Half of wealthy women and a third of affluent men are likely to buy themselves presents this holiday season, according to a new survey.
Two-thirds of affluent American women want gift cards. But less than a fifth of men will give it to them, according to a report from American Express Publishing and the Harrison Group out Thursday.
Instead, 70% of women are gifted clothing or jewelry.
A survey of 625 households that represent the top 10% of the nation's wage earners found a wide gap between what people want and what they will actually get.
Related: 9 'fantasy gifts' of 2012
Men should also lower their expectations. They want food and alcohol -- a third hope to get gourmet foods and fine wine, and another third want gift cards. But women like to give none of those -- 30% are expected to give clothing, and another 15% books.
What wealthy shoppers are better suited for, is giving gifts to themselves.
Nearly half of women said they were extremely, or very likely, to buy themselves presents this holiday season. A third of men have similar intentions.
"Perhaps America is giving itself a bonus this year," said Jim Taylor, vice chairman of Harrison Group, in a statement.
Holiday retail sales are expected to increase 4.1% this year, according to estimates from the National Retail Federation. That's the most optimistic forecast from the group since the recession. 
| How Apple scores its lower tax bill | ||
| Sony shares boom on spin off speculation | ||
| Stocks: Looking to Bernanke | ||
| Microsoft unveils new Xbox One game console | ||
| Bank of Japan maintains policy, cheers Abenomics |
| Overnight Avg Rate | Latest | Change | Last Week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 yr fixed | 3.65% | 3.65% | |
| 15 yr fixed | 2.80% | 2.78% | |
| 5/1 ARM | 2.59% | 2.60% | |
| 30 yr refi | 3.64% | 3.63% | |
| 15 yr refi | 2.79% | 2.78% |
Today's featured rates:
.
