Estimated total worth of real estate holdings of the world's billionaires, according to the Wealth-X and UBS Billionaire Census 2013: $169 billion

Average per billionaire this equates to: $78 billion

Average number of homes billionaires own, many of which are based in trophy cities such as London, New York and Paris: 4

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of American households who think it is an achievable goal to be debt-free at retirement, with only 30 percent stating they will be able to live comfortably in retirement, according to research from Mintel: 48

Percentage of U.S. consumers who state they are comfortable that they have enough set aside in a savings account for unexpected expenses: 25

Percentage (roughly 20 million households) who don't think they'll ever be debt-free: 17

Source: Mintel.

Number of cases of wine consumed in the United States annually, according to the Wine Institute and the Department of Commerce Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau: 330 million

Number of cases of wine consumed in France annually: 320.6 million

French population versus that of the U.S.: 65.7 million vs. 313.9 million

Source: Wine Institute.

Estimated average per capita income in America, according to the Census Bureau: $28,000

For family households, estimated median income: $64,000

Estimated number of personal financial advisers in the United States, helping Americans reach their goals and turn that income into more net worth: 175,000

Source: Census Bureau.

Ranks of Italy, England, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Mexico on the list of chart-toppers for families traveling in 2014, according to Virtuoso, the international network of luxury travel agencies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Within the U.S. travel market, ranks of New York, Maui, Napa Valley/Sonoma, Las Vegas and Hawaii's Big Island on the list of preferred destinations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of exploring new destinations, rest and relaxation, seeking authentic experiences in new destinations, rediscovering previously visited destinations and personal enrichment on the list of the top reasons people will travel in 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Virtuoso.

Percentage of adults who follow at least one sport who say professional football is their favorite sport, according to the results of a survey by Harris Interactive: 35

Percentage who say baseball is their favorite: 14

Rank of college football, auto racing and men's professional basketball on the list of favorite sports to watch: 3, 4, 5

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of workers who said their typical lunch break lasts 30 minutes or less, according to an OfficeTeam survey: 48

Percentage who admitted they work during lunch breaks: 29

Percentage who run errands: 25

Source: OfficeTeam.

Ranks of Bella, Max and Buddy on the list of the most popular names for dogs in 2013, according to Banfield Applied Research & Knowledge (BARK): 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Kitty, Bella and Tiger on the list of the most popular names for cats in 2013: 1, 2, 3

Source: Banfield Pet Hospital.

In tests in six major U.S. cities, percentage of gas pump and mail box handles that were highly contaminated, potentially exposing people to illness-causing bacteria, according to a study by Kimberly-Clark Professional: 65

Percentage of escalator rails and ATM machine buttons that were highly contaminated: 40

In hotel rooms, rank of TV remotes and bathroom sink faucets among the most contaminated surfaces: 1

Source: Kimberly-Clark Professional.

Percentage of Gen Y consumers (born between 1977 and 1994) who do not currently own or lease a vehicle because they cannot afford it, according to a Deloitte report on global mobility: 61

Percentage of respondents who said their lifestyle needs are met by walking or public transportation: 67

Source: Deloitte Public Relations.

Idle Thought

"Patience is also a form of action." -- Auguste Rodin, sculptor

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

Average percentage more that last-minute planners will pay to stay in Manhattan hotels over the Super Bowl weekend than they would normally for the same room, according to a survey by Cheaphotels.org: 139

During Super Bowl XLVIII, rate for a night's stay at the Days Inn in North Bergen, N.J., just a few miles from the Super Bowl site at MetLife Stadium, and up from its normal rate of $125 per night: $1,300.

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

After a New Year's resolution peak lasting five days, percentage drop in diet searches by Jan. 6th, according to data from Experian: 30

Rank of Thanksgiving on the list of days with the lowest volume of diet searches: 1

Source: Experian Public Relations.

Year that the Green Bay Packers opened the Super Bowl era by defeating the AFL champion Kansas City Chiefs behind the passing of Bart Starr, the receiving of Max McGee and a key interception by all-pro safety Willie Wood, according to NFL.com: 1967

Bonus per man collected by the Packers -- the largest single-game share in the history of team sports: $15,000

Bonus per man collected by the Chiefs: $7,500

Source: NFL.com.

Rank of Tom Hanks on the 2013 list of America's favorite movie stars, according to a survey by Harris Interactive: 1

Other years he has held the title: 2002, 2004 and 2005

Rank of Denzel Washington, last year's favorite movie star: 2

Source: Harris Interactive.

