Figuratively Speaking

Percentage of U.S. adults who agree having a fridge full of leftovers is the best thing about hosting Thanksgiving, according to the results of a Harris poll: 79

Ranks of turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce on the list of traditional dishes Americans most look forward to at Thanksgiving: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of Americans planning to travel between Thanksgiving and New Year's in 2015, according to a survey Orbitz Worldwide: 71

Average amount that Americans plan to spend on holiday trips this year: $2,195

Source: Orbitz Worldwide.

Percentage of employees who say they are more productive the week before a holiday, according to a survey by Accountemps and Robert Half International: 32

Percentage who admit their productivity wanes: 22

Source: Robert Half International.

Average number of connected computing and entertainment devices per U.S. broadband households, according to Parks Associates: 7.5

Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of all U.S. adults (62 million) who consider themselves gift splurgers, according to a Nielsen survey: 26

Ranks of Miami and Tampa on the list of markets that fall into this generous group: 1, 2

Source: Nielsen Insights.

Percentage of Americans who enjoy a cocktail at least occasionally and who chose wine as their cocktail of choice, according to an Ipsos Omnibus survey: 56

Percentage of respondents who say the taste preference of a drinker is most important when buying wine as a gift: 27

Percentage of Americans who say price is the No. 1 factor when selecting wine in a restaurant: 27

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Year that Edward Brooke became the nation's first African-American to win election to the U.S. Senate by popular vote, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1966

Since his defeat in a bid for a third term in 1978, number of African-Americans the chamber has seated (one of whom cut his term short to become president): 6

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of Americans who feel pressure to spend more than they can afford during the holidays, according to a survey conducted for SunTrust Banks: 46

Percentage of adults who expect this holiday shopping season to be more financially stressful than last year: 29

Source: SunTrust Banks Inc.

Among those U.S. adults who have been sick during the holiday season, percentage who have gone shopping while ill, according to a survey conducted on behalf of Merck Manuals: 51

Percentage who confessed to going to work or school while sick: 65

Source: Merck Manuals.

Percentage of gift cards that now offer the ability to add a security code, according to a Bankrate.com report: 50

Percentage of cards that have some form of loss and theft protection: 72

Source: Bankrate Inc.

Idle Thought

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony." -- Mahatma Gandhi

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

Maximum number of days the U.S. Department of Agriculture suggests keeping a fresh turkey before cooking it, according to a National Turkey Federation survey: 2

Number of hours it takes to thaw a frozen 22- to 24-pound turkey in cold water: 11 to 12

Number of days it takes to thaw it in the refrigerator: 5.5 to 6

Number of hours it takes to cook a stuffed 22- to 24-pound turkey in an oven set to 325 degrees Fahrenheit: 5 to 5.5

Source: CNN Money.

Percentage of consumers who say their biggest holiday stress is the cost of gifts, according to a survey by RetailMeNot: 64

Percentage of consumers who are likely to do their winter holiday shopping in-store: 73

Source: RetailMeNot.com.

Ranks of Minnesota, North Carolina and Arkansas on the list of U.S. states that produce the most turkeys, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of Wisconsin, Massachusetts and New Jersey on the list of states that grow the most cranberries: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of North Carolina, California and Mississippi on the list of states that produce the most sweet potatoes: 1, 2, 3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Number of ultra-high net-worth individuals globally -- defined as those with $30 million and above in net assets -- according to a study by Wealth-X and the Sotheby's International Realty brand: 211,000

Percentage of them who own two or more residences: 79

Ranks of the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland on the list of the most popular locations for second homes among the ultra wealthy: 1, 2, 3

Source: Wealth-X.

Percentage of Americans who report that they loathe sharing the road with bad drivers -- more than cyclists, buses, taxis, joggers and walkers combined -- according to the Expedia 2015 Road Rage Report: 51

Percentage of all Americans who rate themselves as "careful" drivers, but feel that only 29 percent of fellow drivers merit the description: 97

Source: Expedia.

Estimated amount the average consumer is expected to spend this holiday season, according to the 2015 Deferred Interest Report by CardHub: $834

Projected net rise in credit card debt by the end of the year: $60 billion

Percentage of major retailers who offer financing options to their customers: 73

Source: CardHub.

