FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING by John MacIntyre

Ranks of answering cellphone or texting, appearing disinterested, dressing inappropriately, appearing arrogant, and talking negatively about current or previous employers on the list of the most harmful common mistakes detrimental to interview performance, according to a nationwide CareerBuilder survey: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of U.S. adults who report they don't currently have any type of financial investments, such as 401(k)s, IRA retirement accounts, mutual funds or stocks, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin: 39

Ranks of "not having enough money to invest" (32 percent), "not trusting the stock market" (26 percent), and "thinking it's too complicated" (17 percent) on the list of concerns expressed by respondents about investing in the stock market: 1, 2, 3

Source: CouponCabin.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have at least one tattoo, up from the 16 percent and 14 percent who reported having a tattoo when this question was asked in 2003 and 2008, respectively, according to a Harris poll: 21

Among those with a tattoo, percentage who have never regretted getting it: 86

Among those without tattoos, percentage who say that people with tattoos are less attractive: 45

Percentage who say they are "sexy": 39

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of high school students who said it was their responsibility to pay for at least part of their college education, according to the findings of a College Savings Foundation survey: 78

Percentage of students who said that costs would influence their higher education plans: 78

Percentage of students who have researched tuition costs for specific colleges or post-secondary schools, up from 49 percent last year: 52

Source: College Savings Foundation.

Percentage of men who say sexual fidelity in a relationship is a "must have," according to a study of singles by Match.com: 62

Percentage of women who agree: 80

Percentage of singles who are seeking someone whom they feel they can trust and confide in: 93

Source: Match.com.

Percentage of family firm executives who indicated that they intend to hire more workers in the next 12 months, according to the 2012 Family Enterprise USA survey of family firms: 54

Among these well-established firms, percentage of the respondents who have had the same executive running the company for more than 20 years: 34

Source: Family Enterprise USA.

Due to higher savings rates and more positivity about debt repayment, reading on the Country Financial Security Index, the highest level since December 2009: 65.8

Percentage of Americans who were able to set aside money for savings, up six points to a three-year high: 50

Source: Country Financial.

Percentage of bankers who said that their banks were likely to increase their small business lending, according to a global survey from Omega Performance: 74

In the U.S., percentage of bankers who said the same: 77

Percentage of global bankers who said the economy will improve over the course of 2012: 69

Source: Omega Performance.

Percentage of CFOs who said it is important for entry-level accounting and finance professionals to gain practical experience while in college, according to a survey by Accountemps: 91

Source: Accountemps.

To help keep at bay health risks such as childhood obesity and early tooth decay, daily recommended number of servings of fruit juice for young children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics: 1

Overall, percentage of parents who report that their children ages 1 to 5 have two or more cups of juice on a typical day -- twice the amount recommended by the AAP, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital national poll on children's health: 35

Source: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital.

Idle Thought

"Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers and are famous preservers of youthful looks." -- Charles Dickens

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.)