M.P. Dunleavy, MSN Money Online, April 8, 2002

So if you're thinking of investing in a second home, why not buy your own island in the Bahamas for just $75,000? It's a full acre in size with "a rocky shoreline and dense foliage," according to the listing at Private Islands Online. There's also a private dock on the island so you can visit your rocks and foliage. Best of all is the name: Carrion Crow Cay. Homey, no? Who knows how much this little slice of paradise will be worth in a few years when sea levels start to rise?

If you want something a little less vulnerable to global warming, try American Island in British Columbia. Its eight woodsy acres sit in the midst of the seventh-largest lake in the province. Be prepared to pitch a tent, but what do you expect for $54,000? See Niho Land & Cattle Company.