Tales of MOFS and SPEARS

These are the final 50-plus acronyms for 2005. I have no doubt that 2006 will produce another healthy crop.

SPEARS (Senior People Enjoying Affluent Retirements). This one is interesting. Whilst poverty may be staring many of the the 50-plus the face in retirement a third of all people with assets in excess of half a million are aged over 65.Research conducted by Brewin Dolphin Wealth Management showed that some 280,000 people over the age of 65 who each have assets of £500,000 or more.

MOFS (Male Over Fifty Spenders).It would seem that men discover the joy of shopping late in life - outspending female counterparts by £3.3 billion a year when they hit 50, a new survey reveals.The survey of 2,032 adults, aged 18 showed over-50s men spent £11,695,704,010 on goods in 2004. Over-50s women spent £8,337,091,613 on goods in the same period.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the level of accuracy of this 'research'. It is amazing what you can do with a small sample base, a handful of assumptions, Excel and some time to waste.Dick Stroud