Like us, celebrities do face money problems. Look at the celebrities — child stars to Donald Trump — who’ve burned through hundreds of millions of dollars and then filed bankruptcy.

If you’re feeling alone and depressed because you have problems with debt, cheer up. You’re in the company of billionaires, as in Donald Trump and Michael Jackson.

The Donald isn’t hurting too much right now, but a decade ago, Trump was on the brink of going spectacularly bust. His personal liabilities were around $900 million. His three casinos and posh Plaza Hotel were forced into bankruptcy, he lost his yacht and the Trump Shuttle, and Ivana snagged the mansion and $14 million in the divorce. Read more »

Sir Elton’s credit-card bills have been reported to average £250,000 ($400,000) a month and his business empire was said to be endangered by the high spending.

The 52-year-old pop star, who has a reputation for a lavish lifestyle, is said to have asked a merchant bank to help him borrow £25m ($40m) to pay off a huge accumulation of debts in the UK and the US. The deal would allow him to use future earnings from his music as security for the loan. Read more »

Splashing the cash isn’t the only way celebrities get to grips with money. All that spending can sometimes lead to severe debt, which for many of us is a lot closer to home than the $10m diamond necklaces and diamond-encrusted mobile phones we read about in the papers.

Mike Tyson for example reportedly blew hundreds of millions of dollars on tigers, over 100 different cars and extravagant jewellery. But at his lowest point he owed creditors $27 million.

And Kim Basinger declared herself bankrupt in 1993 after a jury ruled she owed producers $8.1 million for backing out of a role.

Even our own Sarah Ferguson isn’t immune. The Duchess of York showed that blue blood just isn’t enough to keep in the black – in 2002 she reportedly had over $6 million in debt to repay.

Oprah isn’t the only star giving big these days. Reports were released stating that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie gave away over $8 million dollars in the year 2006.

Angelina Pitt is an ambassador for the United Nations and heads a bunch of different charities for children, women and the poor. Brad Pitt has been a giver to things in the US, from his Green Initiative to rebuild New Orleans to the Red Cross.

Both use their celebrity status to raise awareness for deserving causes.For example, the millions of dollars that the couple were paid for their photos of Shiloh, after her birthday in 2006 were given away. The hospital where Shiloh was born was given hundreds of thousands of dollars so they could buy medical equipment and stay state of the art with their facilities.

With the recent price tag for exclusive baby photos going up towards $6 million (Jennifer Lopez), how much do you think this baby – from the pregnancy they won’t confirm but is obvious – will fetch? Heck, if Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony can get a cool $6 million, I bet Brangelina can get at least $8.

The breakdown of their charity is about equal. Angelina gave away $4.1 million while Brad spent $4.4 million. There aren’t too many Hollywood hotties can say they give that much money away! Kudos to Brangelina for actually doing something worthwhile and continuing to do so!

Just when it seems like things can’t possibly get any worse for Michael Jackson, he finds a way to sink a little lower. The musical phenomenon turned human skeleton, seemed to bottom out after fleeing to Europe Polanski-style following his most recent child molestation charges.

But things got a little worse today. Wacko-Jacko’s infamous Neverland Ranch is set to be sold at a foreclosure auction on March 19th unless Mike can fork over the $24.5 million he owes on the mansion/zoo/amusement park. Given that Jackson is reportedly $300 million in debt, it’s pretty unlikely that this will happen.

The only question now is who will buy the thoroughly creepy property? It’s a guess that either Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will buy it for their ever growing family, or Paul Reubens will turn it into a real life Peewee’s Playhouse.

Apparently Jackson owes a huge wad to the ex-Fugees star. Wyclef Jean has claimed that Michael Jackson owes him money for production duties he performed during recording sessions.

According to the newspaper, Jean claimed that he collaborated with Jackson ten years ago, but is yet to be paid for his services.

He is quoted as saying: “After Mike did 1997 album ‘Blood On The Dancefloor’ I went into the studio with him.

“We did a couple of sessions. When I’m in the studio I’m very specific. I’m very tough in the studio. Mike knows the money he owes him. Wyclef just wishes he’d get in touch.