Figuratively Speaking: Majority of Americans claim financial independence

Percentage of U.S. citizens ages 19 to 39 who say they receive financial support from family and friends: 33

Diminishing net worth

Percentage growth for 2007 in the number of U.S. households with a net worth of $1 million or more (not including primary residence), according to Affluent Market Insights 2008, released by Spectrem Group: 2

Percentage growth in the number of these households in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively: 8, 11, 21

Total number of households: 9.2 million

Just shred it

Percentage of people who report shredding personal bills and documents containing private information in order to protect themselves against identity theft, according to a survey conducted by Sallie Mae: 47

Percentage of respondents who said that they refrained from giving out their Social Security numbers in order to protect personal information: 25

Who’s a millionaire

When asked how much money it takes to be rich, percentage of affluent households who said $5 million, according to the research by Millionaire Corner, a newly launched Web site powered by Spectrem Group: 45

Percentage who said $25 million: 25

Percentage who said $1 million is enough to be rich: 22

Talking about money

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they have discussed financial issues with their spouses or partners, according to a Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Personal Finance Poll: 88

Percentage who have discussed spending habits: 63

Percentage who have discussed setting and keeping a household budget: 44

Tax issues

Percentage of Americans who think the tax system is skewed to benefit the rich, according to the results of the Bankrate poll: 60

Percentage of Americans who feel clueless about tax preparation and planning: 28

The direct (deposit) route

Number of checks issued by the U.S. Treasury in 2006 that were fraudulently endorsed, according to a survey sponsored by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Financial Management Service on behalf of its Go Direct campaign: 57,000

Percentage of the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income payments that are accounted for by paper checks: 20

Percentage of reported payment problems that are attributed to paper checks: 90

Feeling fiscally entitled

Percentage of wealthy teens who said, “I deserve to be rich because my parents are rich,” according to the Growing Up Wealthy survey, commissioned by PNC Wealth Management: 22

Percentage of wealthy teens who said they should not be able to buy anything they want: 45

Percentage who said they are willing to work for the things they want to purchase: 80

Percentage of those ages 18 to 20 who have a full-time or part-time job, which accounts for their spending money: 63

Cold, hard cash

Percentage of Americans who say they remember having used dollar coins to make purchases, according to an Associated Press poll conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs: 49

Percentage of Americans who put loose change in a piggy bank or coin jar at the end of the day: 53

Percentage who keep it with them for purchases: 42

Refund plans

Percentage of American taxpayers who said they expect to receive a refund this year, according to a survey commissioned by Taxsoftware.com: 58

Estimated number of Americans who say they will give a portion of their tax refund to charity this year: 34 million

Percentage who will use their refund for savings or investments: 58.9

Percentage who will pay off debts: 53.7

The declining dollar

Percentage of Americans who know that the U.S. dollar has declined against other major currencies over the last few years, according to the results of a nationwide survey by Harris Interactive: 79

Percentage of adults who think the decline is bad for consumers: 68

Percentage who think the decline is bad for the American economy: 66

Fun vs. future

Percentage of U.S. adults who say they would not give up dining out in order to save more money each month for retirement, according to a study conducted by ShareBuilder: 31

Percentage who say they would not give up travel: 18

Percentage who say they would not give up clothing purchases: 17

John MacIntyre is an author and former city magazine editor. His “Figuratively Speaking” column, launched in 1989, is published in more than 40 newspapers and magazines.