Merrill Lynch released their 2007 Wealth Report today. Here are some key findings:

Driven by a strong global economy, the wealth of the world's high-net-worth individuals increased 11.4 percent to US$37.2 trillion in 2006, according to the 11th annual World Wealth Report, released today by Merrill Lynch and Capgemini. The number of HNWIs in the world increased 8.3 percent in 2006 to 9.5 million and the number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals grew by 11.3 percent to 94,970.

The rich are getting richer and the really rich are getting richer faster. How do they feel about real estate?

In 2006, HNWIs shifted more money into real estate investments, at times liquidating some of their alternative investments to fund these real estate opportunities. Global direct real estate transaction volumes reached U.S. $682 billion in 2006, up 38 percent from 2005. Real estate investment funds, or REITs, performed strongly to create an overall preferred investment channel.

Up 38%! Over time, this can only be good news for Maui real estate generally. More specifically, the more exclusive the Maui property (with oceanfront at the forefront), the more it should benefit!