Unusual breeds of pedigree dog are often highly sought-after by those who have plenty of money to spend on their pets. The Canadian Eskimo dog, for example, is an extremely rare breed, and one of the most costly canines that you are likely to encounter. While many dog-lovers might be happy to have a mixed-breed rescue dog curled up on their feel while they watch TV or play online Binguez, those who have made the transition from rags to riches often to prefer a more luxurious option when it comes to finding the perfect pet. With just a few hundred Canadian Eskimo dogs in existence, it’s little wonder that they’re so expensive.

On the other hand, those looking for something really unusual tend to shun conventional ‘cat or dog’ options when it comes to choosing their pets. The Goliath Palm Cockatoo is one of the most expensive birds available as a pet – the reason being that they are extremely difficult to breed on captivity.

Certain breeds of snake, such as the Striped Ball Python, are also especially expensive, costing around $10,000 for the animal alone! Medical bills for unusual pets can often be much higher than they would be for more conventional and low-cost options. Most exotic pets also require more expensive accessories such as special cages and food, but for those that can afford it, this price tag is often part of the attraction.

Systrom and Krieger met while they were both students at Stanford University.  Kevin Systrom graduated with a degree in Management Science & Engineering.  He worked as an intern for Odeo (which would later become known as Twitter), and then at Google.  Working for these two companies only fostered his passion for how we have become a society immersed in social media networks.  So, with his other passion for photography, becoming CEO of Instagram was a natural fit.  Meanwhile at Stanford, Mike Krieger studied Symbolic Systems, focusing on Human-Computer Interaction.  Throughout school and after graduation Krieger also had the opportunity to work with some computer/ internet giants including Micosoft, Foxmarks (now Xmarks), and then Meebo.

Together they had a vision to bring back the novelty of the instantaneous picture experiences of using a Polaroid camera and then being able to share those images as a story instantly as well.  Pictures taken with Instagram are normally formatted in a square shape, homage to the vintage feel of a Polaroid photograph.  Also, there are different filter options available to use that will give the picture a different finish allowing the user to have a little artistic liberty with their camera phones.

In 2010, Systrom was able to raise $500,000 in investment funds to support his and Krieger’s project, at the time called Burbn.  Shortly after they were able to launch the program in Apple’s App store.  This was just the beginning of Instagram’s rapid climb to the top.  About a year after its initial Apple launch, Instagram was updated to a 2.0 version.  By February 2011, Instagram had raised $7million in investment funds, valuing the company at $125million.  Only two months latter Instagram was released to Android users as well as raising $50million through venture capitalists, bumping the companies value up to $500million.  Then a week later, in comes Mark Zuckerberg.

On April 9^th, 2012, it was announced that Facebook had bought Instagram for $1billion in cash and company stocks.  Zuckerberg aims to run Instagram as an independent company, allowing it to continue further growth, as opposed to simply being absorbed into Facebook.  This is a huge acquisition for Facebook in that it cost a quarter of the cash Facebook had as of 2011, and was completed shortly before Facebook goes public.

For now the 14, yes there are only 14, employees of Instagram can sit back and celebrate the amazing success they have earned over the last 2 years.

Kardashian’s celebrity star rose when a sex video of her and then husband Ray J. was leaked to the media. Afterwards Kim became fodder for the tabloids, but it was “Keeping Up With the Kardashian’s” that made her and her family a household name. Before the sex video and her reality show, Kim was just a personal assistant and stylist to the stars. She could be seen walking the red carpet in the shadow of her famous friend Paris Hilton. Kim’s income at that time did not come close to what she is raking in now. It is estimated that the Kardashian family raked in $65 million for the reality show. Kim is paid $40K an episode. Not bad for a gal who doesn’t have to memorize scripts, or does she? People often wonder about the show’s spontaneity. Is it reality or scripted?

Recently Kim has come under scrutiny for paying or rather not paying enough taxes. The CourageCampaign created a video urging her to support an initiative in California that would increase taxes on residents that earn more than $1 million a year.  The campaign sites that Kim made $12 million in 2010 but only pay 10.3% toward income tax. The regular middle class California resident who makes $47,000 paid 9.3% toward income taxes. The campaign is claiming that is unfair in light of recent budget cuts to schools and programs for the elderly. Proponents of the campaign believe its not fair for someone who makes millions of dollars a year to pay the same amount of taxes as someone who makes $47,000 a year.

