The top specification version of the vehicle comes in a customized shade of maroon and is emblazoned with ornate gold detailing which depicts dragons to complete the theme. These features, which appeal directly to the Chinese people’s sense of history and aesthetics, no doubt fueled the frenzy of purchases that led to the Rolls Royce Year of the Dragon Phantom to sell out so quickly. Customers who shelled out over a million bucks to enjoy this luxurious ride are also able to fully customize the vehicle with special embroidery, food and wine cabinets and other accoutrements. According to Rolls Royce marketing executives, this element of extreme personalization was a major factor in the rush to buy the Dragon Phantom, because Chinese consumers crave the opportunity to express themselves publically.

The particular affinity that Chinese drivers have clearly shown for Rolls Royce’s Year of the Dragon Phantom is an extension of the country’s overall desire for luxury automobiles. Rolls Royce alone features a total of 14 showrooms throughout China and plans to open more throughout 2012 to meet an ever growing demand for high end items in the country. While the overwhelming success of the company’s commemoration of the Chinese New Year surely contributed the sales success Rolls Royce enjoyed in 2011, there is no reason to expect a decline next year. The global economy is finally beginning to show signs of life and China is home to a growing market for high-end luxury vehicles. After selling a car priced at $1.2 million completely out of stock within a span of just 2 months, Rolls Royce is surely ready to double down on their presence within the expanding Chinese marketplace.

Emma Martin is a contributing writer for eRentals, the best online care rental supplier with over 12,000 locations worldwide.

Time management.  While it is natural for human beings to worry, too much is not productive and actually doesn’t accomplish anything.  Therefore, devoting too much time to worry about anything, especially your finances, is really just an enormous waste.  If you do feel worried, find ways to be proactive.  Try to find the root of your fears and develop an action strategy to combat it.  What can you do to change whatever situation is causing you so much worry?

Fulfilling life.  They say that money can’t buy happiness.  While that may be true, certainly a lack of money or worry about your finances can keep you from enjoying the more fulfilling things in your life, especially when spending time with your children or loved ones.  Your health also includes your mental well-being, and this will suffer as well if you let worrying get in the way of enjoying your life.

Up all night.  How many times have you lain awake all night because you are worrying too much about your perceived money problems?  Lack of sleep can lead to physical problems as well as behavioral issues.  Many people who worry too much take up drinking or smoking and then suffer additional problems because of the ways they abuse those products.  Instead of staying up all night, take a natural sleep supplement such as melatonin.  Worrying won’t solve any of your problems, and staring at the ceiling into the wee hours of the night isn’t going to fix them either.

Illness.  Chronic worrying can lead to a whole host of unpleasant physical side effects, including a suppression of the immune system that leads to increased illness.  If you are feeling anxious about your money, you may be subject to more headaches, fatigue, memory loss, an inability to concentrate, uncontrollable sweating, or nausea.  More severe conditions such as digestive disorders and heart attack may also result from too much stress.

Relationships.  Increased irritability is one side effect of too much worry, and can lead you to mistreat the people closest to you.  If you are fixated on money, it may also cause the people close to you to lie about their own financial situations in order to appease you.  This may be the perfect time for a reality check:  which means more to you, your relationships or our bank account?

If you are continuing to worry about money even after reading this article, perhaps you should consider ways to cut back on necessary expenses, such as looking into discount dental plans.

There are several reasons for a hardline attitude when it comes to personal loans.  For one thing, just because you have better-than-adequate funds at your disposal doesn’t mean you can afford to flush them down the drain on bad investments (which personal loans could definitely become).  After all, you didn’t get where you are by making bad financial decisions.  And if you continue to lend without first getting repayment on earlier loans, you’re basically letting people walk all over you.  That’s not a good feeling for you, and believe it or not your family and friends will grow to resent you for it.  So if you’re going to make personal loans to your loved ones, you must do so with the expectation of repayment.

This is not to say that you have to sue your family and friends should they fail to repay a loan (although you definitely shouldn’t lend to them again).  But you should take steps to make your intentions known, including a written agreement.  This could be as simple as an IOU or as complex as a legal contract, but between friends you should probably go with a basic document that includes the amount of the loan, the interest rate, and a schedule for repayment, as well as your signature, the signature of the borrower, and perhaps a notary public to act as a witness.  This document will hold up in court (should you find it necessary) and it will protect you from having to pay any gift tax (should the IRS require proof that the money was a loan rather than a gift).  Further, such an agreement will likely deter anyone who has it in mind to take the money and run.

