Introducing the $200K Home Aquarium

Yacht fuel eating up too much of your budget? You're not alone.

(NEWSER) - Still looking for ways to cut costs in these tough economic times? Let these actual rich people, as overheard by Nell Scovell, guide you. She recounts their advice in Vanity Fair :

• “With diesel at the marina up over $3 a gallon, we’re trying to keep the Hinckley’s motor off and let the sails do more of the work.”
• “We got rid of the dog-walker; I like to run with the pinschers on the beach for exercise, anyway.”

Suburbs of Washington, DC, lead the way

(NEWSER) - Forbes rounds up the richest counties in the US, with the DC suburbs in northern Virginia again dominating. The top five:

1. Loudoun County, Virginia: $115,574 median household income
2. Falls Church City, Virginia: $114,409
3. Fairfax County, Virginia: $105,416
4. Los Alamos County, New Mexico: $103,643
5. Howard County, Maryland: $103,273

Apparently, it's quite a bit of work

(NEWSER) - The latest Rich Person Trend: Buying your own private island in the Exuma Cays, a little-known cluster of 365 small and mostly uninhabited islands in the Bahamas. Tyler Perry, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill are among the newer buyers, joining older purchasers including Johnny Depp and David Copperfield. But what is it like to have your very own tropical paradise? According to the Wall Street Journal , personal islands are more work than one might think. More»

Actor 'spent money like it was water,' friends say

(NEWSER) - Nicolas Cage’s money woes aren’t all his money manager’s fault. Cage “lived like a sheik,” a friend tells the Daily Beast . “Spent money like it was water.” Here’s a sample of what he spent it on:

• More than a dozen homes, including a castle in England, an 11th-century estate in Germany, and two entire Bahamian islands

Wealthiest lose collective $228B

(NEWSER) - The number of UK billionaires has been almost cut in half by economic woes, from 75 to 43, with the country’s wealthiest having lost a collective $228 billion, the Times of London reports. The hardest-hit was steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who remains Britain’s richest man despite having lost some $9 billion. Others facing big losses include Roman Abramovich, Richard Branson, Tom Jones, Elton John, and Paul McCartney, the Guardian notes. More»