We think Kim is a brilliant business woman capitalizing on her fame and laughing all the way to the bank. She is now launching a new clothing line, perform and weight loss products. Plus she charges a hefty fee for public appearances at nightclubs and hosting duties!

Kim has had many extravagant purchases including a $325,000 white Ferrari 458 Italia Spider. For her wedding to Kris Humphreys she wore a $2.5 million 65 carat sparkling diamond headpiece by Lorraine Schwartz, 28 carat diamond earrings worth $5 million. She also spent $150,000 on hair and makeup for her wedding day.

Katherine Hepburn's Former Estate Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

This is a stunningly beautiful property with 3.5 acres of land and 680 feet of waterfront on the Long Island Sound. Miss Hepburn lived in the home until she died in 2003.

View of the Long Island Sound from a bedroom Photo courtesy of Sotheby's

Miss Hepburn won 4 Academy Awards, holding the record for winning the most best actress Oscars. She won best actress for Morning Glory in 1933, Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner in 1967, The Lion in Winter in 1968, and On Golden Pond in 1981. Her long time love was Spencer Tracey, with whom she appeared in many films. She also had relationships with Howard Hughes and director John Ford.

1. Document, Document, Document!!
First thing you should do when you realize that you have all the winning numbers is make multiple photo copies of the ticket. Take a picture of yourself with the winning ticket. Then get a safety deposit box and store copies of the picture and copies of the winning ticket. There will be false lotto winner claims and you want to be sure to protect yourself and your ticket. Also, don’t forget to sign the winning ticket!

2. Don’t Tell Anyone
I know, I know it’s really hard to keep it to yourself. But think about all the family and friends that will be crawling out of every crevice wanting to “help” you figure out what to do with that money. There will be time to give money to family and friends later. You need time to think about whether or not to take a lump sum or collect payments over multiple years. Also, it can be very overwhelming thinking about how much your life will change with your new found financial freedom and you want the space to make choices that are right for you! If you need to tell someone and or you need advice on your winnings, choose someone you have trusted all your life.

3. Hire A Lawyer
A lawyer will help you set up a trust to receive you lotto winnings, so you can stay anonymous. You may not be able to stay completely anonymous since you will have to redeem your winnings and the lotto retailer and state authorities will most likely want to take a picture if you and your winning check.

Lump Sum or Annuity Payments

Right now the odds of winning the $640 Mega Millions jackpot is: 1 in 176 million. But hey ya never know! Even if you win the lotto, remember you will only get about half of it because the other half will go to taxes. So how do you choose whether to take the lump sum or collect annuity payments for the next 26 years? Some people want their money right away because they think they can invest it and make more money. How can you trust yourself not to spend a large portion or it? And how can you be sure you will invest it appropriately? Sometimes it’s more prudent to take annuity payments, to ensure the money lasts longer.

Consider the story of Jack Whitaker. He won $314.9 million in the powerball lottery in 2002. He went for the lump sum cash payout of $170 Million, after taxes he ended up with $114 million. Sounds like a lot of money right? Well after some high-profile brushes with the law and large cash robberies, Whitaker lost most of the money. He was dubbed by the Lottery Post as “the un-luckiest lottery winner ever”.

The National Enquirer posted a picture which sparked a lot of outrage. It shows Whitney in her coffin wearing a purple dress. According to reports she was buried in a gold lined casket that cost more than $15,000 and had on a diamond brooch and diamond earrings.

Because of the jewelry she was buried in, the Houston family hired 24-hr security guards for her grave site.

Adriana Lima Photo by Snobmodels

It wasn’t until a friend who wanted to join a modeling competition, only not alone, convinced Adriana to join with her.  The contest got her noticed, and then when she was only fifteen she won first place in the “Super Model of Brazil” contest sponsored by Ford Model agency.  Soon after she was awarded second place in the company’s “Super Model of the World” competition.  This convinced Adriana that she was ready to move to the modeling capital of the world, Manhattan where she signed with Elite Model Management.  From there her portfolio began to grow as she picked up more print campaigns and was scheduled to walk in some of the biggest runway shows.

