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113
October 16, 1998

Windfall

What happens when you suddenly strike it rich. And the power money has over our lives, for good and bad.

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Paul

Prologue

Todd Powell won $27 million dollars from the Florida State lottery. The windfall ended his marriage. Strangers and friends kept asking him for money. He couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, lost 26 pounds. Money changes things, and a lot of money changes a lot of things. (3 minutes)

By

Ira Glass
Act One

Reservations

Alix Spiegel reports on an entire community that's turned its back on easy money—for now. Nine years ago a native American community in Minnesota—the Mille Lacs band of Ojibwe—built a casino. The reservation had been poor for a century, but soon they were the second biggest tourist attraction in the state, second only to the Mall of America. They had hundreds of millions of dollars...but of course, too much money can be as destructive as too little...and it's unclear what to do with all the cash. (22 minutes)

By

Alix Spiegel

Song:

“America” by Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks
Act Two

But Baby It's Cold Outside

Seattle writer Dan Savage on how a windfall check he got in the mail is hurting his family life. (11 minutes)

By

Dan Savage
Act Three

Money Is Good

How one woman learned to stop worrying and start spending. Liz Gilbert and her husband Michael Cooper explain how their different ideas about handling money always divided them—until they stumbled into a $10,000 windfall. (8 minutes)

By

Ira Glass

Song:

“Diamonds and Pearls” by Prince
Act Four

Pot Of Gold

Writer Scott Carrier in Salt Lake City tells the story of someone's life that improved with a huge insurance settlement—even though the money never arrived. (10 minutes)

By

Scott Carrier

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