by Roman on July 21, 2010
Once used only to tell time, watches now serve many purposes. Whether it’s a collectible, piece of art, status symbol, or all of the above, there is a watch for everyone. Here’s a list of the top five watches to spend your millions on.
5. Piaget’s Emperador “Temple”
Price: $3,300,000
This one of a kind beauty is actually two watches in one. Pressing down on certain areas reveals the two secret watches. The first has a mother-of-pearl dial set with 162 brilliant cut diamonds surrounded by another 11 baguette diamonds. It also has a tourbillion and a 40 hour power reserve. The second has 481 brilliant cut diamonds and 207 baguette cut. Topping it off are the emerald cut diamond case and 350 baguette diamond bracelet. Piaget is the clear choice for original watches that are not ony covered in diamonds, but have intriguing features as well.
4. Patek Philippe’s Platinum World Time
Price: $4 million
Patek Philippe is a name synonomous with luxury watches. For over 165 years this brand has been crafting functional works of art that have changed the whole industry. They have a long legacy of great timepieces like the one above, and achievements such as the most complicated watch ever made (Caliber 89.) The Platinum World Time is a simple yet luxurious design. It earns its name too, with a feature for 24 different time zones. Is there a more prestigious brand of watch? Doubtful, after all, Philippe even has a museum in Geneva!
3. Louis Moinet’s “Meteoris”
Price: $4,599,487
Then the Meteoris by Louis Moinet may be the watch set for you. This set includes four separate tourbillion watches. Each one is made with materials that are out of this world, literally. Ditching the usual quartz or mechanical movements, Moinet uses pieces of meteorites to make each watch. Famed Meteorite hunter Luc Labenne collected pieces from the moon, a Mars meteorite, and an asteroid. Rounding out the selection is a piece of the meteorite named Rosetta Stone, the oldest rock in the solar system. Completing this work of art is the planetarium case which includes a complete replica of the solar system. Though not the most expensive watch on our list, it is arguably the coolest. [Continue reading -->>>]
by Roman on July 17, 2010
Everybody’s got dreams. Whether it’s to be wealthy, healthy, or happily married, there are steps you can take right now to get the life of your dreams.
1. Ask yourself “What do I want?”
Most of us don’t have a genie to grant our wishes. If you did, there are still a couple of things you would have to do before getting what you want. First, you would need to rub it. Second, once the genie appears, you would need to tell him/her what you want. This second part may come easy to some; others may have less specific goals. If you are unsure about your goals, or just want to have it all, this exercise will help organize your wishes.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes and write down the things that you want. They can be ANYTHING! No rules apply to your dream list. Some things to include are: achievements, places you would like to visit, desired relationships, or items you would like to own.
- The goal of the exercise is to fill the whole paper. When completed, you should have plenty of goals that will take various amounts of time to achieve.
2. What’s keeping you from getting what you want?
Review your list and decide what’s standing in your way of achieving each. Though many obstacles are obvious, there are some that may only be identified after some self reflection. Many times the biggest obstacle to getting what we want is ourselves. These can include; bad habits, inactivity, or fear of rejection.
3. Appreciate who you are and what you have
Once you’ve identified where you want to go, take a moment to reflect on where you are right now. The number one rule of the law of attraction is that you get back what you put out. If you want to attract a mate, money, or even a job you first must have a positive attitude about who you are. No matter what your circumstances, remember that there is always somebody worse off than you. Keeping this in mind will help you to avoid wasting energy on envy and instead focus on improving your situation. Life is a journey, instead of always looking ahead, it helps to stop and appreciate where you are on the path from time to time.
4. Set goals
Goals are dreams with a deadline. Tracking small goals may seem unimportant at first, but small successes go a long way to increase confidence. If one of your goals is weight loss, you may track the amount of steps you take by wearing a pedometer. Setting a target number of daily steps and tracking your progress will show you how small everyday choices are bringing you closer to your goal.
- Make lists of short term, long term, and daily goals. Review them regularly.
- You may want to keep your goal lists in a notebook. This will keep your achieved goal lists readily available for you to review. Reminding yourself of all the small tasks and goals you have completed helps to increase confidence in your ability to tackle the larger ones.
5. Be nice to yourself
When you reach a goal, treat yourself! Positive reinforcement of good habits works for dogs, children, and even you! Though you may want to keep your goals in mind and give yourself an appropriate treat. For example, if you want to lose weight and have reached a goal you may want to avoid a food based reward. Instead opt for a pedicure or something nice you’ve eyed at your favorite store.
6. Never give up
Kick fear of failure to the curb. Not everything will go your way, and that’s fine. There are many very successful people who have failed many times before getting their big break.
- Take a moment to research someone who has succeeded at one of your interests. What obstacles did they overcome before achieving success?
- Regularly take time to reflect on all that you have achieved.
- When you reach all of your goals, and get what you want (which I hope that you do) don’t stop. Make a new list! With all of your experiences and confidence you’re sure to have some new dreams to start working on.
by Roman on July 5, 2010
Responsible for around 50 of the female tennis players listed by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), Russia is well known for producing some gorgeous ones; and basically if you haven’t heard of them it’s because they aren’t hot enough. We have decided that it’s time to rank the Top 5. Their position in the list was determined by a combination of factors: most importantly Prize Money Earnings, Highest Ranking, WTA Titles, Hotness and last but not least, Loudness of Grunting & Squealing.
