Ask Dr. Notebook

By By Melissa August, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daniel Levy, Ellin Martens, Michele Orecklin, Julie Rawe, Alain Sanders and Josh Tyrangiel

Q. I don't see what all the fuss is about the bachelor on Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? In today's economy a few million is chump change. How do I snag the guys with the Bill Gates bucks?

A. Only Bill Gates has as much money as Bill Gates, and he's happily married. His former Microsoft partner Paul Allen is the country's richest single guy (at a cool $40 billion) but also its greatest recluse. Larry Ellison of Oracle ($13 billion) and Yahoo's David Filo ($3.7 billion) have girlfriends. Randolph A. Hearst is worth $1.6 billion, but his age (84) may put off all but the most Anna Nicole Smith-like gold diggers.

The place to find the largest share of single males with pots of cash is California. Your dating strategy should concentrate on the Bay Area, which contains the seven richest counties in the state. Look carefully at Santa Clara, the heart of Silicon Valley, which has 5,400 more single guys than gals. Just beware of bachelors with plastic pocket protectors.

Q. This study in the news says chocolate is good for my heart. Shall I pig out?

A. Alas, no. Flavonoids in chocolate may reduce the risk of blood clots, but the stuff still makes you fat. That study was sponsored by Mars Inc. Need we say more?

Got burning questions for Dr. Notebook? E-mail him at notebook@time.com The doctor regrets he cannot answer all e-mails individually.