Percentage of people who said they make sure their oldest items stick around, giving them whatever maintenance they need to keep them in working order, according to a study by Slickdeals: 71

Ranks of cars, kitchen appliances, cookware, TVs and phones on the list of the top items worth the money if they last forever, or longer than average: 1 (tie), 3, 4, 5

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of professionals who said they were more likely to request a higher starting salary today compared to 12 months ago, according to a survey by Robert Half: 56

Percentage who feel they still remain in control when it comes to negotiating pay, perks and benefits: 54

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of retirees who agreed with the statement "I wish I started planning earlier for retirement," according to a survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute: 49

When asked if, upon reflection, they would have changed their financial habits during their working years to improve their current financial situation, percentage who said yes: 50

Percentage who said they would have saved more or saved earlier: 72

Source: Employee Benefits Research Institute.

Percentage of Americans who describe their overall health and well-being as excellent or good, according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of MDVIP: 75

Percentage who agree that they would like to take steps to live healthier for longer: 87

Percentage who say they feel like they have aged faster during the pandemic, particularly those ages 18 to 44 (53%), compared to those 45 to 64 (44%) and those 65 and older (32%): 40

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs.

When asked if they engaged in sexting, percentage of adults who admitted they had, compared to only 17% in 2011, according to a survey by Adam and Eve: 42

Percentage who preferred not to answer, versus only 2% in 2011: 12

Source: Adam and Eve.

Percentage of Americans who have had nightmares about money this year, according to the results of WalletHub's Halloween Spending and Financial Fears survey: 42

Percentage of people who are somewhat fearful or very fearful of this economy: 86

Percentage who say an unplanned emergency is their biggest financial fear: 33

Source: WalletHub.

Percentage of American employees who say that they are feeling burnout at work, according to a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting: 49

Percentage who have not taken time off in the last 12 months -- highest among younger workers (50%) and lower-income employees (56%): 42

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

In the United States, percentage of the overall population that plays video games, according to a poll carried out by EEDAR: 67

Estimated number of U.S. gamers: 211.2 million

Anticipated percentage compound annual growth rate of the global market for computer keyboards during the forecast period from 2022 to 2030, according to ResearchAndMarkets.com: 5.5

Source: Research and Markets.

Percentage of homeowners and/or auto policyowners who are concerned that their home/auto insurance coverage may not be enough due to the changing economy (e.g., inflation), according a survey by VIU by Hub International: 59

Percentage of those who have made a claim on their insurance policy in the past five years who have had an event where their policy did not cover their claim as they had expected: 40

Source: Hub International.

According to a national TiiCKER/Harris Poll, percentage of everyday investors who would be more likely to buy shares of a company if they were offered a shareholder perk, reward or product discount: 77

Source: TiiCKER/Harris Poll.

Idle Thought

"It took less than an hour to make the atoms, a few hundred million years to make the stars and planets, but 5 billion years to make man!" -- George Gamow, physicist and cosmologist (1904-1968)

Percentage of extremely wealthy households ($30 million or more) in the United States -- who hold $39 trillion in wealth, which represents 30% of all the wealth held by everyone in the country, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy: 0.25

Amount that a nationwide tax of 2% on wealth over $30 million could have raised this year, affecting just 1 in 400 households: $415 billion

Percentage of this wealth that is held by white, non-Hispanic households: 92

Source: Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.

Percentage of Gen Z members (13- to 25-year-olds) who wish their parents would ask permission before posting pics of them online (only 34% of parents actually do so -- and 39% feel they don't need permission), according to a 1Password and Malwarebytes report: 73

Percentage of parents who post images, videos or personal information about their kids online: 79

Percentage who say it's fine to start posting images of their kids as soon as they're born: 39

Percentage of Gen Z who say they've been stalked or bullied because of something they or their parents posted online: 10

Source: 1Password.

Percentage of retirees who say they spend less than $2,000 each month, according to a survey by the Employee Benefits Research Institute: 49

Percentage who spend between $2,000 and $3,999: 32

Percentage who spend between: $4,000 and 6,999: 16

Percentage who spend more than $7,000 a month: 3

Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute.

Amount that Americans will spend on Halloween costumes for their pets this year, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: $710 million

Ranks of a pumpkin, a hot dog, a bat and a bumblebee as the most popular costumes for pet lovers: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: NRF.

Percentage of employees who say they are either somewhat or completely uncomfortable telling their direct managers that they want to explore other job options outside of their current role, according to a survey by Eagle Hill Consulting: 20

Percentage who feel there would be negative repercussions if they openly explored other job options: 35

Percentage of younger workers (ages 18 to 34) who are most likely to feel this way: 42

Source: Eagle Hill Consulting.

