Okay so I have an 18 point advanced lifestyle. What do I roll for starting money?

I would say the lifestyle that your at or or is bellow you.

I agree, on the chart there are brackets for the "level" of your lifestyle. Roll whatever you fall in on the chart, for an exmaple 1-5 pts is squatter level. So at 4 pts you'd roll squatter starting money. Least that is how I would do it.

I third that.

Would you include the qualities applied or just the base LP cost?

Qualities don't affect your Lifestyle level, simply the ending cost. For starting cash, you would use your base lifestyle level, prior to Qualities adjustments.

And for the record, I'd concur with earlier posters on the lifestyle level.

0 = Street
1-5 = Squatter
6-10 = Low
11-15 = Middle
16-20 = High
21+ = Luxury

Qualities are not included when determining what level of Lifestyle you possess.

This is how it was explained by the authors in one of the Runners Companion threads. I am to lazy to find it for you, but it is there if you look.

Best way to start the group is having them flat broke and counting out their spare change trying to get enough for a pitcher of Ghetto Beer, when the Bartender asks them to go and get a new keg before the old one runs out and a riot starts...

How's THAT for starting cash?

I don't use the goofy starting nuyen rule at all. Whether you spend your nuyen during character creation or save some until after (at which point you have to deal with Negotiation, bribes, Availability rolls, downtime, surgery fees, and everything else), you don't wind up any better or worse than someone who spends most of it during creation.

There's a reason they call it "Resources" and not "How You Make Yourself a Quarter-Millionaire At Chargen."