Couple finds $5 on the ground and wins $400,000 after buying a lottery ticket what experts say they should do next Emma Caplan-Fisher Sat, August 22, 2026 at 2:45 AM PDT 5 min read Yevhen Prozhyrko/Shutterstock Sometimes the best financial decisions start with a lucky break. For one couple, both 26 years old, that break was a $5 bill they found on the ground during a vacation which they used to buy a lottery ticket that won them $400,000. The husband called into The Ramsey Show last week, where financial experts George Kamel and Dr. John Delony were hosting, to get advice on what they should do with the money. Must Read Jeff Bezos backs a platform that lets anyone invest in rental homes for as little as $100 6 ways to build wealth like a landlord without actually being one Dave Ramsey warns nearly 50% of Americans are making 1 big Social Security mistake. Here's what it is and 3 simple steps to fix it ASAP The tax breaks in Trump's 'big beautiful bill' expire after 2028. Here are 4 moves to make before the window closes It took both hosts about zero seconds to answer. "I'd go buy a house in cash," Delony said immediately. Kamel's response: " 100% in cash ." How they did the math The couple wasn't starting from zero. They had recently paid off about $80,000 in debt and were earning roughly $115,000 a year combined. Their goal was to buy a $250,000 home within the next five years. After federal and state taxes, the husband estimated their winnings would net around $275,000 . That number $275,000 in after-tax cash sitting alongside a $250,000 target home price is something Kamel and Delony rarely see from callers. Buying the house in cash would essentially achieve in one afternoon what the couple had planned to work toward for five years. "So making six figures at 26 completely debt-free with a paid-for house, how much are you going to be investing a month?" Kamel asked. "You're going to be just fine. I'm not even going to use the investment calculator because I think it'll break with that many zeros on the end." On any money left over after the home purchase, Kamel assured the caller they could enjoy some of it and give some of it away. Investing whatever remains made sense too, he said, but the house was the priority. Read More: Vanguard reveals what's coming for U.S. stocks and it could be bad news for this group of investors The 'Baby Steps' framework behind the advice Kamel and Delony's recommendation flows directly from the Ramsey Solutions "7 Baby Steps" framework, a structured financial roadmap that prioritizes, in order, starting an emergency fund, paying off all non-mortgage debt, building a fully-funded emergency fund, investing 15% for retirement, saving for children's college and then paying off the home. Story Continues The couple had already completed the debt payoff step, making the home purchase a logical next move...
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