So,
You just WON the lottery for $500 Million dollars!!!
What would you take? Lump sum of 359.4 Million (that would be taxed 35% (at least in US)), or the annuity option for 19 million a year for 26 years?!
I'll go first:
I'm pretty sure I've been told countless times always take the lump sum, even with the outrageous gift tax.