Five years ago, my older brother won the lottery. I always thought playing the lottery was just another way to throw away money, but he spent five bucks, twice a week, every week, for years. Imagine my surprise, and his, when all the numbers matched! We had a party. About a week later, the check came, and my spendthrift brother was a multi-millionaire. That day he wrote me a check for $12,000. Any other time, a check that size, would have made my day, but, he won millions, and, he was my brother, so I expected a more than that, and was more than a little annoyed that he was being so cheap. I told him so, and he told me about cash gifting.

I'm not being selfish, he said with a smile, you're going to get a check like that for the rest of your life, and so are mom and dad. It's called cash gifting, the accountant I hired to help me manage the money told me all about it. Cash gifting, he explained, is the best way I could find to share my good luck with all of you. People have been doing it for centuries, and it's about the only way I could some money to you, without you having to pay taxes on it. I paid a ton of taxes when I won it, so why should you have to pay again, on the same money? With cash gifting, I can give up to $12,000 a year to anyone I want, and they don't have to report it, or pay taxes on it, according to the IRS. Just as long as I don't expect or demand anything back, for the money I give you, cash gifting lets you keep all the money I gave you. And it's a great way to avoid estate taxes.

I think the most surprising thing about his little speech was, my brother talking about accountants, and estate taxes. You have to understand that this was a guy who never asked for a receipt, couldn't keep his checking account balanced, and spent whatever money he had, as soon as he got it.

I don't want to sound like Grandma, he continued, but managing this money is going to take some smarts. This was a once in a lifetime deal, and I'm not going to mess it up!

A few days later, he left for Paris, and although we talk on the phone, and email each other, I haven't seen him since. But, every year, like clockwork, we all get a check. Thank you bro, thank you lottery, and thank you cash gifting.