Ranks of having a budget, buying a house, filing your own taxes, understanding and monitoring your credit score, and investing in your 401(k) on the list of the top signs of "adulting" across the generations, according to a survey by Farm Rich: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Farm Rich.

When asked what describes a good neighbor, percentage of American homeowners aged 25 or older who cited being "friendly to other neighbors" as the top quality, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Neighborhoods.com: 79

Ranks of someone who "maintains a clean yard," "maintains a nice house," "is quiet” and "friendly to pets" on the homeowners’ list of qualities of a good neighbor: 2, 3, 4, 5

Percentage of respondents who said the prospect of new relationships or friendships with neighbors was important to them when deciding to buy their home: 58

Source: Neighborhoods.com.

Percentage of men who felt financially ready for a child versus 53% of women, according to a white paper from PolicyGenius: 63

Percentage of parents ages 18 to 44 who say child care is their biggest child-related expense: 30

Percentage of parents ages 45 and up who say recreation/extracurricular activities is their biggest child-related expense: 22

Source: PolicyGenius.

Percentage of workers who admit to comparing notes on compensation with co-workers, according to research from Robert Half: 54

While most workers have talked salary with colleagues, percentage who did nothing with the information: 61

Percentage who used the insights to ask for a raise: 28

Percentage who used it when negotiating a new job offer: 17

Source: Robert Half.

At the 50 publicly traded U.S. corporations with the widest pay gaps in 2018, estimated number of years the typical employee would have to work to earn what their CEO made in just one year, according to an Institute for Policy Studies report: 1,000

Among S&P 500 firms, percentage that paid their CEO more than 100 times their median worker pay in 2018, and nearly 10% had median pay below the poverty line for a family of four: nearly 80

Source: Institute for Policy Studies.

Percentage of parents who say their children influence at least some aspect of their purchases, either for household items or for themselves, according to a report by the National Retail Federation: 87

Ranks of the children will be using the item, their opinion matters to their parents, and to teach decision-making on the list of reasons parents involve their children in purchasing decisions: 1 (tie), 3

Source: NRF.

Percentage cut in the chances of organically meeting a compatible partner in traditional everyday life as the weather shifts colder, according to a survey by the Dating.com Group: 50

Percentage of survey respondents who state they are less likely to attend a social gathering during the winter than in the summer and prefer to stay home when it's cold: 67

Percentage who revealed they are more likely to use online dating sites during the cold: 55

Source: Dating.com Group.

Percentage of people who said reading was their No. 1 activity while waiting for their flights at the airport, according to a survey conducted by The GO Group, LLC: 53

Percentage who cited "grabbing a bite to eat": 45

Percentage who said they did “nothing”: 4

Source: The GO Group, LLC.

Percentage of North American businesses that reported their organization has experienced at least one data breach in the past 12 months, according to a report from Shred-it: 68

Percentage of those data breaches that involved the loss or theft of paper documents or electronic devices containing sensitive information: 69

Percentage of managers who are concerned their employees or contractors have printed and left behind a document that could lead to a data breach: 65

Percentage of managers who have seen or picked up confidential documents left in the printer: 71

Source: Shred-it.

Idle Thought

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.” -- Abraham Lincoln

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

Percentage of Americans who have faked excuses who delivered their fake excuse via text message, according to a Harris Poll commissioned by Sling TV: 58

Percentage who did it via a phone call or voicemail: 55

Percentage who go the "extra mile" to embellish and make fake excuses seem more believable: 52

Ranks of refraining from going on social media, powering down mobile phones or turning off all the lights in the home on the list of lengths to which people will go to avoid being found out: 1, 2, 3

Source: Sling TV.

Despite the booming $45.4 billion coffee shop industry in the U.S., percentage of Americans who get their coffee from home during an average week, according to a survey from Reddi-wip, a Conagra brand: 89

Ranks of convenience, money management and part of their routine on the list of reasons to make their coffee at home: 1, 2, 3

Source: Conagra Brands.

Percentage of Americans who have a favorite room in their home, according to a survey from Ally Home: 88

Of those, percentage who say that room is their favorite because it is where they go to hide from their kids/spouse/partner: 13

Percentage of millennials who picked the master bedroom as their favorite room in their home: 70

Percentage of baby boomers who did the same: 84

Source: Ally Financial.

Average amount of money that shoppers say they will spend this Halloween, according to the National Retail Federation's survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics: $86.27

This year's total, expected to be the third-highest in the survey's 15-year history after the record $9.1 billion set in 2017: $8.8 billion

Source: NRF.