You aren’t an ATM, so don’t let your family and friends treat you like one just because you have money.  You also aren’t a bank or a company that offers payday loans; if you were, you’d offer much less favorable terms.  Remind your family and friends of this when they come to you for money, and let them know that while you’re happy to do them a favor, you do expect them to live up to their end of the arrangement.  But if you feel uncomfortable about the situation or you’ve simply been burned too many times, simply say no.  Your family and friends might be mad, but they’ll come around eventually.

For starters, you need to understand a very basic principle when it comes to becoming a millionaire of any stripe.  You must earn money while cutting spending.  This sounds pretty self-explanatory, right?  And yet, many people make investment choices that go against this basic rule, that are more gamble than premeditated plan.  However, as long as you keep this tenet in mind when doing any real estate deal, you’ll have a much better chance of coming out ahead.  Now let’s get to some of the strategy involved in making money in real estate.

As mentioned, flipping is out these days.  You can no longer buy a house, fix it up, and expect to sell it before you make your first mortgage payment.  So you have to be prepared to hang onto (and pay for) any piece of property that you purchase indefinitely.  Of course, there are ways to cut or even negate your payments, and rental properties are the best.  With many people cutting back, bailing on home loans, and looking for less expensive living arrangements, well-appointed rental properties in desirable neighborhoods (good schools, low crime, etc.) are doing quite well.  This is a great way to pay for the mortgage without spending a dime (and potentially earn some passive income, as well).  Of course, you could also take on partners to dispel some costs.

But before you even think about buying a property, there are a few things you should do.  First, you should strongly consider taking classes and getting a real estate license.  It is important to have a solid understanding of what you’re doing before you start signing up for loans.  And if you have an RE license you won’t have to pay a realtor for the services that you can now perform on your own.  From there you’ll want to become familiar with the real estate market you’re buying in, housing market cycles, and the ins and outs of the lending process.  If, for example, you want to purchase in a certain area that is rather well-to-do, but you also want to try to secure an FHA loan, it behooves you to understand going in that FHA loan rates and limits could derail your plans.

The idea here is to do some legwork at the outset so that you can shop smarter when it comes to real estate investments.  If you take the steps necessary to become educated and then take your time finding the right properties, there’s no reason you can’t cut costs, earn more, and ultimately reach your goal of becoming a millionaire.  And with the housing market incredibly low, you only stand to gain if you play it smart with your purchases.

Receipts.  The number one suggestion about whipping yourself into financial shape is to keep those receipts!  It’s often tempting to delete them, throw them away, or to not collect them at all.  However, as tax time draws near, you’ll make it easier on yourself or the person preparing your taxes if you keep them and organize them as well.  Let part of your financial resolution be an organizational one as well.  And that means keeping these resolutions past tax time … and for the rest of the year!

Insurance and important documents.  Review your property and casualty insurance with your insurance agent or company to make sure that everything is as it should be.  Look over your auto insurance as well, making certain that liability limits are appropriate.  While you’re at it, review and revise any important estate documents, including your will and power of attorney.

Planning and budgeting.  Developing a spending plan or a budget allows you to keep track of your finances, including the cash you drop on what can be seemingly unimportant expenditures at the time.  Remember:  those little things add up quickly!  Part of this planning should involve reducing consumption of unnecessary goods.  The theory is that we often buy what we don’t really require, so when making your plan, see what you can cut out of your budget as you go along.  If you are a small business owner, be choosy when it comes to selecting a merchant processor to help you process your customers’ credit cards:  you don’t want to invest in a high risk merchant account.  Even though the next holiday season is a year away, if you begin planning in advance, you’ll help ensure your financial security by keeping track of all your expenditures and planning for those in the future.

Diversify.  Don’t allocate too much money to a single stock.  Avoid the temptation to invest all your money in your employer’s stocks, as sinking too much into a single company could leave you open to concentration risk.  You stand to see smoother returns if you diversify your portfolio.  Your portfolio may also need to be rebalanced by adjusting places so as to align your portfolio with your financial goals.

Retirement plan contributions.  The limit for elective contributions to your 401(k) plan has gone up five hundred dollars from last year if you are under the age of fifty.  If you increase your contributions to your retirement plan to the maximum amount (or as much as you can do successfully for the moment), your forward thinking will help to ensure that your future self will be more comfortable financially.