California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.

Based off of the popular winter song, “The 12 Days of Christmas” the Wealth Management
Department of PNC Bank has done a comparative analysis of the cost of each holiday gift.
In the 27th year of the survey PNC has found that the 12 items come out to a grand total
of $23,439 which is a $1,974 increase from last year. The jump from 2009 to 2010 marks
the second highest increase in the history of the survey behind the 2002 to 2003 rise
of 16%.

An official with PNC Wealth Management identified that the increase in cost associated
with survey is due to some items having significant increases. For example, gold prices
are high - which pushed the cost of five gold rings up 30 percent to $649.95 along with
the cost of hiring entertainers.

In addition, the price of feed and availability increased the cost for some birds which
led to a 78.6 percent increase in the price of two turtle doves to $100 and a whopping
233 percent increase for the cost of three French hens to $150.

Only four of the 12 gifts in the song didn't go up in price from last year: the pear
tree ($149, not including the partridge), four calling birds ($599.96), six geese ($150)
and the eight maids-a-milking ($58).

The most expensive item on the list was $6,294.03 to hire nine ladies dancing, a 15
percent increase from last year. The cheapest was $12 for one partridge, but that was
a 20 percent increase.

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.