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
Source: Age Lessons
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Total value lost through retail theft and fraud for U.S. retailers in 2006, according to a survey: $41.6 billion
Rank of employee theft among the largest causes 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
Source: National Retail Federation
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Number of TV channels received by the average U.S. household in 2006, according to a survey: 104.2
Number of channels watched by an average U.S. household in 2006 for at least 10 minutes per week: 15.7
Source: Nielsen Media Research — Communications
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Ranks of anesthesiologists, surgeons and obstetricians/gynecologists among the best-paying jobs in the United States, according to a study: 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
Source: Forbes
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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 that guys would most enjoy having on their guys getaway: 1, 2
Source: Alka-Seltzer
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Percentage of executives who rated their boss's performance as either "excellent" or "above average," according to a study: 42
Percentage of U.S. executives who say that they can perform their boss's job better than their current manager: 73
Source: Korn/Ferry International
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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
Source: Pensions and Investments
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Rank of "retaining employees" among the top employee benefits objectives of small businesses with between two and 49 employees, according to a survey: 1
Percentage of small businesses that ranked "retaining employees" as their No. 1 employee benefit objective: 62
Percentage of small-business employees who say that they are satisfied with the benefits offered by their employer: 39
Source: MetLife Mature Market Institute
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Percentage of U.S. heads of household who own a home and have homeowners insurance, but who incorrectly believe that flood damages would be covered by a standard homeowners or property and liability policy, according to a 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
Source: National Association of Insurance Commissioners
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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: 43
Source: GfK Roper
John MacIntyre has been writing Figuratively Speaking since 1989. You can contact him by e-mail at johnmacintyre@bwr.eastlink.ca.