Here’s a post about everyone’s favorite fuel.

A WSJ.com/Harris Interactive poll released today included many opinions to ponder.

For instance, 94 percent of adults believe it is important to reduce energy consumption from automobile use. What I want to know is whether everyone answering that question has done anything about it or just hopes the auto industry will figure it out.

It turns out 8 in 10 Americans have changed their lifestyles due to gas costs at least somewhat.

Here are the changes:

80%: Minimizing non-critical travel

59%: Adjusting my spending habits

32%: Put a road trip on hold

21%: Bike or walk when I can

12%: Driving farther to find cheaper gas

10%: Increasing the use of public transportation

8%: Participating in a car pool

6%: Exchanged vehicle for a smaller car

3%: Purchased or leased a hybrid

20%: Keep driving like gas was .89 cents a gallon

I’ve been riding my bike to work some, bundling trips, and thinking twice about driving all the way to Costco or Ikea to “save money.”

How about you?

If you have as many things to do today as I do, you’ll understand and appreciate this brief multi-topic post.

On 30 big stocks: The Dow is within reach of 14,000 points. A story in today’s Wall Street Journal used a phrase that caught my eye to describe the market’s recent highs: climbing on a “wall of worry.” Do you think the market is poised for a correction? If so, doing anything about it or staying the course?

On banking: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency now has a consumer banking advice portal: www.helpwithmybank.gov, which addresses everything from how to fix errors on credit reports to banking fees and interest rates.

On mortgages: A Harris Interactive poll found two-thirds of Americans surveyed find mortgage advertising and marketing non-credible. You mean, if it sounds too good to be true it usually is?
Of the 2,383 adults surveyed, here’s what type of mortgage they owned:

No mortgage: 54%

Fixed rate: 33%

Home equity loan: 16%

ARM: 7%

interest only: 5%

No $ down: 4%

Balloon 2%

Reverse 2%

On bonds: I wrote last week’s column on the role bonds should play in a young person’s portfolio. A reader named David emailed me these interesting thoughts:

I consider my home equity to be a bond - with the dividend being what [Wall Street Journal columnist] Jonathan Clements describes as the tax-free enjoyment of living in my home. Similar to a bond, there is a downside and the upside is limited to 3-5% per year appreciation.

In addition, I would also consider Pensions to be similar to a bond as well. In particular, defined-contribution pensions (I get 5% of my gross dumped into a bond fund that pays 3-5%) are almost always invested in bond funds.

Do you own any “bonds” not bonds?

My colleague Jackie Crosby wrote a story about a new report on overdraft fees . The report, released by the Center for Responsible Lending this week, found that banks and credit unions generate $17.5 billion in fees each year from charging consumers $35 bucks for buying a latte when over the limit.

The authors recommend that banks be required to warn customers when an ATM withdrawal or debit card transaction will put them in the red.

Banks argue that that would be an inconvenience and an embarrassment to consumers.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather be $34 richer and have a sales clerk know I’m skating close to zero in my bank account than in negative territory with a burger in hand (My few overdrafts have resulted from some ridiculously small purchase that I made just hours before a deposited check cleared).

For some, tipping is an extremely touchy topic. We’ve all been out to restaurants with friends only to learn that they tip like Ebenezer Scrooge or put our tipping practices to shame.

I routinely tipped 15 percent until I worked at a restaurant. I’m a faithful 20 percent tipper today, unless my kids have ground rice into the rug and thrown crayons (25 percent) or the server is rude or terribly incompetent (15 percent).

I was surprised to learn this morning that more than two-thirds of Americans recently surveyed said they will leave no tip when service is bad. I wouldn’t dare.

A survey out today by market research firm Synovate found 98 percent of Americans regularly tip and more than half tip wait staff between 15 and 20 percent.

The extensive survey asked more than 6,800 people in 10 countries (Brazil Canada Hong Kong Indonesia Russia Serbia France Spain UK US) about tipping behavior. I think understanding tipping behavior while visiting another country is as important as carrying a map.
Globally, about a third of all consumers leave a 10 to 15 percent tip. Fifteen percent of all consumers will usually leave less than 10 percent of the bill, 14% will leave between 15 to 20 percent of the bill, and 36% don’t base the amount of their tip on the final bill.

Americans are the highest tippers according to the survey. Russians were the least generous, generally leaving less than 10 percent of a bill.
Here’s who Americans tip: Waiters (97%), bell hops (97%), haristylists (79%).

In Indonesia, citizens are more likely to tip a handyman than a waiter. The majority of consumers in Serbia and Brazil would tip handymen too. Only 7 percent of Americans would tip a handyman, survey says.

I must admit to feeling like we are becoming a society that tips too much. Does the barista handing me a black coffee deserve my change more than a drive through worker at McDonalds? I don’t know. How to tip? Who to tip?

Synovate found more than half of Americans often feel pressured to leave a tip when they don’t want to. Relate?

If you need another reason to participate in Friday’s Twin Cities Commuter Challenge, here is is:

Households are spending about $1,000 more per year for gasoline than they were just five years ago, an 85 percent increase according to analysis by the Consumers Union and Consumer Federation of America. The prepared testimony on the matter for the House Judiciary Committee earlier this week.