A Montreal lottery winner chose $1K a week over a $1M jackpot and the internet is losing it

Winning a Loto-Québec jackpot is a dream come true, but it also comes with a big decision: take the lump sum or opt for regular payments over time?

It's a decision that can make or break your financial future, and there's rarely a clear-cut answer. Financial advisors usually have strong opinions, but at the end of the day, it depends on your age, financial literacy, and long-term goals.

One Montrealer's bold choice recently sparked intense debate online, with people divided over whether she made a smart move or a costly mistake. Back in July, Brenda Aubin-Vega was on her work break when she scratched off a lottery ticket and discovered she'd won Loto-Québec's Gagnant à vie top prize Gagnant à vie top prize.

Aubin-Vega had two options: take $1 million upfront, or receive $1,000 a week for the rest of her life.

Still under the age of 30, she ultimately chose the weekly payments. And now, months later, her story has resurfaced online, and people are fiercely debating whether she made the right call or not.

Over the past few days, social media users on platforms like X have been running the numbers. Some argue she left significant money on the table.

"She should have consulted with a financial advisor before making this gravely unfortunate decision," one user wrote.

Another broke down the math: "At a 3% interest rate, it'd take 28.6 years of weekly payments to equal the $1 million; at 4%, 36.6 years, and at 5%... 64.1 years." They added that $1 million earning just over 5% could generate that $1,000 weekly in dividends alone, without even touching the principal.

The investment potential came up repeatedly. One user calculated that taking the lump sum and investing it in a high-yield ETF averaging 10% annual returns could grow to approximately $6.73 million after 20 years — the same amount of time it would take Aubin-Vega to receive $1 million through weekly payments.

"This is why financial education is important in Canada," another commenter added.

But plenty of others are defending the young winner's decision.

"Wise move if she's 100% healthy," one supporter argued. "Average life expectancy 64 years remaining: At $1,000/week, that's $52,000/year × 64 = $3,328,000 total nominal value. Over 3x the $1M lump sum."

Some pointed out practical benefits that go beyond pure mathematics. "At least it'll stop friends and family from trying to bleed her out," one person noted.

"She's young, has her whole life to live, $4,000 a month plus whatever earnings she makes will take away a lot of financial stresses," another wrote. "I wish her a very long, happy life."

One analysis pointed out that she'll surpass the $1 million mark in about 19 years, and anything beyond that becomes a significant long-term gain.

According to Loto-Québec's press release, Aubin-Vega bought two Gagnant à vie tickets during her work break at a convenience store in Montreal. When she scratched them outside her workplace, she saw three piggy bank symbols and realized she'd won the top prize.

She called her father with the news, then asked to take the rest of the day off to process the win.

She told Loto-Québec she plans to use the money to buy a house.

Financial advisors typically recommend younger winners take the lump sum to maximize long-term investment potential. The logic is simple: with decades ahead of them, they have time to grow that money significantly through smart investing.

But there's also real value in guaranteed income that can't be lost to bad investments, market crashes, or poor financial decisions. Aubin-Vega is locked in at $52,000 a year for life, regardless of what happens with the economy.

Whether she made the right choice might depend less on the math and more on what kind of financial security matters most to her. And considering lottery winners often blow through their winnings, a steady paycheck for life isn't the worst safety net.

What would you choose?