Diamond Days, Smartie, Senior Security or Vintage Value?
Gone it would seem are the silver surfer days. The senior citizen demographics have been given a facelift by Experian and older generations are being grouped according to spending habits and where we choose to retire.
Spending Habits
So which group does your lifestyle and spending habits or choice of home town put you in?
Well, if you are affluent, own your own home (which is now fully paid off), have a substantial retirement fund you can put yourself squarely in the Diamond Days grouping.
If you have retired and having shunned the traditional Bournemouth option and instead chosen a Market Town (think Stratford upon Avon) as your place of retirement you are a Smartie (not the colour covered chocolate variety).
Slightly further down the list according to the credit checking company are the Senior Security group members. These apparently are financially comfortable but risk averse; and “Vintage Value”, who are among the least well-off.
The Grey Pound
Richard Jenkings, lead consultant at Experian, said of the wealthier pensioner groups: “In the past, people would go on holiday to the seaside and then a lucky few would then retire to those same resorts…Today we still see this happening, but a rising trend is for better-off retirees to move not to the traditional seaside resorts, but instead to pleasant, often historic, cathedral cities and quality market towns.
“Furthermore, our research shows that the elderly, affluent suburbanite is a now well established fixture in parts of the UK, particularly in the South East of England. These folks typically have significant amounts of disposable income and are looking to enjoy life to the full in their golden years…In general they will be in better health, have higher pensions and savings and be more active than most pensioners of similar age. As a consequence, their consumption of goods and services is likely to be higher than their less affluent peers.”
See the Our Place advice section if you have any questions regarding pensions and retirement