Based on these determinations I am sad to say that Nadia Petrova (US$8,447,236), Svetlana Kuznetsova (US$13,961,519) and Dinara Safina (US$9,858,126), despite doing very well in the other 4 categories, were let down by their looks, but still deserve a mention. (Dinara, it doesn’t bode well when your brother is better looking than you)
1. Elena Dementieva – $13,729,105
Affectionately nicknamed “Lena” and with the ability to boast that she’s the only one on this list to have won an Olympic Gold Medal, Elena is currently the highest ranked Russian female tennis player at number 5 in the world. She has been as high as 3 in April 2009 and has earned a fraction more than Sharapova with US$13,729,105 in prize money. With 16 WTA singles titles and 6 WTA doubles titles she clearly ticks all the boxes to get her the top spot on the list.
2. Maria Sharapova – $13,270,000
Surprisingly not in the number 1 spot. Maria first became the number one ranked female player on August 22, 2005, has won 22 WTA titles, and has earned US$13,270,000 in prize money and grunts and squeals like a champion. Measured at 101 decibels, the Russian beauty employs the tactic because it masks the sound of the ball coming off the racquet and basically annoys the other player. She is repeatedly named the hottest athlete in the world and through sponsorship earns around US$26m annually.
3. Anastasia Myskina – $5,606,725
She may not be as stunning as the rest, but as the first Russian female tennis player to win a Grand Slam (French Open in 2004), and subsequently the first to reach the top 3 in the history of rankings (number 2 in the world – Sept 2004) and with career earnings of US$5,606,725; Anastasia is our deserved 3rd place getter. Plagued by injuries Anastasia doesn’t think she will make a return to the professional tour and has decided to live her life preserving the memory of Boris Yeltsin.
4. Anna Kournikova – $3,584,662
The original Russian glamour girl. Anna’s highest rank was 8th in singles but 1st in doubles; and though she never won any singles titles, she won 16 WTA doubles titles and has earned US$3,584,662 in prize money. Anna was never very good at tennis and her career suffered after she made some poor life choices…like dating Enrique Iglesias. Anna’s initials (A.K) have even become a part of Poker culture as it is commonly said that when you hold an Ace and a King in your hand “it looks good, but never wins”. This is exactly what Anna thought of herself, when in a press conference after a loss to Martina Hingis she said “You won, but I’m prettier and more marketable than you.” And even Martina can’t argue with that.
5. Maria Kirilenko – $2,707,539
This Maria may very well be the best looking of the bunch but a highest ranking of 18 in July 2008, 5 WTA titles and US$2,707,539 in career prize money only has her in the 5th spot. Because of Maria’s talent for tennis at an early age, she had to give up school and look elsewhere for an education. This led to her affair with Mikhail Baryshnikov when he became her private tutor. The pair split when Maria became constantly jealous that the famous ballet dancer “looked better in tights than she did”.
Some other famous Russian tennis players that didn’t make the list were: Marina Canyoumoveova, Sasha Doyuwannastayova, Daniela Ilikeitwhenyoubendova, Alina Imsohungova, Viktoria Throwalegova and Alexandra Hardtogetova. Better luck next time girls. And remember, you read it on the Internet, so it must be true.
Justin writes about personal finance. He provides useful advice on how to choose the best savings accounts
by Roman on June 1, 2010
Spending money like there is no tomorrow is rarely a bad thing, especially when you’re on a holiday however it can leave you out of thousands of dollars. Some of the most expensive holiday destinations are also some of the most interesting, unique and memorable. Here are the 5 most expensive holiday destinations in the world.
5 – Monte Carlo, Monaco
Monte Carlo is considered to be the city of the rich, which is no surprise when you consider that citizens of Monaco are exempt from tax and so there are more than a few billionaires residing in Monte Carlo. While the locals are not allowed into the Monaco casinos the tourists can have all the fun they want and enjoy themselves James Bond style.
Monte Carlo does of course have a reputation to uphold as it was home to actress Grace Kelly until she died in 1982, and now regularly hosts the Monaco Grand Prix and a number of fashion shows. If you are looking for a stylish and expensive holiday destination and have more money than all your neighbors combined – consider taking a trip to Monaco.
4 – The French Alps
The French Alps are an exclusive and luxurious holiday destination. There is no shortage of expensive resorts and chalets ready to cater for your every holiday need. Whilst you can visit the French Alps in the winter and enjoy skiing, and other winter sports, you can also visit in the summer and enjoy walking, painting, golf or sightseeing.
The French Alps is a common meeting place for European millionaires – if you are a woman who is on the hunt for multi-billionaire bachelors you should definitely plan a trip.
3 - Paris, France
When you are on a holiday in France you will find plenty of opportunities to spend your money. Just being a tourist and enjoying all the traditional experiences Paris has to offer can leave you out of thousands of dollars. The city of dreams has no shortage of very expensive luxury hotels and you will need to make sure you also budget for the great foods and wine experiences.
Since Paris is also the fashion capital of the world you can spend all your money on clothes. Being surrounded by some of the most fashionable people in the world just makes you want to buy new things.
2 – Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi is the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE) . When you visit the city on holiday you will find endless reasons to spend your travel budget, whether it is on luxurious hotels, extensive shopping malls or the overwhelming entertainment options.
The UAE used to be a major hub for the pearl industry before huge reserves of oil were discovered. To give you a feeling of how expensive Abu Dhabi can be just think about the fact that over 50% of the locals are millionaires.
1 – Tahiti, French Polynesia
The sophisticated and glamorous atmosphere of Tahiti comes at a price as its wildly inflated prices make it one of the most expensive holiday destinations you can choose. Before you even arrive you will notice that a flight to Tahiti is extremely expensive. The food is another thing that is wildly overpriced – just getting a hot dog outside can cost you around 15 dollars. For the same amount you could eat for a week in Thailand.
When travelling on a budget and staying in the cheapest hotels and cooking your own meals you will still need at least 800 dollars per day just to cope. You can also get wild and spend a night on a private island – the prices start from 10 000 dollars per night.
Alban is a personal finance writer. He gives tips to make the most of your money and helps people to compare low interest credit cards
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