There's almost always a cost for advice, even if it's built into the cost of the products you end up buying, says Dan Keady, director of financial planning at financial-services firm TIAA-CREF.

WSJ: Questions to Ask Your Financial Adviser About Fees

Many projects, he claims, have been awarded with no public tender and end up over-budget, late or poorly built.

ECONOMIST: New investors on America��s doorstep

Because by the end of February, money managers trading Comex gold futures had already built up as a group their biggest short gold position since 1999.

FORBES: Why Wall Street Suddenly Hates Gold

Many high-end buyers there built large estates by joining together two or three lots, bumping up home values.

WSJ: Luxury Real Estate's Ritziest Gold Coast