Lai See | One picture says it all for the artfully rich Max Burger

Nobody can accuse Max Burger of being shy about being wealthy. Burger is the CEO and a joint controlling shareholder of Hong Kong-based investment company Golien.

He and his wife Monique have built up a huge collection of paintings which, according to The Art Economist, included more than 1,000 works by 120 artists in 2011. Golien, the website says, primarily invests in companies which are "close to the consumer, with niche products in a large market, acting below the radar screens of the large multinationals, owning the critical steps of the value chain, having a defendable unique selling proposition and realistic improvement".

Burger's expertise in this field is presumably why he is one of the judges for InvestHK's StartmeupHK Venture Programme. The judges will choose the best three of 12 entrepreneurs from around the world who will be given free business support to develop their businesses in Hong Kong. They will know when they have become successful when they too, like Burger, can commission a portrait by the artist Julian Opie at a not inconsiderable sum, and use it on LinkedIn.

What does it mean for Hongkongers to be affluent? Just over 60 per cent equate luxury with having the time to do what they want and slightly less associated it with owning the best brands, according to the latest Visa Affluent Study. Hong Kong's affluent spend high amounts on items such as designer watches (average maximum amount spent was HK$26,400), jewellery (average maximum spent HK$23,100) and family holidays (average maximum spent HK$21,200).