We all have those friends who dress like they should be hung up in the MoMA. I'm certainly not that friend to anybody. But I do have this idea that style empowers you and, as we've shown right here on WalletpopTV, gives you an edge, especially if you're interviewing for jobs.

Meet StyleCaster, an inspiring guide to looking your best. Can't afford a personal stylist? Not friends with Rachel Zoe? Then StyleCaster will provide you with the dream cyber closet of ideas and network you with stylists, models, and other fashionistas with similar tastes. It's Facebook meets Elle.

"At the end of the day it's about discovery. You don't have to buy the products on StyleCaster. It's about discovering the things you already have and how to wear them better," says Ari Goldberg, the site's young, energetic C.E.O. and co-founder. Mr. Goldberg is in an especially inspired-mood today, given that his company just scored $4 million in funding. If investors see the potential in this, especially in a deep downturn, what can StyleCaster do for your look and closet?

Don't be fooled by the compact size of Jonathan Clements' new book, "The Little Book of Main Street Money: 21 Simple Truths that Help Real People Make Real Money." This small book -- part of Wiley's "Little Book Big Profits" series -- packs a good dose of practical financial advice to help you weather this brutal economy and work toward building wealth. Because the chapters are short, the book can probably be read by many people in a day.

Clements, a former Wall Street Journal personal finance columnist, offers 21 easy-to-understand principles based upon the financial philosophy he has developed over the years. His advice goes beyond simple money management and offers tips for living a more fulfilled life. The book's nuggets of valuable information include "We can't have it all," "Our Finances Are Bigger than a Brokerage Account," Time Is as Valuable as Money" and "Markets May Be Rational, but We Aren't."

Dear Mrs. Madoff:

I understand that with your husband in jail for the rest of his life and you losing claim to millions of dollars worth of real estate and other assets in the bargain, you are being left with only $2.5 million to your name. That gives you an income of about $125,000 a year.

Keep this in mind: 90% of Americans don't make anywhere near this. But for two-income professional couples on either coast, this represents a middle class income.

So allow me to give you some general tips on how to live like the middle class, although, as the character in Casablanca says, I don't know why because it can not possibly benefit me.

First thing's first, I'd find your AARP card and join up. Lots of discounts for you there. And you're gonna need them, lady.

Housing: You might have trouble finding affordable housing. This is sure to surprise you, having up until recently enjoyed lavish homes in half a dozen locations without a thought over how they were paid for. But, and I'm sorry to tell you this, your yearly nut won't qualify you for any home anywhere you'd be interested in living. The average cost of a home in Beverly Hills is $1.9 million. While in Manhattan the average cost is $1.4 million. It's looking like nobody in town is going to rent you anything there, anyway.

If you thought prices at the canceled auction in April for Michael Jackson's belongings were high -- $20,000 for one of the front gates to Jackson's Neverland Ranch -- the pop icon's death on Thursday will likely push the prices off the charts.

A Michael Jackson auction is a garage sale of the century, if it ever happens.

The auction set for April 22-25 in Beverly Hills was canceled a week earlier after Jackson's lawyers and the auction house agreed to settle and have the items returned to Jackson.

He had initially agreed to allow the sale of items taken from his home -- valued at $10 million -- but in March he filed a lawsuit seeking the return of some of the 2,000 personal items. A judge ruled the auction could continue as set, but both sides later reached an agreement.

A joint statement by both a Jackson spokesman and Julien's Auction House suggested that the items would be put in a museum for the public to view, and that putting them into the hands of private collectors wouldn't serve Jackson's fans.

Merrill Lynch reports that the number of millionaires plunged by 15% in 2008. The value of millionaire's assets fell by 20% in 2008, following a 9.4% increase in 2007.

Bloomberg reports that "The number of people in the ultra-high net worth category, those with more than $30 million to invest, not including the value of their homes or consumable goods, fell 25%. This was because they had a greater proportion of their assets tied up in equities, hedge funds and private equity..."

