Posted on: Sunday, June 24, 2007
Some adults are never too old for allowance
Compiled by John MacIntyre
Percentage of U.S. baby boomer households that contribute to the financial upkeep of an adult child over age 18 who is not in college, according to a survey conducted by Age Lessons and the Nielsen Co.: 25
Percentage of those households that spend more than $1,000 each year on the child: 56
Percentage of baby boomer parents who spend more than $5,000 per year on adult children: 15
CROOKED EMPLOYEES
Total value lost through retail theft and fraud for U.S. retailers in 2006, according to a survey conducted by the National Retail Federation: $41.6 billion
Rank of employee theft among the largest cause of retail theft and fraud: 1
Ranks of shoplifting, administrative errors and vendor fraud among the largest causes of retail theft and fraud: 2, 3, 4
CHANNEL SURFING
Number of TV channels received by the average U.S. household in 2006, according to a survey conducted by Nielsen Media Research: 104.2
Number of channels watched by an average U.S. household in 2006 for at least 10 minutes per week: 15.7
MEDICAL FIELD PAYS
Ranks of anesthesiologists, surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists among the best-paying jobs in the United States, according to a study conducted by Forbes: 1, 2, 3
Ranks of chief executives and airline pilots, the only two non-medical jobs in the top 15: 10, 14
Rank of lawyers: 16
ALL ABOUT GUYS
Percentage of men ages 25 to 44 who have been on an all-guys vacation, according to Alka-Seltzer's "Guys Will Be Guys" survey: 42
Percentage of men who reported that spending time with good friends is a primary benefit of getting away with the boys: 85
Ranks of Bill Clinton and Tiger Woods as the celebrities who guys would most enjoy having on their guys getaway: 1, 2
BOSS KNOWS BEST?
Percentage of executives who rated their boss's performance as either "excellent" or "above average," according to a study conducted by Korn/Ferry International: 42
Percentage of U.S. executives who say they can perform their boss's job better than their current manager: 73
THAT'S A LOT OF ASSETS
As of Dec. 31, 2006, worldwide institutional assets of the 500 largest money-management firms with some U.S. pension money, according to Pensions and Investments' annual money-manager survey: $24.578 trillion
RETAINING WORKERS KEY
Rank of "retaining employees" among the top employee benefits objectives of small businesses with between two and 49 employees, according to a survey conducted by MetLife: 1
Percentage of small businesses that ranked "retaining employees" as their No. 1 employee benefit objective: 62
Percentage of small business employees who say they are satisfied with the benefits offered by their employer: 39
INSURANCE ASSUMPTIONS
Percentage of U.S. heads of household who own a home and have homeowners insurance, but who incorrectly believe that flood damage would be covered by a standard homeowners or property and liability policy, according to a National Association of Insurance Commissioners survey: 33
Percentage who think that vehicles such as cars, boats and motorcycles stolen from or damaged on their property are covered by standard homeowners insurance policies: 68
U.S. NOT 'GREEN' ENOUGH
When asked whether U.S. individuals are ahead, behind or equal to people in other countries in terms of being "green," percentage of Americans who say that their fellow citizens are lagging, according to a survey by GfK Roper: 43
IDLE THOUGHT
"I believe I found the missing link between animal and civilized man. It is us."
— Konrad Lorenz, ethologist, Nobel Prize winner