Percentage of people with insomnia or sleeping difficulties who agreed "having a good night's sleep" means "having a good day," according to Eisai Inc.'s survey "How America Sleeps and Wakes": 90

When they wake up the next day after not having a good night's sleep, percentage of patients who reported feeling tired or fatigued (with only 7% reported feeling "ready to start their day"): 67

Source: Eisai Inc.

When IT hiring managers evaluate entry-level job applicant resumes, ranks of most current work experience, educational background, past projects and successes, and relevant certifications on the list of factors that carry the most importance, according to research from Robert Half Technology: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: Robert Half Technology.

Percentage of employees who have all the resources they require to be productive on Day One, according to the results of a survey by Ivanti: 15

Percentage of IT professionals who know someone who still has access to a former employer's applications and data: 52

Source: Ivanti.

Percentage of consumers who are concerned about going over their budgets this holiday season, according to a survey commissioned by Splitit Payments Ltd.: 42

Percentage of consumers who are especially concerned about expensive shipping costs: 14

Source: Splitit.

Percentage of Americans who say they can distinguish a phishing message from a genuine one, according to a report by Webroot, executed in partnership with Wakefield Research: 79

Percentage who are aware that phishing attempts can occur through email, but fail to recognize the many other ways hackers conduct phishing attacks: 81

Source: Webroot Software Inc.

Percentage of Americans who say they are annoyed when an ad interrupts a YouTube video, according to a nationwide survey about cable-cutting and subscribing to streaming services by the market research team at Colling Media: 73

Source: Colling Media.

Idle Thought

"If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don't have to worry about the answers." -- Thomas Pynchon, writer

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

Percentage of western managers (where western is defined as France, the U.K., Germany and U.S., all with equal weights) who are feeling more overworked, more stressed, and less supported than they did just a few years ago, saying their job is tougher than it was, according to a global survey commissioned by Boston Consulting Group: 81

Percentage of western nonmanagers who said they aspire to become a manager, setting the stage for a shortage of supervisors: 10

Source: Boston Consulting Group.

Rank of the "weekend break" -- defined as a quick couple of days in a new city or going to an off-the-grid location -- on a list of the most popular solo trips, according to an Expedia survey: 1

When it comes to future solo trips, percentage of Americans who say their ideal location is in the U.S. (followed by Canada and Europe): 74

Source: Expedia.

Percentage of Americans who believe that extraterrestrial life exists, according to an Ipsos poll: 52

Percentage who say they visit our planet: 29

Among those who are familiar with or have at least heard of Area 51, percentage who believe there are advanced Air Force weapon systems held there: 48

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Percentage of American gym-goers do not wash their gym clothes before wearing them on a repeat visit to the gym, according to a survey by the website Treadmill-Ratings-Reviews.com: 31

Rank of yoga participants on the list of the worst offenders: 1

Rank of cardio participants on the list of the most likely to wash their clothes: 1

Source: Treadmill Ratings Reviews.

Percentage of Americans who say they have some kind of budget, according to a survey by Slickdeals: 74

Of those, percentage who still have trouble keeping themselves within their own parameters, despite their best efforts: 79

Source: Slickdeals.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, amount of credit card debt in the United States: $868 billion

Percentage of U.S. adults who listed mortgages and credit cards (a tie) as their main source of debt, more than double the next two highest sources -- car loans (9%) and personal education loans (8%) -- according to the 2019 Northwestern Mutual Planning & Progress Study: 22

Source: Northwestern Mutual.

In terms of the single most innovative travel development over the past century, percentage of consumers who cited the Wright brothers' first flight, according to a poll by the American International Group Inc.: 79

Ranks of the debut of GPS car navigation systems and the first commercial passenger flight on the list of the most innovative travel developments: 2, 3

Source: AIG Travel

Percentage of working parents who cited a lack of patience as their top guilt-inducing regret, according to survey findings released by Primrose Schools: 31

Percentage who regretted not spending enough quality time with their kids: 26

Percentage who blamed "working too much" as a source of their feelings of guilt: 15

Source: Primrose Schools.

Percentage of all internet spending on TV and movies that is accounted for by subscriptions, up from 50% in 2012, according to research by Parks Associates: 86

Source: Parks Associates.

Speaking out anonymously through the youth engagement tool U-Report, percentage of young people who said social networks -- including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter -- are the most common place for online bullying: 75

Percentage of respondents who believed governments should end cyberbullying: 32

Percentage who put the onus on young people themselves to stop the harassment: 31

Percentage who cited internet companies as bearing the chief responsibility: 29

Source: UN News Centre.

Idle Thought

"This world is divided roughly into three kinds of nations: those that spend lots of money to keep their weight down; those whose people eat to live; and those whose people don't know where their next meal is coming from." -- David S. Landes, professor of economics and history

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