Geographically, the global recession hurt millionaires from all over the world. The number of millionaires in North America fell by 19% compared with 14% in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. But it's hard to say whether that means that the economy is worse in America -- or just reflects the large percentage of American millionaires who are "middle-class millionaires" rather than the more powerful oligarchs that dominate the ranks of millionaires in some countries.

As big as the drop was, all that it did was bring the number of millionaires back to 2005 levels. So for all the wealth that has evaporated over the past few years, it's just a pullback to where we were before the real estate market completely overheated.

But that raises an interesting question: If all that we've done is retraced a couple years of wealth creation, is it really reasonable to expect a quick turnaround?

The annual honor of being the highest bidder in an auction to have lunch with Warren Buffet looks to be a lot cheaper this year.

After last year's record $2.1 million, paid by a Hong Kong hedge-fund manager, this year's auction on eBay is at $135,687 -- a heck of a discount.

And you may even get a Dairy Queen Blizzard thrown in.

Auction proceeds go to the Glide Foundation in San Francisco, a charity that provides meals to the needy.

Buffett has held the annual auction for the past decade. The winner can bring as many as seven friends for lunch at a New York steakhouse to hear the Oracle of Omaha's wisdom, according to a Wall Street Journal blog.

Time is running out. The auction ends at 7 p.m. PDT Friday, June 26.

I doubt if last year's record, which was three times the previous record, will be beat, or that anyone will pay even $500,000. It is a charitable donation, but shareholders of any company that spends that kind of money on lunch will wonder if they're getting their money's worth.

Obama may be the first president to bust a move, but who would have thought he'd use those skills to dance around the issue of marriage equality? In the same week that the U.S. government slipped a few benefits to same-sex partners of government employees, the Obama administration leapt to the defense of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act.

I say "so-called" because two gay people pledging their devotion to one another simply doesn't imperil anyone else's marriage. After all, we don't want to marry straight people, we want to marry each other.

The key to thriving in the new economy is understanding why we do things, not just knowing how to do them.

That was one of the takeaways of a panel last night at the Morrison Hotel Gallery featuring WalletPop contributors Jason Cochran, Zac Bissonnette, and Bruce Watson; Huffington Post senior editor-at-large Russell Bishop; and "The Happiness Project" founder Gretchen Rubin. WalletPop's Andrea Chalupa moderated.

Here's a little clip of what Jason Cochran had to say (for more video clips of the panel, see our Facebook page and become a fan!):

Oprah may be going frugal to stay down with the majority of people in this country, but that's not stopping her from enjoying her riches and sharing them with her staff. The talk show host just embarked with 1,700 of her employees on a Mediterranean cruise after having a big party in Barcelona. According to Oprah's home-town paper, the Chicago Sun-Times, Oprah is picking up the tab for the whole excursion, which could add up to about $5,400 per person.

While it might seem like any boss who doles out such a great perk to employees is a hero, the government and the press have been cracking down hard on companies that spend lavishly on their execs at corporate retreats and conferences -- to the detriment of the company finances as a whole. Oprah is doing well and so is not in line for any TARP handouts, but still, is this the best use of company money?

And what does it say about her dedication to the frugality of the average Joe, as displayed on the current newsstand issue, which picture Oprah's holding a "book" that touts "Affordable Pleasures." Let's see how you stack up against Oprah's vacation plans...

Husband stealer? Stripper? Delinquent Neiman Marcus credit card holder? Danielle Staub, one of the housewives on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has been called a lot of things on the show. Now she's spawning literary collector's items?

All season, Danielle has been the object of rumor, scorn, and behind-her-back derision on the Bravo TV show, as other participants on the quasi-reality socialite showcase repeatedly alluded to Danielle's appearance in something they called "the book."

