# Windfall

*Everyday Money — Finicade finance glossary*

A windfall is a large one-off sum — inheritance, settlement, bonus, sale of a business, lottery win. The consistent research finding is that windfalls are spent faster and less carefully than earned income, because we mentally file them in a separate, looser account. The standard defence is a deliberate delay: park the money somewhere boring and insured for 60–90 days, decide nothing, and use the interval to work out tax owed, which is the most common windfall mistake.

**Also known as:** lump sum, unexpected money

**Related terms:** [Inheritance](https://finicade.com/glossary/inheritance), [Bonus](https://finicade.com/glossary/bonus), [Capital Gain](https://finicade.com/glossary/capital-gain), [Emergency Fund](https://finicade.com/glossary/emergency-fund), [Mental Accounting](https://finicade.com/glossary/mental-accounting)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/windfall