Percentage of Americans who say inflation hasn't just hurt their pocketbooks, it's now hurting their health, making it harder to pay medical bills, according to a Debt.com poll: 57

Percentage of adults who have had their medical bills sent to collections: 25

Percentage who say they have avoided medical care as a result of what they already owe: 28

Source: Debt.com.

Rank of having the person in front of them escalate the situation, getting managers involved in their returns, and having to travel to the store on the list of the most hated parts of in-person returns, according to a survey commissioned by Slickdeals: 1, 2 (tie)

Percentage of people who think returning items online is more difficult: 29

Ranks of paying for shipping, having the item lost or not arrive at its destination, and traveling to the post office on the list of the most hated parts of online returns: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of consumers who have changed their shopping habits so they don't have to deal with the return process at all: 52

Source: Slickdeals.

Percentage of Americans who plan to celebrate this holiday season and are looking forward to time around the table with family, according to survey commissioned by Omaha Steaks: 71

Despite the impact of inflation on food prices, percentage who agree that for holiday entertaining, quality is more important than low prices when it comes to buying meal ingredients: 77

Percentage who say they would not sacrifice on hosting family and friends during the holidays: 31

Source: Omaha Steaks.

Among educators who use technology as part of their teaching practice, percentage who report that they are more aware of their students' individual needs, according to a survey by Gradient Learning: 61

Number of times as likely that teachers using technology are to report that they spend more one-on-one time with their students: 2

Percentage who said the effective use of technology within learning was important for students' future success: 70

Source: Gradient Learning.

Idle Thought

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus." -- Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922)

Percentage of people who say they're more inclined to spend money on quality items than on something that's cheaper both in price and quality, according to research by Slickdeals: 60� Percentage who have been burned by buying the cheap version of a product: 63� Number of times more than the sticker price that the average American is willing to pay for products that last at least 20 years: 2

Source: Slickdeals.

Rank of Spider-Man (2.2 million), princess (1.9 million), witch (1.6 million) and ghost (1.3 million) as the most popular costumes for children, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation: 1, 2, 3, 4

Rank of witch, vampire, ghost and pirate as the most popular costumes for adults: 1, 2, 3, 4

Source: National Retail Federation.

Percentage of U.S. adults who have eaten expired food, according to a survey sponsored by Farm Rich: 27� Percentage of parents who admitted to chowing down on their kids' snacks to help ease their hunger pangs: 39� Percentage of parents who are willing to let their kids eat whatever they want if it will stop them from having a hangry tantrum: 68� Source: Farm Rich.

Percentage of employers that have added new perks in response to the challenging hiring market, according to a survey from Robert Half: 83� Percentage that have added remote work opportunities: 40� Percentage that have offered mental health resources: 36� Percentage that have offered wellness programs: 33

Source: Robert Half.

Percentage of Americans who say the way the president is elected should be changed so that the winner of the popular vote nationwide wins the presidency, according to a survey by Pew Research: 63� Percentage who said so in 2021: 55� Source: Pew Research Center's Social and Demographic Trends.

Average number of connected devices there are in U.S. internet-connected households, according to Parks Associates research: 16� Percentage of these households that experienced at least one technical problem last year: 52� Percentage of consumers who prefer to handle technical support issues over the phone: 63� Source: Parks Associates.

Percentage of Americans who say they would not install an app that collects driving behavior or location data for any insurance discount amount, according to a survey from Policygenius: 68� Percentage who believe no discount is worth installing a smart home device, like a doorbell camera, water sensor or smart thermostat, if these devices shared data with their insurance companies: 65� Source: Policygenius.

Percentage of adults who say they frequently use earbuds for more than one hour per day, the recommended time limit by The World Health Organization, according to a survey commissioned by Lipo-Flavonoid: 31� Percentage of adults who are aware that using earbuds at unsafe levels is damaging: 22� Percentage who enjoy their music most when it's played at a higher volume (that percentage increases to 30% among adults ages 18-34): 21� Percentage of Americans who don't care if their earbud volume is higher than what's considered healthy (that percentage jumps to 49% among those ages 18-34): 32

Source: The Harris Poll.

Percentage of decision-making moms who consider Halloween a season, and nearly half agree it begins October 1, according to a survey by Party City: 80� Number of times people say their child will wear their Halloween costume: 2 to 5� Source: Party City.

Percentage of Americans who plan to travel this holiday season, according to findings in "OOH Consumer Insights & Opportunities Q4 2022: Holiday Travel & Shopping": 59� Percentage who will be taking a personal vehicle: 64� Source: The Harris Poll.

Idle Thought

"Simplicity is the final achievement. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art." -- Frederic Chopin, pianist and composer (1810-1849)