Because of "the book," a supposedly non-fiction tell-all about the life of her ex-husband, an undercover cop, the other show's subjects had gathered that Danielle is a thieving, whoring menace who is dangerous to be around. "The book," we're told, refers to Ms. Staub as a "coke-sniffing stripper with an extortion conviction," and the mug shots, of her in 1986 before she changed her name and got Botox, don't help.

Women are having a tougher time with the financial crisis and are more likely to struggle to stay on top of their finances, according to a new report. Twice as many women (68%) as men (32%) sought help with their finances between January 1 and April 30, says Financial Finesse, a financial education company. Financial Finesse reviewed calls to its financial helpline service that is available to over 500,000 employees at more than 300 organizations, as well as usage of its online learning center.

Financial Finesse found that women who called the helpline were more likely to be behind with their bills than men. About 74% of women said they paid their bills on time, compared with 90% of men. Also, 43% of calls from women were about debt, compared with 36% of calls from men. About 29% of the women who called about debt were dealing with serious issues, such as how to avoid foreclosure or bankruptcy, or whether or not to borrow money from a retirement plan.

"When I looked at the research I was pretty shocked when we pulled these numbers to see how women are behind," says Nancy L. Anderson, CFP, a resident financial planner for Financial Finesse. Anderson says most of the women falling behind financially were still employed, although some had been laid off or had a spouse who had lost a job. But many of the female callers were more focused on helping others, which didn't help with their own financial situation.

What if home ownership really isn't the American Dream? A research paper released by a real-estate professor at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School starts the debate. And with these delicious findings: Renters are not only happier than the average homeowner, but they're thinner, too.

Oh, sweet, sweet vindication. I'll take it any way it comes.

During the housing boom, I would often shake my head and wonder aloud how home prices could continue to grow, or why it was that they were taking any kid off the street, slapping him in a suit and calling him a mortgage broker. The orgy of greed and building just didn't seem sustainable. It was painfully obvious common sense: If every house in California sells for half a million and up, where are the millions of non-movie stars going to live?

For this, I was often called a bitter renter.

WalletPop's Lan Nguyen chats with Robert Tuchman, founder of TSE Sports & Entertainment, on how he found success in the sports promotion and marketing business.

Robert, who started the business when he was 24 out of his one-bedroom Manhattan apartment, shares the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur, and why he loves the business. For more on his story, you can also check out his book, Young Guns: The Fearless Entrepreneur's Guide to Chasing Your Dreams and Breaking Out on Your Own (AMACOM).

The Giving USA Foundation annual survey, a report on American philanthropy funded by the nonprofit fund-raising industry and conducted by the Center on
Philanthropy at Indiana University, was released today, and the results conform to the times: Charitable giving was down 2% in 2008, or 5.7% when adjusted for inflation. The survey, which started in 1956, has marked declines only two times previously.

Two-third of public charities took in less money than the year prior. But the total amount received remains impressive: $307.65 billion, compared to $314.07 billion in 2007. When measured against Gross Domestic Product, giving levels in 2008 were consistent with those in 2007: charitable giving, as a percentage of GDP, was 2.2% in 2008, and 2.3% in 2007.

If you haven't heard this tale yet, you will. I imagine media outlets everywhere are going to jump on this.

According to a story on CNN.com, In Tel Aviv, Israel, a woman gave her elderly mother a new mattress. It was a gift, and the daughter tossed out the old bed.

Well, the mother had her life savings stuffed inside the mattress -- almost $1 million.

So as you read this, there's a huge search going on at the city dump with security guards keeping out the public, fearing, of course, that otherwise there's going to be something resembling the California gold rush of 1849.

Critics will point out that the woman should have put her money somewhere safer, like in a bank, where her money could have been collecting interest.

And many people who hide their money in their bedroom may be rethinking their savings strategy. Or maybe not. After all, the old chestnut is that you hide your money under the mattress, not inside it.

For more crazy places to hide money, see our "Craziest Places to Hide Money" feature.