oddities

Figuratively Speaking for February 10, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | February 10th, 2017

Year the 16th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, authorizing Congress to levy taxes on income, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1903

In 2015, amount paid by individuals in federal income tax: $1.9 trillion

Amount paid in state and local income taxes: $348 billion

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of workers who said they are stressed at work on a day-to-day basis, according to a survey by staffing firm Accountemps: 52

Percentage of CFOs who acknowledged their teams are stressed: 54

Ranks of heavy workloads and looming deadlines (33 percent), attaining work-life balance (22 percent) and unrealistic expectations of managers (22 percent) on the list of the top worries cited by employees: 1, 2 (tie)

Source: Accountemps.

Aside from finding a new job, percentage of workers who said this year's New Year's resolution is to save more of my pay, up from 38 percent last year, according to a new CareerBuilder survey: 49

Percentage who resolve to be less stressed, up from 28 percent last year: 38

Percentage who aim to get a raise or promotion, up from 26 percent last year: 30

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of adults ages 36 to 51 (Generation X) who say that if they could sign a contract today guaranteeing that they live to see their 100th birthday, they would, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of MDVIP: 60

Percentage of those who say that they would sign regardless of their physical or mental condition: 11

Percentage who say that they would only do so if they were guaranteed to be in good mental/brain health: 31

Percentage who would only sign if they were guaranteed to be in good physical health: 10

Source: MDVIP.

The average cost of a wedding in 2016, an all-time high, according the results of The Knot's 2016 Real Weddings Study of U.S. brides and grooms married that year: $35,329

On average, percentage of the overall wedding budget that is paid for by the bride's parents: 44

Percentage that is paid by the bride and groom: 42

Percentage paid by the groom's parents: 13

Source: The Knot.

Ranks of saving money, eating healthy and wasting less food on the list of the top three reasons for meal planning, according to a national survey by Peapod and ORC: 1, 2, 3

Source: Peapod.

Percentage of U.S. travelers surveyed who cited a trip within the U.S. as their primary vacation destination for 2017, according to The Travelzoo survey: 60

While affordability was an influence on travel plans, percentage who said they would pay more for their vacation if it meant increased security: 72

Percentage of travelers who agreed that the global economy and stronger dollar make travel to Europe and other destinations outside the U.S. more desirable in 2017: 50

Source: Travelzoo.

Percentage of small businesses that do not have a business succession plan in place, according to a Nationwide survey: 60

Percentage of business owners who simply believe it is not necessary: 47

Percentage of business owners who neglect succession planning because they don't want to give up their life's work: 14

Source: Nationwide.

Percentage of Americans who said they would likely let their kids play a dangerous sport like football, according to a survey by Ipsos conducted following the 2017 Super Bowl: 73

Of those who wouldn't let kid play football, percentage who sited the risk of physical injuries: 69

Percentage who cites the risk of brain injuries: 75

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"Reading is not just an escape. It is access to a better way of life." -- Karin Slaughter, novelist

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for February 03, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | February 3rd, 2017

Percentage of workers who said incorporating the "big game" into the workplace has boosted employee happiness, according to a survey from staffing firm OfficeTeam: 66

Percentage of workers who said they're less productive the day following a large sporting event: 11

Percentage of respondents who said sporting events have no impact on their work productivity: 67

Percentage of employees who said the most distracting or annoying co-worker behavior when it comes to major sporting events is being a poor sport or overly competitive: 30

Source: OfficeTeam.

When asked how often they come in late to work, percentage of workers who admitted they do it at least once a month, up from 25 percent last year, according to a new CareerBuilder survey: 29

Percentage who say it's a weekly occurrence, up 3 percentage points since last year: 16

Percentage of employers and employees believe the concept of "working 9 to 5" is an antiquated practice: 64

Percentage of employers who expect employees to be on time every day: 53

Percentage who have fired someone for being late: 41

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Average credit card debt per person in America, according to research by Credit Donkey: $5,331

Percentage of people who have debt of some sort: 69

Percentage who owe credit card debt: 38.1

Current outstanding revolving debt in the U.S.: $992.4 billion.

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

Percentage of global respondents who agree that face-to-face interactions are being replaced with electronic ones, according to a survey by Nielsen: 66

Percentage who say they prefer texting to talking anyway: 47

Source: Nielsen Analytics.

Percentage of women who say they do not expect to receive any gifts or special dinners to mark Valentine's Day, according to a survey commissioned by epi24: 44

Percentage of those in a relationship who report dreading Valentine's Day more than any other holiday: 41

Percentage of them who say length of relationship does not matter when it comes to celebrating on Feb. 14: 61

Source: epi24.

Percentage of small business owners in the U.S. (1 to 500 employees) who expect their businesses to improve in the year ahead, according to a study conducted by Ipsos on behalf of New York Life: 60

Percentage who predict technology will have the most positive impact on small businesses in the year ahead: 75

Source: New York Life.

