Are You Affluent"

So, are you?If you have $1 million in liquid assets -- not including your home -- you, my friend are rich. At least according to most wealth-management firms.
Before you break out the champagne and caviar, you might want to check the guest list. With about a million millionaires, that's hardly an exclusive club these days. (Try running a quick calculation. You may be closer to membership than you think.)
The truly rich dwell in places like Rolling Hills, Calif. (where the average household income is $305,700) and Munsey Park, N.Y. (average household income $117,600). Heck, even residents of Montville, N.J., No. 300 on the list of richest communities, aren't doing too bad, with the average household income in the $100,000-plus range.Feeling a little like a pauper? Pshaw. Most organizations define the "upper class" as those with an annual income figure of $70,000. The next tier consists of more than 47 million households that earn at least $50,000. Depending on where you live, your 2,200-sq. ft. four-bedroom single-family home is either workaday or a manse. When Coldwell Banker compared home prices in more than 300 markets, it found a $1.2 million difference for the same-size home in La Jolla, Calif. and Binghamton, N.Y.
While there may be a million-dollar difference in how our homes are priced, there doesn't appear to be a wide gulf dividing the haves and have-nots when it comes to filling our home entertainment armoires, walk-in closets, and heated garages.
Lately it seems that Richie Rich and the rest of us are buying the same stoves, cars, video cameras, and cigars. When our parents upgraded the cabinets, counters, and appliances in their 1950s ramblers, they spent just $9,000 in inflation-adjusted dollars. Today, the average cost of a kitchen remodel is more than $50,000.
Lifestyles of the rich and famous? We're living it. What do you think??

Luxury Tipping Guide

Forbes has answered a very interesting question pertaining to tipping. With all the luxury services that new hotels offer, there are many more people that you will come into contact with than just the porter and the maid. How do you know who to tip and - more importantly - how much to tip?
The first lesson is that some resorts are all-inclusive and will have a "resort fee" added to the bill (15-20% against the room rate) that is to be distributed as tips for the employees; no additional tipping is necessary here, and many employees will not accept them. If this is not the case at your hotel, employees who should be tipped include the concierge, doormen, drivers, pool attendant and those who offer special services, like masseurs. See the full guide for details on who gets a dollar, who gets 20% and what you should expect in return.
And don't forget the maid. Leave a few dollars a day, depending on the size of the room and the size of your mess.