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The (litigious) lifestyles of the rich and famous

An old Yiddish saying: God doesn't favor the rich. Look who he gives money to.

Another saying: The rich have heirs, not children.

Both back up the idea that money can't buy you happiness. And if the bitter, generational squabbles of the super-rich are any indication, lots and lots of money makes for a miserable existence indeed.

Pick up any celebrity magazine, any financial glossy, heck, even a history book. The rich and powerful have always fought amongst themselves. History is built on the stuff. The Windsors have been a mess for generations. On this side of the pond, the Astors have always made headlines, and the Vanderbilt's were suing each other and contesting wills 100 years ago. Shelves of books have been written about the Onassis dynasty. The nasty in-fighting of the wealthy continue today: The Pritzgers,The Murdochs, The Redstones.

Little wonder these kinds of stories have provided rich fodder for Hollywood over the years. Who wasn't glued to Dynasty 20 years ago? Now it's Dirty Sexy Money and Cane. Even the foibles of Britney Spears and her ex-husband, battling in court over custody of their two sons and their attendant child support fortune, sells millions of copies of People Magazine every week.

Continue reading The (litigious) lifestyles of the rich and famous

Mansions of billionaires: Where too big means barely adequate

Pity the poor Chinese; pockets full of cash, but saddled with a government that frowns on overt displays of wealth as injurious to social harmony. How are their magnates to claim their rightful place on the world tycoon runway if they can't build their own palaces?

After all, the size of one's estate has always been the best gauge of one's moral worth. Obviously, Mukesh Ambani of India agrees, as evidenced by his plan to build the first private $1 billion home.

Luckily, we live in a country that understands the need for excess. Forbes recently did a survey of the most expensive homes in the world. The top home in the U.S. was the 56,000 square-foot Hala Ranch, a $135 million hovel in Aspen. Imagine trying to live in a place with only 15 bedrooms and 16 baths! Those with more modest tastes might appreciate Tranquility, a $100 million home in Lake Tahoe (at least, I think it's still there; how worried would you be about forest fires if you owned this place?).

Continue reading Mansions of billionaires: Where too big means barely adequate

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Last updated: November 27, 2009: 01:51 PM

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