“Always take the lump sum”: Woman Who Chose $1,000 a Week Over $1 Million Has Reddit and X Deeply Divided

The internet is divided after a woman rejected $1 million for weekly payments of $1K. Users online wonder whether she’s made the right financial call, sparking debate on Reddit and X. 

A user on the forum shared a snippet about 20-year-old Brenda Aubin-Vega. She won the top prize in the Loto-Québec Gagnant à vie game in 2025, according to USA Today.

She was presented with both options and chose the latter: $1K per week for life. The story resurfaced when a Redditor shared a news clip about the decision, asking fellow users whether she had made the right call. 

The user asked on Reddit: “Did she make the right call?” Many internet users flooded the subreddit with thoughts on her decision. One Redditor claimed, “Hardly matters. That is life-changing money regardless.” 

The next user mentioned, “Lump sum (a large sum of money) is vastly better financially. But some people cannot be trusted with receiving that much cash all at once.” 

A third commenter wrote, “At 20 years old, the $1 million is probably the better choice financially. $1000 per week sounds great and adds up to around $52K/year, but inflation will slowly reduce its value over time.” 

Another commenter wrote, “With this choice, she has less to worry about being used as a piggy bank by everyone around her.” One more person suggested, “Usually, it’s 20 years. In terms of payout, they’re almost equal after taxes. I’d have taken the lump sum.”

A final one said, “Young and smart beyond her years. She isn't going to blow it like so many others." Similarly, many on Reddit debated her decision.

They brought up tax, inflation, and more to justify why they thought she made the right choice. The conversation moved on to X as well, with many sharing similar thoughts. 

Users on X had similar thoughts as Redditors who reacted after the woman rejected $1 million

A similar forum on X called ‘Raindrops Media’ reshared the story on their account, sparking similar reactions as Redditors. A person responded, saying, “The education in this country is to blame. Always take the lump sum.” 

Another suggested, “She could be making much more by leaving it in a high-yield savings account, CDs, or portfolio investments.”

 A third one said, “She definitely made the right call. That million can easily disappear in 2-3 years…” The same user added, “Steady dependable revenue for life is the smartest move.” 

Another commenter pushed back on the weekly payment choice, writing that it, “ignores inflation and lost compounding.” The same one suggested an alternative, “If she took the tax-free $1M and invested it, by age 40, it could be $2.65M at 5%, $3.87M at 7%, or $6.73M at 10%.” 

A final one said, “At 20 years old, choosing a guaranteed weekly income over a lump sum you might spend badly is actually the right decision, especially if you have no financial infrastructure around you yet.” 

Many continued to weigh in on the woman’s decision on the internet a year after her victory. Aubin-Vega has not commented publicly on how she has been managing her weekly payments.