Percentage of advertising executives who said they would jump at the chance to work on a high-profile campaign, according to a survey by The Creative Group: 74

Percentage of executives who admitted they would be overwhelmed by all the work: 10

Source: The Creative Group.

Percentage of employers who report they have problems attracting critical-skill employees, according to a Towers Watson study: 66

Percentage who say they have trouble attracting high-potential employees: 49

Percentage of respondents who say they have a hard time attracting top-performing employees: 48

Percentage of employers who have problems retaining critical-skill employees (with percentages trending upward the last four years): 41

Source: Towers Watson.

Percentage of top managers with children who say parenthood has been an obstacle to job advancement: 17

Percentage of other working parents who say parenthood has been an obstacle to job advancement: 33

Percentage of bosses who report they are very satisfied with their current job: 69

Percentage of workers who say the same: 48

Source: Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends.

Cost of a parking spot for cars at the Super Bowl, according to New York Daily News' Gary Myers: $150

Cost to park a bus: $350

Source: NY Daily News.

Percentage of Americans who expect to make more, save more and shop more in 2014, according to a survey conducted by RetailMeNot: 70

Despite the positive 2014 outlook, percentage of married individuals who carried $500 or more in debt into 2014: 19

Percentage of consumers who used credit cards (non-store or store-branded credit cards) to pay for their winter holiday gifts in 2013: 62

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Amount of charitable contributions shown on the average U.S. tax return, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: $4,300

Percentage of Americans who are involved in some kind of charitable work: 25

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

Idle Thought

"Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is." -- Margaret Mitchell, novelist

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

Percentage of Americans who believe that money can buy happiness, according to a CreditDonkey.com survey: 21

Percentage of respondents who say it can't, but being poor can make you miserable: 64

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Year Henry Ford announced that he would pay his workers a minimum wage of $5 a day, which is about $117 in current dollars, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1914

Year that President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law a federally mandated minimum wage of 25 cents an hour: 1938

Although 21 states and the District of Columbia have rates higher than the federal standard, current minimum hourly wage: $7.25

Estimated income of households in the bottom 20 percent of income: $20,600

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of cellphone owners who have physically bumped into another person or object because they were distracted by using their phone, according to Pew Research: 23

Percentage of cellphone owners who say that they have been bumped into by another person because that person was distracted by using their own cellphone: 50

Date that a woman in Australia walked off a pier because she was more intent on checking out Facebook than watching where she was going: Dec. 16, 2013

Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press.

Ranks of sexy buttocks, slimness, flat stomach, eyes and long legs on the list of the top male physical attributes women admire most, according to The Sunday Times: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of muscular chest and shoulders, muscular arms, penis, tallness and flat stomach on the list of the top male physical attributes men think women admire most: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: The Sunday Times.

Percentage of adult smokers who were preparing to quit as a New Year's resolution in 2014 to improve their health, according to a survey conducted for national public health nonprofit Legacy: 56

Number of days into a quit attempt when quitters are most vulnerable to relapse: 8

Percentage of adult smokers who planned to quit smoking "cold turkey" for New Year's -- a method that is largely ineffective for the majority of smokers: 41

Source: Legacy.

Ranks of audiologist, hairstylist, jeweler, university professor (tenured) and seamstress/tailor on the list of the least stressful jobs, according to a CareerCast report on the least and most stressful jobs of 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Rank of enlisted military personnel, military general, firefighter, airline pilot and event coordinator on the list of the most stressful jobs of 2014: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: CareerCast.com.

Percentage of people who deal with embarrassing moments by saying "sorry" immediately, according to a survey by Wakefield Research: 33

Percentage who make jokes to cover it up: 22

Percentage who pretend nothing happened: 21

Source: Wakefield Research.

Number of "affluents" (affluents being adults living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income) in the U.S., up more than 6 percent over the past two years, according to the 2013 Ipsos affluent survey: 62.5 million

Compared to 2012, percentage rise in their average income to $200,200: 4.6

Percentage rise in their average net worth to $1.01 million: 2

Source: Ipsos Mendelsohn.

Percentage of all global rare earth mineral production that is mined in China, with advanced metals like Neodymium and Dysprosium essential to thousands of household goods including computers, cellphones and cars, according to Haley Ryan, co-director of the Academics & Periodicals Department at American Elements, the global chemical and metals manufacturer: 97

Source: Haley Ryan.

Value of restaurant breakfast sales in 2013, up 5 percent from 2012, according to research by Packaged Facts: $47 billion

Outstripping the lunch, dinner and snack parts, percentage rise in per capita spending on the breakfast during 2007-2012: 8

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn't seem so wonderful after all." -- Michelangelo, sculptor, painter

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