Percentage of Americans who wrongly believe it is best to let your car warm up before you hit the road, according to the Hankook Tire America Corporation and Bloomberg: 82

Percentage who wrongly think the gas in your car's tank will freeze if you leave your car outside in extreme cold conditions: 35

Source: Bloomberg.

Percentage of Americans who don't have enough savings to pay for a $500 car repair or a $1,000 emergency room bill, according to a Bankrate.com report: 58

Percentage who have savings they can rely on in an emergency: 41

Source: Bankrate.com.

Despite general optimism about the next four years, percentage of Americans who plan to look for a better-paying job and increase overall savings, according to a survey by Experian: 43

Percentage who said they will decrease their spending: 39

Percentage who will look for an additional job: 34

Ranks of "save more," "be a smarter shopper" and "pay off credit card debt" on the list of the top financial goals for the next four years for all respondents: 1, 2, 3

Source: Experian Consumer Direct.

Percentage of Americans who know that most Americans qualify for Medicare when they turn 65, according to an Ipsos survey: 75

Percentage who know that living in poverty alone does not qualify you for Medicaid: 35

Percentage of Americans who know that they pay more for health care than people in other countries: 82

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Idle Thought

"It is the ability to take a joke, not make one, that proves you have a sense of humor. " -- Max Eastman, journalist and poet

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

oddities

Figuratively Speaking for January 27, 2017

Figuratively Speaking by by John MacIntyre
by John MacIntyre
Figuratively Speaking | January 27th, 2017

Percentage of CFOs who say the single thing that keeps them up at night is conflict with co-workers or supervisors, according to research from Robert Half Finance & Accounting: 25

Percentage who cited poor performance on the job: 25

Percentage who said finding and hiring the right talent for open jobs: 23

Source: Robert Half Finance & Accounting.

Percentage of the take for Super Bowl tickets that goes to each participating team, according to Seat Geek Inc.: 17.5

Percentage that goes to the host city: 5

Percentage that is split evenly by the remaining teams in the league: 34.8

Price range of tickets that are being sold directly to the public through On Location Experiences: $5,999 to $12,000-plus

Generally speaking, average price range of Super Bowl tickets: $2,500 to $3,000

Source: SeatGeek Inc.

Amount the average U.S. adult thinks it costs to raise a child from birth to age 1, according to a Bankrate.com report: $24,000

Amount the USDA says is the true cost: $12,680

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Percentage of all nonretired adults who have no retirement savings or pension because many simply cannot afford to contribute to any type of plan, according to research by WalletHub: 31

Ranks of Florida, Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa and Colorado on the list of the best states for retirement: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Rhode Island, Alaska, the District of Columbia, Connecticut and Hawaii on the list of the worst states: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: WalletHub.

Year that the first commercial bank in the U.S. opened, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1782

Called the Bank of North America, amount that it was capitalized: $400,000

Rough estimate of that value in today's dollars: $7.5 billion

Today, number of commercial banking establishments in the U.S., employing nearly 1.6 million people: 93,000

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

In 2016, number of guns found in carry-on bags at U.S. airports, according to the Transportation Security Administration: 3,391

Of the guns found in 2016, percentage that were loaded: 83

In the last 10 years, percentage growth rate of guns found in carry-on bag: 300

Ranks of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (198), Dallas/Fort Worth International (192), and George Bush Intercontinental in Houston (128) on the list of top airports for gun finds: 1, 2, 3

Source: TSA.

Rank of Katie Perry's 2015 halftime Super Bowl performance, which included a giant mechanical tiger and dancing sharks, on the list of the most-watched halftime shows in history with 118.5 million viewers, according to the NFL.com website: 1

Source: NFL.com.

In 2016, combined weight of batteries and cellphones that consumers recycled throughout the U.S. and Canada, according to Call2Recycle: 14 million pounds

Source: Call2Recycle Inc.

Number of U.S. data breaches tracked in 2016, an all-time record high, according to a report by the Identity Theft Resource Center and CyberScout: 1,093

For the eighth consecutive year, rank of hacking/skimming/phishing attacks on the list of causes of data breach incidents: 1

Percentage of all breaches this represents: 55.5

Percentage increase from 2015: 17.7

Source: CyberScout.

Estimated amount that U.S. adults spent on gift cards in the last 12 months, according to research by Packaged Facts: $46 billion

Of this, amount spent on gift cards given to others: $28 billion

Amount spent on gift cards they gave to themselves: $11 billion

Amount employers spent on gift cards for their employees: $7 billion

Source: Packaged Facts.

Idle Thought

"A poor idea well written is more likely to be accepted than a good idea poorly written." -- Isaac Asimov, scientist and writer

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

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