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Three Christmas shopping ideas for the multi-millionaire or billionaire on your list



By Dian Vujovich

The market has rewarded stock investors with almost unimaginable results this year. But if you’ve been too caught up in it and forgotten to do any holiday shopping, there’s still time to spend, spend and spend some more. After all, that’s what those fun bucks are for in the first place, right?

 

Before offering any gift ideas, here’s a look at how far the markets have come.

 

Taking a long look back, over the past 10 years  the S&P 500 has gained 63.7 percent, according to the Bespoke Investment Group. Compare that with Bloomberg’s World Index, up 62.1 percent during  the same time frame, and the U.S. winds up the No.1 performer—at least when measuring S&P500 returns and not say science or math results.

 

Looking at 2013 performance ending Friday, December 20th, the big index leaders were NASDAQ and the Russell 2000 up 35.9 and 35 percent respectively. They were followed by the S&P500, up 27.5 percent and the DJIA, ahead 23.8 percent, according to Briefing.com.

 

Robert Frank, CNBCs wealth reporter, says it’s been a “recovery for the rich” with the top 10 percent owning 80 percent of stocks. He makes a valid point. And to that valid point I say, “Let’s shop!”

 

For anyone stuck for ideas who also have plenty of money to burn, here are three for the market-minded.

 

Why not provide your honey with the gift of time.  Heaven knows it’s what can make or break a fortune. Add to that the fact that the older we get the more time nearly everyone seems to be hope for, which, by the by,  clearly adds to its value.

 

To that end, when it comes to seeing time fly, imagine a wrist adorned with a Vacheron Constantin Patrimony Traditionnelle World Time timepiece? It’s the first watch to display all 37 times zones from around the world along with a map showing  which parts of the world are in darkness at a given hour. All that time costs around $48,900.

 

Then again, in the markets speed is important too.On that front, there’s nothing quite like driving a Porsche to work or around town.  Particularly, a Porsche 918 Spyder.

 

Read somewhere that only about 914 of these mid-engine hybrid babies are to be made. The price tag here is said to  begin at $845,000. (Maybe that’s why the short run.) If  you’re looking for a two-seater that’s hot and super fast, I’m quite sure you and valets everywhere will find joy in this exceptional  ride.

 

Finally, given that globally made money spends just as easily as home-grown dollars do, and if making that money requires getting from a meeting in New York to one in London and then in Hong Kong all in the same day,  fear not.  All -and more—can be accomplished in one day in a Gulfstream G650. It’s big, beautiful, is considered to be the world’s fastest business jet, can carry 18 passengers along with trunks full of diamonds, collectible pieces of art etc., etc.

 

Word is a new G650 run will run about $60 million. But if Santa’s not up for that, hourly rates at Jet Edge International are a fraction of that— around $6,000 an hour.

 

Happy last minute shopping.


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