Wealth breeds wealth - never has this been more clear than over the last four years, during which the assets of the UK's richest grew by 70%, compared to the rest of the population - whose assets grew by 30%.

According to a new survey of 3,000 high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, total UK liquid assets of the wealthiest 1% rose from an estimated £2.29m in 2004 to £3.9m in 2008.