, 27, of Kings Mountain won the $88.1 million Powerball drawing last month -- he walked away with about a $29 million lump sum payment -- we started wondering what a person would do with all that money. Not all the houses, cars or vacations it would buy.

But how a winner would manage the millions, especially in this economy, to ensure a lifelong cushion.

Most people aren't going to win the lottery. Wilson's odds were 1 in 195.2 million.

Over a lifetime, though, we have a decent shot at coming into a financial windfall through inheritance, real estate, business or other dealings.

"That happens regularly," said Patty Carter, a financial adviser with Edward Jones in Raleigh.

So for advice we turned to Carter and others who help wealthy and average investors alike manage their assets. It's information beneficial to those who come into money and to those just trying to maximize returns in this recession. Here's what they had to say.

Get help. "I think you have to hire four people" after a big financial windfall, Carter said. First, hire "somebody to screen calls from all your long-lost friends and relatives. People will pour out of the woodwork."

Then find a certified financial planner, estate planning attorney and a certified public accountant, she said. The financial planner will help figure out how to allocate investments to make the money grow; the estate lawyer will help think through trust, inheritance and other issues, and the accountant will make sure the books stay clean and Uncle Sam stays happy.

"When I'm dealing with high net worth clients, I'm working in tandem with all those other people," said Carter, a certified financial planner. "All of those people need to be on the same page."

Big money brings complex challenges. Wilson, for example, is in a tax bracket in another stratosphere from before when he was just a regular guy planning to begin graduate school. Having several professionals involved helps ensure that missteps and malfeasance are avoided.

It's a good idea, too, to stick with one financial planner at a time. It might seem prudent to divide tranches of money among several, but that means nobody has an eye on the big picture. All your assets could end up in similar investments, increasing risk.

Keep cash handy. This one applies to just about everybody.

"One of the first things we recommend has nothing to do with investing at all," said Dan Keady, director of financial planning for TIAA-CREF, which helps teachers, professors and doctors manage their money.