But what she is probably best known for is her work with Victoria’s Secret.  In 2000 she got a coveted contract with the company as a Victoria’s Secret Angel launching her as the envy and inspiration of many women, and the fantasy of countless men.  In 2008 Victoria’s Secret gave her the honor of wearing the “Fantasy Bra” in their runway show, a bra created by jeweler Martin Katz adorned with diamonds and precious stones worth more than $5million.

She has gone on to become the spokeswoman for several brands, such as Maybelline Cosmetics.  Adriana has also had the unique privilege to be featured in more than one Super Bowl commercial airing in the same year.  In 2009, Adrian Lima married her NBA boyfriend, Marko Jaric.  Not only did Jaric win the honor of calling Lima his bride, but to he also became known as the man who claimed her virginity.  Later that year they welcomed their first daughter, and then in March of 2012 they announced they were expecting their second child.

Life is good for the Brazilian born super model.  She has an adoring husband, one beautiful child and another on the way, and an enviable modeling career.  The fact that in 2005 she was listed as one of the best paid celebrities under 25 by Forbes Magazine doesn’t hurt either.  Today she has accumulated approximately $35million.

Mel Gibson's Costa Rican Compound Photo courtesy of Christie's International Real Estate.

Actor-director Mel Gibson is selling his Costa Rican compound hideaway in Playa Barrigona. This luxurious hilltop private estate is listed at $29.8 million and sits atop 500 acres of private jungle. Gibson has had many publicly embarrassing moments after a long career as a top box office draw. Many brokers in the industry point to this sale as a down-size in his varied real estate portfolio. Over the years Gibson has owned homes in Malibu, Australia, Montana, Connecticut and even a private island in Fiji. The sale is being handled by Christie’s International Real Estate.

The estate boasts three homes nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Costa Rican Beach on the property. Photo courtesy of Christie's International Real Estate.

Secluded white sand beaches and lush jungle envelop the property. The property is “huge and stunning” says one observer an “ideal family retreat”. The estate was a former cattle ranch and all three homes are built with Costa Rican Woods and Italian and Spanish tiles.

Gibson is also selling his Malibu home for $11.8 million. The house has been on the market for a while now. It started off with a $14.5 million asking price, but was reduced over the year.

Americans can save as much as 50% on surgery by traveling to Asian countries. The price of a boob job in South Korea is approximately $6,000 which includes the $1,000 flight. South Korea is not the only country in Asia providing great deals on plastic surgery procedures. Over 750,000 people traveled to Thailand in 2008 for medical proposes. Many Americans also visit Latin America countries because of its proximity. Thailand and India are currently the leaders for cheaper orthopedic and cardiac surgery, but now South Korea is fast becoming the place for plastic surgery.

Often package deals are provided for patients, which include sightseeing before the procedure and being pampered in luxury accomodations after procedures. All of which is cheaper in Asia than in the United States.

Shawish Jewellery

If you are a rich celebrity, two months’ salary can give you a lot of room to play with when buying a diamond. Kris Humphries spent $2million on the 20 carat ring by Lorraine Schwartz he proposed to Kim Kardashian with. Too bad he doesn’t get it back now that their relationship is over. Mariah Carey also received a $2million dollar engagement ring from Nick Cannon. Cannon worked with famed jewelry designer Jacob & Co to create a 17 carat ring, with a large center square cut stone, and 58 smaller surrounding stones. While the Queen B, Beyonce, gets to rock a $5million 18 carat ring from Jay Z, also created by Lorraine Schwartz.

But now there is a new ring on the market that is set to put all others to shame. The luxury Swiss jewelry makers, Shawish, have created the world’s first and only all diamond ring. It took them a year to obtain the copyright and create the perfect design for the ring. With the use a precision laser they are able to cut a perfect circle out of the diamond for fit, while still maintaining the brilliance of the finished stone. The 150 carat total diamond ring is being estimated to have a value of $68 million!