Brain Bites – Issue 15

Brain Bites are “now and then” morsels regarding trends, statistics, and interesting ephemera in personal economics. These tasty tidbits help maintain your edge over an unpredictable future. Think of them as cerebral snacks for the hungry mind!

Home sweet home

For the first time since 1880, more young adults ages 18 to 34 (nearly one-third) live with their parents, than live with a spouse or partner.
Ref: Pew Research Center

I’m not your baby

Nearly half of American Internet users have been targeted by some form of online harassment. Women are more likely to be intimidated over longer periods of time and be subjected to damaging rumors.
Ref: Data & Society

Roger robot will see you to your room

More than a third (38%) of U.S. jobs could be at “high risk” of automation by the early 2030s, reports a 2017 analysis. Reality won’t necessarily fulfill predictions, however, as the pace of technological progress is uncertain. Economic, legal, and regulatory hurdles may also create hindrances. Job sectors vulnerable to automation include financial and insurance, hospitality and food service, and transportation and storage.
Ref: PricewaterhouseCoopers

Loyal to their loyalty

The average number of loyalty programs per U.S. household stands at 22.
Ref: Colloquy

The China Syndrome

In 2015, Chinese students accounted for nearly one-third of all 975,000 overseas pupils and one-third of international growth at American colleges and universities.
Ref: Institute of International Education

Boomers ate the sandwich…

NeXters will get the crumbs. In 1945, there were 41 people working for every American receiving Social Security benefits. By 2030, there will be 2 workers for every one receiving Social Security and Medicare benefits. It was delicious while it lasted.
Ref: U.S. Social Security Administration

Keep your hands off of my stack

How concentrated has wealth become? This year, just 8 of the richest people on Earth own as much combined as half the human race (3.6 billion people). That’s up from last year when it took 62 of the richest people to match the assets of the poorer half.
Ref: Oxfam

Not-so golden years?

One-third (32%) of Americans from the ages of 65 to 69 are still in the workforce (2017).
Ref: U.S. Census Bureau

A whole lotta 1s and 0s

Almost 1.1 billion websites are currently online. For the first time, global Internet traffic surpassed 1 zetabyte last year, the equivalent of 152 million years of high-definition video.
Ref: The Economist

Like leavened bread…

Higher education grades continue to rise. “A” is by far the most common grade on both four-year and two-year college campuses (more than 42% of grades) according to a 2016 survey update. While “A” is still the top grade at community colleges (more than 36%), its share has gone down slightly in recent years.
Ref: Stuart Rojstaczer and Christopher Healey

Do you believe in magic?

From the goodness of its heart, Facebook is prohibiting developers—who get access to FB to create apps—from using the massive amount of data it collects for surveillance.
Ref: ACLU

Eat more kimchi

Researchers predict that Americans will continue to have one of the lowest life expectancies of any developed country. By 2030, American men and women are expected to live to 80 and 83. South Korean women, in contrast, are projected to live to nearly 91.
Ref: Imperial College London

Honey, who shrunk the class?

Nationally, the proportion of middle-income adults shrank to 51% in 2014, down from 55% in 2000.
Ref: Pew Research Center

The days of wine and roses

After transitioning to their post-career lives and embracing leisure, 70% of retirees say retirement is much more fun and enjoyable than their working days ever were.
Ref: Merrill Lynch

Up to their eyeballs

Current outstanding student loans amount to 1.3 trillion dollars, roughly 10% of all household debt. The average debt at graduation has increased from $10,000 in 1993 to more than $35,000 in 2016.
Ref: time.com/money

Paper is still king

Sixty-five percent of adults said that they had read a printed book in the past year; 6% said they read books only in digital format; 38% said they read books exclusively in print.
Ref: Pew Research Center

Climbing aboard

One-fifth of all board members of Fortune 500 companies are now female, and the numbers are rising.
Ref: Fortune

Experts at multi-tasking

Roughly 183 million Americans last year used the Internet from a desktop or mobile device while watching TV at least once a month. That amounts to nearly 85% of Internet users, up from 80% the year before.
Ref: eMarketer

It makes cappuccino, and more!

Devices in your homes and offices that are connected to the Internet—such as smart TVs, rice makers, brewing machines, garage door openers, and thermostats—could increasingly be taken over by hackers. The devices are then stitched together in a network of millions that can be used to send a blizzard of messages to cripple targeted websites.
Ref: USC Center for Computer Systems Security

How do I love me?

Let me count the pains. Doctors are seeing cases of “selfie elbow,” an inflammation in the tendons that run from the hand to the elbow. Similar to “tennis elbow,” the condition is caused by repetitive strain in the arm from gripping the selfie stick.
Ref: American Physical Therapy Program

Don’t shoot—I’m only the piano player! The information in Brain Bites is sourced from a variety of usually reliable publications. Nevertheless, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or currency of this material and a degree of common sense should be applied before quoting it. If something appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.

Image credit: “Jelly Brain Dissection” by Guerilla Science (2010), licensed/modified (red ring removed) by permission of copyright holder.