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.
2. Patek Phillipe’s Supercomplication
Price: $11 million
Patek Phillipe makes our list again, this time with a watch from his earlier years. Philippe, who began making watches in 1839, completed this watch in 1932. Taking four years to complete, the Supercomplication has two faces and 24 separate complications. This watch once held the record of most expensive in the world, with an auction price of 11 million.
1. The Most Expensive Watch in the World
Chopard’s 25 million 201-carat watch
The official list topping, mind boggling, and record setting Chopard. This watch doesn’t only turn heads, it could quite possibly cause temporary blindness and car accidents. With nearly 700 separate diamonds, it’s hard to tell if this piece is a watch or bracelet. The answer, of course, is both! At the center of it all are three heart shaped diamonds: An 11 carat white diamond, a 12 carat blue diamond, and a 15 carat pink diamond. Not only are they huge and beautiful, they also open!
What could be better than wearing this trio of diamonds on your wrist?
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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.
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
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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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The most expensive car in the world is the Bugatti 57SC Atlantic. It was built in 1936 and used to belong to car collector Dr. Peter D. Williamson.
The Bugatti 57SC Atlantic was sold for an undisclosed sum to the happy new owner – the Mullini Car Museum in California.
This makes it the most expensive car in the world ever sold. The second most expensive car in the world is a long way behind – the legendary Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa is available for only $12.2 million.
Most Expensive Used Car Ever
The Bugatti 57SC Atlantic was originally built in 1936. It was designed by Jean Bugatti – the son of Ettore Bugatti, the legendary car designer and manufacturer.
Most Expensive Car in the world - Price 30 - 40 million dollars
The Atlantic was originally made after a show car that was first revealed in 1935 for the Paris Auto Salon. The original show car was made out of magnesium which is incredibly difficult to weld. That meant that due to technological restraints the car had riveted welding points across the magnesium panels that were welded together. These welding points became a large design success and later when the Bugatti Atlantic was built it was actually made out of aluminum but the outside welding was added because of the popularity and coolness factor.
Only 2 Bugatti 57SC Atlantic’s remain in the world today – the other 1 is owned by the famous fashion designer Ralph Lauren.
Most expensive car in the world – More Pictures
Here are a couple of pictures of the Bugatti 57SC Atlantic that is owned by Ralph Lauren. Instead of being blue as the world’s most expensive car, this one is black and actually looks a little better. If Ralph were to sell this car it would without a doubt be even more expensive as the most expensive car that was just sold.
Looks better than the Bat Mobile...
Notice the distinctive fin and the weldings
The Bugatti 57SC Atlantic has 6 exhaust pipes - how many does your car have?
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Today’s question comes from Michael in Egypt:
Why did you call your site Financial Jesus?
The Answer
Before I started with www.financialjesus.com I actually made a few other blogs. The first ones I made were in my mother tongue – Estonian. They were active only a short time but quite successful. I thought that why bother trying to be a success in little Estonia when I can be a success in the whole world. That’s how I started my first English blogs.
The predecessor to Financial Jesus was my blog called Psychology of Money. This was what I could truly call my own first website. I worked hard and posted 3 articles every day for a month. This is a pace that not a lot of bloggers can keep up with.
Soon after launching the website I realized that while my content was great I had a trouble with the domain name of the site – www.mmmoney.org – while it was short it was kind of meaningless – money with 3 m-s.( Don’t try going there – the domain doesn’t work anymore). Further more I discovered that my website’s domain name doesn’t pass the phone test.
I figured that I needed to brand myself better – to have a site name that is easy to remember and at the same time would mean something.
After deciding that I needed a new and better website I started to come up with potential name ideas. I had about 20 different options but the one that sounded the best was Financial Jesus.
In my opinion these are the benefits of having Financial Jesus for a website name:
- It is easy to remember
- It is controversial – controversial things are talked about more often than normal things
- Financial Jesus sounds like someone who knows everything about finance – just the way I want things to seem
The real reason
It is a great name!!!
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Just 9 days ago on April 20th I wrote a post about the most expensive yacht in the world. Little did I know that exactly on the same day the newest and most expensive yacht in the world finished construction.
The Eclipse
The new yacht is called the Eclipse and is the fifth yacht of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. Abramovich is perhaps best known for owning the Chelsea football club in UK. The mega yacht was constructed by the German ship construction company Blohm & Voss and it is currently the largest and most expensive privately owned yacht in the world.
The exact cost of the Eclipse has not been revealed but according to different estimations it is between 400 and 800 dollars. This means that the newest most expensive yacht in the world is at least 50 to 450 million dollars more expensive than the previous worlds most expensive yacht called A. Pushed from the throne, A is only worth 350 million dollars.
What makes the most expensive yacht in the world unique
The 557-foot (167 meters) Eclipse is the largest yacht in the world. It has two helicopter landing pads, its own mini submarine, 2 hot tubs and 2 regular pools, a cinema. The newest and most expensive yacht in the world also has anti rocket systems for preventing terrorist attacks and is fully bullet-proof.
The roof of the Roman Abramovich’s master cabin opens on a push of a button – allowing the billionaire and his girlfriend Daria Zukova to watch the night stars.
Pictures of the newest most expensive yacht in the world
Since the yacht is so new little is known of the inside design. The only photos of the Eclipse are from the outside.
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Australian millionaire who died last year left her 3 daughters only 1 dollar and 50 cents each. That is a whopping 4 dollars and 50 cents for all of them combined.
The 81 year old millionaire was convinced that her daughters had something to do with killing her mother and was therefore against leaving them the 3.5 million dollar fortune.
The millionaire lady Valmai Roche also left another 1 dollar and 50 cents to her ex husband John Roche. John is a respected real estate developer and the former major of the city of Adelaide where the penny-pinching millionaire used to live.
Millioanaire Valmai Roche in front of a picture of herself
The deceased millionaire stated on her will that the rest of her 3.5 million dollar fortune must go to the Catholic charity organization Knights of the Southern Cross.
The testament said that each of the daughters will get 30 pieces of silver of the lowest denomination of Australian currency – that is 30 Australian five cents. 30 pieces of silver was also the price for which Judas betrayed Jesus in the Bible.
The millionaires daughters Deborah Hamilton, Fiona Roche ja Shauna Roche say that Valmai was influenced by drugs when writing the will and have taken the matter into court.
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I couldn’t stop laughing when seeing this video for the first time!
There is definitely some truth in it:
If you want to make some money, simply try farming. It sounds quite straight forward!
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An interesting development took place in Cherkassk, Ukraine last year where a commander of a military base sold more than 70 000 helmets as scrap metal.
Instead of selling the helmets as valuable military helmets used in armed combats the commander decided to sell them as scrap metal.
All in all the commander of the base gathered more than 11 tons of helmets and sold them all.
At the same time the commander probably did not know that the going rate for a helmet was 25 times more or $1.28. Had the commander played his cards right he would have got at least 90 000 dollars.
Unfortunately for the head of the military base the scrap metal buyers were a little smarter. Instead of melting the helmets for metal they decided to sell them at half the market price.
This flooded the market with cheap military grade helmets and prompted the police to investigate.
Everyone participating in the fraud is now in prison.
Probably for stupidity.