Even though many financial advisers, friends and family members will tell you owning a home is not all it's cracked up to be, percentage of Americans who believe it's truly the great American dream, according to the Ipsos survey: 81

Percentage who believe it's important to keep the house updated and looking fresh: 88

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Ranks of the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots and Denver Broncos on the list of America's favorite football teams, according to the results of a Harris Poll: 1, 2 (tie), 4

Percentage of Americans who believe the worst part of Super Bowl Sunday is having to get up the next morning to go to work or school: 54

Source: The Harris Poll.

Estimated number of Americans who choose to rent rather than buy a home, according to research by Credit Donkey: 105 million

Average rent in the U.S. in 2015: $1,200.

Estimated percentage of American households that spend more than 30 percent of their income to keep a roof over their heads: 41

Percentage of renters who spend more than half their pay on rent: 25

Source: CreditDonkey.com.

When it comes to expenditures in retirement, percentage of millennials (ages 20 to 37) who think they will spend less than $36,000 per year -- 30 percent less than the current national average, $46,757, for those aged 65 to 74: 70

Percentage who believe they will not be able to retire when they want to, with half this group thinking they will never be able to fully retire: 56

Source: Insured Retirement Institute.

Idle Thought

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." -- Will Rogers, humorist

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

Number of hours the average worker in the United States works each year, according to YouGov's latest research: 1,789

Number of hours the average worker in the United Kingdom works each year: 1,677

Number of hours the average worker in Germany works each year (lowest average in the developed world): 1,371

Source: YouGov.

Percentage of octogenarians who say their financial well-being was among the most important factors when deciding when to retire, according to a survey of octogenarians conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of New York Life: 68

Percentage who cited their health: 53

Percentage who cited their age: 42

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

Negative impact on the lodging industry and the broader economy of New York City over the course of the last year caused by Airbnb's operations, according to a report by the Hotel Association of New York City: $2.1 billion

Source: Hotel Association of New York City Inc.

Percentage of U.S. adults who now have a cellphone of some kind, according to a Pew Research Center report: 92

Percentage of those cellphone owners who say that their phone is frequently with them: 90

Percentage who say they rarely turn it off: 45

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

Of Americans who did not identify themselves as "highly efficient," percentage who say that efficient people make them jealous, according to data released by Crucial.com: 33

Percentage of women who credited time management as their top reason for efficiency: 44

Rank of the ability to use technology and having their gadgets/technology working properly on the list of reasons men credit for their efficiency: 1

Source: Crucial.com.

Percentage of computer repair calls that are caused by Windows 10, according to the 2015 Q3 Computer Repair Report by RESCUECOM: 56

Percentage that are caused by viruses, spyware and malware: 11.3

Source: RESCUECOM.

Percentage of administrative workers who said they have skills that are not being tapped, according to a survey by OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals: 50

Ranks of event planning (78 percent) and controlling costs (66 percent) on the list of the top areas where administrative workers say they've been asked for help: 1, 2

Source: OfficeTeam.

Year that the first medical school for women opened in Boston, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1848

At the time, number of students enrolled: 12

Today in the U.S., percentage of all college students who are female: 56

Percentage of the doctorates in health professions awarded each year that are earned by women: 58

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of questions sent via Twitter that retailers were able to answer, according to research from Eptica: 20

Percentage of questions sent via Facebook they were able to answer: 54

Percentage of emails to which they replied successfully: 73

On average, number of times faster than social media that email responses were answered: 3

Source: Eptica.

Percentage of business-to-business marketing and sales executives globally who cited the sales process (making sure salespeople know what to do and how to do it when it comes to managing accounts and opportunities) as the area in which their company spends the most time and budget, according to a survey by Corporate Visions: 34

Percentage who said product training (reps are taught to know their solutions' capabilities and features in a way that makes them an expert source) is the area where their company spends the most time and budget: 27

Source: Corporate Visions Inc.

Idle Thought

"Who, being loved, is poor?" -- Oscar Wilde

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